Vitality defeated Aurora 2–0 in the BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 semifinal and advanced to yet another grand final. After the match, kyotostxr spoke with William mezii Merriman about his role within a star-studded roster, the team’s natural chemistry, the lessons he has learned from apEX, and the players he admires most.
Congratulations on the win! In a team full of stars, you often show up in the biggest moments while playing a less visible role. How satisfying is it to perform that kind of role in a lineup that continues to make history?
It is so cool to play in this lineup. What everyone is doing is insane. Especially with the individuals we have—if it is not ZywOo, flameZ steps up; if it is not flameZ, ropz shows up.
— mezii
It is incredible to be part of this lineup. Everyone is playing insanely well, the chemistry is great, and everyone is working so hard to make sure we lift as many trophies as possible, because that is the goal.
It never gets boring lifting trophies and winning games. It is insane to be part of this team.
What team-building activities do you do outside of Counter-Strike?
To be honest, we do not really do too much or anything crazy. We focus a lot on spending time with each other.
At the start, when teams are being built, there are usually a lot of team-building activities. For us, though, everything happened very naturally. After our first bootcamps, it was obvious that everyone found it easy to get along. We did not have to force any chemistry or force any relationships.
We simply enjoy being with each other outside the game, having good vibes in the game, and spending time in the practice room talking about Counter-Strike.
