Vitality have been on a great run of late with wins at IEM Rio 2023, the BLAST.tv Paris Major and a grand final appearance at BLAST Premier Spring Final 2023. Success did little to quench their thirst for improvement however, and as rostermania roared into action they made the surprising move to replace legendary Danish entry fragger Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen with Israeli star Shahar “flameZ” Shushan.
flameZ, who had become one of the hottest prospects in Counter-Strike thanks to his performances on OG, now steps into one of the best teams in the world where he can hopefully realize his full potential.
BLIX got the chance to sit down with flameZ following his move, discussing his thoughts on his time on OG, as well as what it’s like to replace someone like dupreeh.
Sam “AN1MO” McKenzie, BLIX: You’ve moved to the current Major Champions, how does it feel now you’re in this position despite still being so young?
flameZ: Well, to be honest, it feels amazing. Not only are they the best team in the world, but they are very good friends of mine, they are very open-minded and down to earth. Inside the game, it’s just a mix of insane skill and vast amounts of experience.
BLIX: You link up with Spinx here, what does it mean for Israeli CS to have two of its best players on one of the best teams in the world?
flameZ: I think everyone is excited and proud. Both Spinx and I started grinding together three years ago, and now we’ve made it all the way to playing with each other again.
BLIX: You replace dupreeh, one of the best and most decorated players in the history of CS, how do you deal with the pressure of stepping into his shoes?
flameZ: It’s a new road for me, and I can’t look to the sides too much I feel like. There is one goal and it is to lift trophies. I’ve got great people to rely on in terms of self-development and dealing with pressure and so on. So it is something I don’t think about so much. I’m mostly just focusing on improving myself in every aspect I can imagine.
BLIX.GG: What do you hope to bring to the roster?
flameZ: Lots of energy and hunger to win!
BLIX: How would you rate your time with OG, do you think you might have achieved more if not for roster issues?
flameZ: I think the roster we had with nexa at the end of last season and even the start of 2023 could’ve done better than we did, and we would have achieved more if that roster stuck together in my opinion. But overall my time in OG was very valuable for me to learn about myself as a human being and what I need to perform.
BLIX.: You’ve been in tier one for a while, what do you think the most important thing you’ve learned is now that you’re stepping up to an elite-level team?
flameZ: Always put in the hours and stay dedicated in order to be the very best.
BLIX.: Where do you hope this Vitality roster is by the end of the year?
flameZ: Obviously where it should be, number one.
