apEX Calls BLAST Rivals His 'Worst Tournament Ever' After Vitality Exit

Team Vitality captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire has called BLAST Rivals Fall 2026 the worst tournament of his career. The French veteran made the admission after Vitality lost 2-0 to MOUZ in the quarterfinals of the Counter-Strike 2 event in Hong Kong on Friday, November 13.

Speaking to James “BanKs” Banks after the match, apEX acknowledged that he had fallen well short of his usual level, both individually and as the team's in-game leader (IGL).

“I felt not at all good individually, so far my worst tournament ever, and also as a caller.”

He added that he had never felt that way before in his career. apEX had been away from the game for three weeks on paternity leave and had just three and a half days of practice with his teammates before the event. Although he expected a difficult return, the tournament proved tougher than he had anticipated.

In a separate interview with HLTV, apEX was equally critical of his own in-game leadership:

“That was really poor, probably my worst calling in a long, long time.”

FURIA's 13-0 Shutout Came Before Vitality's Loss to MOUZ

Vitality opened BLAST Rivals with a 2-0 win over Falcons, but lost their next series 2-1 to FURIA on Thursday, November 12. The match was defined by FURIA's 13-0 victory on Mirage, the first time Vitality had failed to win a single round on a map in CS2.

The result sent FURIA straight to the semifinals and left Vitality to fight through the quarterfinals. Against MOUZ, the French organization lost Mirage 13-8 and Cache 16-14, with the second map going to overtime. The 2-0 defeat ended Vitality's run in Hong Kong.

FURIA to Face Falcons in the BLAST Rivals Semifinals

Following Vitality's elimination, four teams remain at BLAST Rivals Fall 2026. On Saturday, November 14, Spirit face MOUZ at 5 AM BRT (Brasília time), followed by FURIA against Falcons at 7:30 AM BRT. The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, November 15.

Vitality's next event will be Stage 3 of the PGL Major Singapore 2026, beginning December 2. apEX told HLTV that the team plans to start preparing from home before holding a short bootcamp in Singapore to address the problems exposed in Hong Kong.

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Featured Image Credit: ESL

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