XTQZZZ says jL gave Vitality the reset they needed at BLAST Open Porto

Vitality did not arrive at BLAST Open Porto looking like a team that needed another complication. They arrived looking for answers.

A run of poor results had pushed Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam’s side away from the level that made them the dominant force earlier in 2026, while William “mezii” Merriman’s paternity leave forced Vitality to integrate Justinas “jL” Lekavicius on short notice. Instead of treating the stand-in situation as another problem, however, XTQZZZ believes the change helped give his team something it badly needed: a different energy.

That reset has produced results. After opening the tournament with a shock 0-2 defeat to Inner Circle, Vitality recovered with victories over 9z, Legacy and FUT before beating FURIA 2-1 in the quarter-finals in Porto. The FURIA win ended Vitality’s streak of four consecutive events without reaching the top four.

For XTQZZZ, though, reaching the semi-finals with a substitute was not the finish line. His comments after the FURIA series were less about celebrating the run and more about whether Vitality can turn a temporary lineup into a genuine title challenge.

Quick Context

The FURIA series itself showed both sides of the current Vitality. They were badly outplayed on Nuke, survived a tight Cache despite losing both pistol rounds, and then looked far more convincing on Dust2 to close the series. ZywOo led Vitality with a 1.18 rating across the three maps, while jL finished the series at 1.04.

Why jL has been more than a stand-in

The timing of mezii’s absence initially looked awkward. Vitality had already lost momentum after a remarkable first half of 2026, and inserting a player with different instincts and positioning could easily have made their problems worse.

XTQZZZ saw another possibility.

“We were really happy to have something new.”

The coach explained that Vitality viewed jL’s arrival as an opportunity to change the atmosphere around the team rather than simply survive an unavoidable substitution. jL is not an inexperienced emergency pickup: he is a former Major MVP who entered free agency after leaving NAVI in July and had already spent time adapting to other elite systems earlier in the year.

That experience has not removed the difficulty of replacing mezii.

On CT sides, XTQZZZ has tried to give jL room to contribute his own ideas and play positions in ways that suit him. The T side requires more direct assistance because mezii’s responsibilities involve a large amount of utility, structure and reaction-based teamwork. XTQZZZ also acknowledged that mistakes can frustrate jL, making the mental side of the adaptation another area the team has had to manage.

That closely matches jL’s own description of the experiment. Before the playoffs, the Lithuanian explained that he was trying to absorb mezii’s responsibilities without simply imitating him. He felt the opening defeat to Inner Circle actually accelerated that process because Vitality were forced to discuss reactions, utility and individual responsibilities in greater detail.

It is an important distinction. Vitality are not attempting to manufacture a temporary copy of mezii. They are trying to preserve the structure around apEX, ZywOo, ropz and flameZ while allowing jL enough freedom to remain useful as himself.

Nuke remains a warning sign

Vitality’s 13-6 loss to FURIA on Nuke was the clearest reminder that the recovery is incomplete.

FURIA raced ahead on the CT side and left Vitality with only two rounds at halftime. XTQZZZ pointed toward the speed of Vitality’s offense as a recurring issue: when their T side moves too quickly through its ideas, there is little opportunity to slow the round down, collect information and create a proper mid-round.

That problem matters beyond a single bad map. Nuke has traditionally rewarded teams with strong communication, layered utility and the ability to manipulate rotations. Those are precisely the areas most vulnerable when a lineup is playing with a stand-in.

The response against FURIA was encouraging. Vitality steadied themselves on Cache, winning 13-11 despite giving up both pistol rounds, before producing their cleanest Counter-Strike of the series on Dust2. XTQZZZ felt the team handled FURIA’s aggression much better on the decider after struggling to adapt early in the match.

Rather than treating the Nuke collapse as evidence of a deeper crisis, the French coach framed it as a specific problem Vitality need to review and correct.

XTQZZZ is not satisfied with a semifinal

A top-four appearance could reasonably be considered a successful outcome for a lineup forced to use a substitute, particularly given Vitality’s results before Porto.

XTQZZZ rejected that framing.

“For me right now, it's not an achievement.”

The standard matters. Earlier in 2026, Vitality won five tournaments in succession before their form dropped away. By the time they reached Porto, they had gone four events without making the top four. Beating FURIA therefore represented progress, but XTQZZZ was unwilling to lower expectations simply because mezii was unavailable.

There is also a practical reason for that stance. Vitality did not reach the playoffs by scraping through one favorable matchup. After losing to Inner Circle, they won four consecutive series against 9z, Legacy, FUT and FURIA. The team had already demonstrated that the stand-in lineup was capable of functioning against stronger opposition.

The semifinal was therefore the more meaningful test: whether Vitality could move from recovery mode into genuine trophy contention.

MOUZ offered a very different test

Vitality’s next opponent, MOUZ, reached the semi-finals without taking the same route through the lower bracket.

MOUZ beat 9z 2-0, Inner Circle 2-0 and Falcons 2-1, earning direct passage to the arena semi-finals. Their comeback against Falcons was particularly convincing: after losing Nuke 6-13, xertioN’s side answered with 13-6 on Ancient and 13-3 on Inferno.

The matchup also carried an unusual jL subplot. Earlier in 2026, he spent a temporary spell with MOUZ, posting a 1.04 rating in unfamiliar roles and helping the team to two third-place finishes before his loan ended. MOUZ later completed their permanent rebuild by signing PR.

The most recent Vitality-MOUZ series before Porto came at the IEM Cologne Major in June. Vitality won 2-1, taking Mirage 13-9 and Inferno 13-4 around a 7-13 loss on Dust2. That result is useful context rather than a direct prediction, however: Vitality played with mezii in Cologne, while MOUZ still had Brollan instead of their current PR lineup.

That makes the Porto meeting less about an old head-to-head trend and more about which altered lineup can impose its current game.

What this run says about Vitality

The most interesting part of XTQZZZ’s interview is not that Vitality are winning with a substitute. Elite teams have survived stand-ins before.

It is how Vitality have used the disruption.

Their first match exposed exactly what should be difficult about replacing mezii: unfamiliar reactions, different utility habits and a player learning how the rest of the team expects him to behave in specific situations. Instead of hiding those problems, the loss to Inner Circle forced the lineup to address them immediately.

Four series wins later, the same temporary roster was in a BLAST semi-final.

There are still clear limitations. Nuke showed how quickly Vitality’s structure can break down when the offense loses patience, and jL is still learning a role that was built around another player. But Porto has at least given XTQZZZ evidence that the underlying team can respond to adversity again.

That may be more important than simply proving that jL can stand in.

Interesting Facts

• jL officially joined Vitality as a substitute for BLAST Open Porto, replacing mezii while the British player is on paternity leave.
• The Lithuanian became a free agent in July after ending his three-year association with NAVI.
• jL had already stood in for MOUZ earlier in 2026 before PR eventually joined the team permanently.
• Vitality began Porto with a 0-2 upset loss to Inner Circle but then won four consecutive series to reach the semi-finals.
• Their quarter-final against FURIA was their first top-four qualification after four consecutive events without one.
• Vitality’s previous meeting with MOUZ ended in a 2-1 victory at the IEM Cologne Major, but both teams entered Porto with a different fifth player.

What Comes Next?

Vitality’s Porto run moved on to a best-of-three semifinal against MOUZ on September 5, with the winner advancing to the tournament’s best-of-five grand final. MOUZ entered the matchup after winning all three of their group-stage series, while Vitality arrived after fighting through the lower bracket and eliminating FURIA.

For XTQZZZ, the priorities were already clear before that match: continue improving the communication around jL, avoid the rushed T-side sequences that hurt Vitality on Nuke, and prove that the team’s recent improvement can hold against one of the event’s direct semifinal seeds.

A semifinal appearance ended the immediate run of poor placements. Going further would be a stronger sign that Vitality have actually solved something.

FAQ

Who is XTQZZZ?

Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam is the head coach of Vitality’s Counter-Strike team. He returned to the organization in 2023 and has coached the team through multiple major titles and international tournament victories.

Why is jL playing for Vitality?

jL is standing in for mezii at BLAST Open Porto while mezii is on paternity leave. Vitality announced the temporary arrangement in August.

What did XTQZZZ say about playing with jL?

XTQZZZ said Vitality viewed the lineup change positively and felt that introducing an experienced new player could refresh the team during a difficult period.

What happened in Vitality vs FURIA?

Vitality recovered from a 13-6 loss on Nuke to beat FURIA 2-1, winning Cache 13-11 and Dust2 13-4 to reach the BLAST Open Porto semi-finals.

Have Vitality and MOUZ played before?

Yes. Their most recent meeting before Porto was at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, where Vitality won 2-1. Both teams have since changed the fifth player from that series.