Team Vitality captain Dan "apEX" Madeskler spoke on stage after his squad's victory at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, explaining how he rallied his teammates following a difficult opening map in the final against FaZe Clan.
apEX said the series began poorly on Nuke, a map where FaZe perform very well. He admitted Vitality had been too passive there, surrendering space and avoiding duels, which allowed FaZe to dictate play. After that first-map setback he told the team that if they wanted to win a second consecutive major they had to show the real Vitality—just as he had urged them in Austin—and that he never doubted the outcome.
He stressed that everything comes down to staying composed in the decisive moments and executing the way they normally do. According to apEX, that composure and customary level of play is precisely what the team produced when it mattered most.
Madeskler also assessed what the year's results mean for him and for Vitality in 2025. He acknowledged that the team experienced a small dip in form later in the year, and noted how difficult it is to repeat the extraordinary stretch Vitality had in the first half of the season—eight events with seven trophies.
Despite that, he emphasized the positives: Vitality still captured two trophies after the midseason wobble, and crucially those included the biggest prizes. By season's end the team had accumulated nine trophies overall, an outcome he described as beyond what he had expected.
apEX compared that haul to the benchmark set by Astralis, long considered the greatest team of all time after they won ten trophies in a single year including one major. Vitality finished with nine trophies but two majors, and apEX said he wasn't sure which achievement was superior. He called the season something incredible and said he was immensely proud of his teammates. As an in-game leader, he admitted he never imagined he would win three majors in his career and called it a dream come true, joking that he was now chasing Dupreeh's total.
Team Vitality claimed first place at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 by defeating FaZe Clan 3:1 in the grand final, securing both major victories available in the season. For apEX, this was his fourth major title overall; the 32-year-old French player now sits just behind retired Rasmus "dupreeh" Rasmussen, who has five major championships to his name.