apEX Aims for Fourth Major and Back-to-Back Victory at Budapest
Team Vitality’s in-game leader Dan “apEX” Madesclaire says the team is chasing both history and legacy at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, openly admitting that the idea of winning a fourth Major title – and doing it back-to-back – is a powerful personal motivation.
In an interview with HLTV ahead of Stage 3 in Budapest, apEX reflected on Vitality’s incredible high of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, their shakier showings at IEM Chengdu and BLAST Rivals Hong Kong, and the pressure that comes with arriving as reigning Major champions.
“It would be nice to win a fourth one”
apEX is already part of a very small group of three-time Major winners, but he’s looking upwards. He pointed out that dupreeh holds the all-time record with five Major titles, while Magisk, device, Xyp9x and gla1ve sit on four each from Astralis’ dominant era.
For apEX, winning another trophy is now the only real goal:
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he wants a fourth Major to join that four-title club
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and he wants back-to-back Majors, something no team has accomplished since Astralis went back-to-back in 2019.
He told HLTV that pulling off both at once in Budapest would be a huge statement about Vitality’s place in Counter-Strike history and his own legacy as captain.
From historic dominance to recent stumbles
To understand the weight behind apEX’s words, you have to look at Vitality’s 2025 season so far.
Earlier in the year, Vitality went on one of the most dominant runs ever seen in Counter-Strike:
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they swept MOUZ to win IEM Dallas 2025, securing a sixth trophy in a row and extending their match win streak to 30 consecutive victorie
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that streak included multiple S-tier titles and culminated in them entering the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 as overwhelming favourites
In Austin, Vitality delivered: they won the third CS2 Major championship, beating The MongolZ in the grand final, with ZywOo earning MVP for his performances.
apEX described arriving at that Major as “the biggest favourites ever” after winning six events in a row – but also admitted he was still scared going into it because of the pressure and unpredictability of Majors.
After that high, though, things became more complicated.
Chengdu and Hong Kong: results good, level “not great”
In the Budapest interview, apEX is very blunt about Vitality’s form at the two big events that followed Austin:
IEM Chengdu 2025
Vitality reached the final in China but were swept 3-0 by FURIA in the grand final.
apEX told HLTV that even in matches they won at Chengdu – such as their run through the bracket – the team looked “shaky”, mentioning how they struggled to close out games, including an example where they let big leads slip against FURIA on maps like Ancient and Overpass.
BLAST Rivals Hong Kong 2025
Hong Kong followed a similar pattern: decent results on paper, but a feeling inside the team that the level wasn’t where it should be.
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Vitality played Team Spirit in a tight series that featured the now-famous 1v5 clutch from donk, which swung key momentum against them.
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They then lost to Falcons after leading 11–6 on Inferno, a collapse that was widely discussed by fans and analysts.
apEX said flatly that he thought Vitality “played pretty bad overall” at Hong Kong despite still reaching the semi-final, and he singled out his own performance as one of the weakest he’d had in a long time.
The IGL’s balancing act: caller vs. player
A big theme of the interview is apEX’s struggle to balance his roles as tactical leader and individual player.
When things start to go wrong, he explained, his instinct as an in-game leader is to do more for others – to create extra plays, set up more moves, micro-manage the team. But that leads to him “forgetting” his own game, playing fewer solid positions, and ultimately putting up poor individual showings.
He emphasised a couple of key adjustments he’s trying to make:
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reminding himself that he is also a player who needs to aim and win duels, not just a strategist
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delegating a bit more responsibility to his teammates so he can focus on his own flow
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trusting in Vitality’s structure, rather than trying to hero-fix every problem in the middle of a slum
apEX noted that in the first part of the season, when he managed to find a better balance, he could still deliver strong individual maps – and he wants to get back to that state for Budapest.
Preparation for Budapest: rest, reset, and a short bootcamp
After the long trips to Chengdu and Hong Kong, Vitality were exhausted. apEX mentioned they had almost 20 days of continuous travel, arrived early in China for sponsor work, and then stayed in a very cramped hotel in Hong Kong where he “felt like [he] was in the military” due to the tiny room and poor sleep.
To recover, the team:
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took a week off after returning from Asia to recharge
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then did four–five days of online practice from home, with multiple scrims per day
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finally travelled to Budapest early for a short local bootcamp, spending about five days on site before the start of Stage 3
apEX said he’s happy with the way they prepared this time: adding new ideas to their playbook as usual, but in a focused way that fits the limited time.
He also pushed back on teammate flameZ’s earlier comment that preparation for Chengdu and Hong Kong wasn’t great, saying he felt it was “decent overall” and that good or bad bootcamps don’t always correlate to event performance anyway.
Facing FaZe in the opener – and the problem with best-of-ones
Vitality’s first match in Stage 3 is a best-of-one vs FaZe – hardly a gentle warm-up.
apEX made several points about this matchup:
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FaZe have had an up-and-down year, but they are still dangerous, packed with star players and capable of sudden deep runs
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they’ve already played through the earlier stages of the Major, which gives them a “field advantage” in terms of being warmed up and comfortable on stage
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a single best-of-one at the start of a crucial stage is inherently scary, especially when you’ve seen what can happen at past Majors (he referenced Austin, where Vitality got smashed by Legacy in their opening game despite being heavy favourites)
apEX openly said he hopes this will be the last Major where such key days start with multiple best-of-ones. In his view, playing BO1s all year converted to BO3s, only to have two BO1s on the most important tournament’s group day, doesn’t make much competitive sense.
Humble favourites, not “untouchable” ones
One key change compared to Austin: in Budapest, Vitality are contenders, but not the almost untouchable favourites they were back then. Other top teams have had time to study them, the win streak is gone, and their recent form has been more human.
apEX stressed that, despite knowing he has a lineup capable of winning the whole thing – ZywOo and ropz as star duo, flameZ and mezii as impact riflers, and XTQZZZ behind them as coach – his focus is on staying humble:
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no obsessing over playoffs, finals, or lifting the trophy yet
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treat it “stage by stage”, starting with that first best-of-one
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acknowledge that “this guy can beat us, that guy can beat us” – the field is deep and dangerou
If Vitality were to start 0-2 in Stage 3, he says, the narrative changes completely. So his mindset is to think short-term: qualify from the stage first, then talk about titles.
Chasing history in Budapest
Even with that short-term focus, there’s no hiding what’s at stake. If Vitality can win Budapest:
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apEX becomes a four-time Major champion, joining the legendary Astralis core on that mark
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the team would complete back-to-back Majors (Austin and Budapest), something that hasn’t been seen since Astralis’ last double in 2019
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Vitality would further cement their 2025 run – already including multiple S-tier trophies, a 30-match win streak, and an ESL Grand Slam – as one of the greatest eras in Counter-Strike histor
apEX clearly feels the weight of that opportunity, but he also knows that Majors are unforgiving. His interview paints a picture of a captain who is both ambitious and anxious: chasing records, wrestling with the responsibilities of calling, and trying to keep his team grounded in a tournament where one bad day can ruin everything.
However the Budapest Major ends, the stakes for apEX and Vitality are obvious. A fourth title and back-to-back Majors would move them from “dominant era” talk into a conversation about all-time greatness – exactly the kind of legacy apEX says he still wakes up hungry to chase.
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