Following Vitality’s victory over Aurora in the ESL Pro League Season 24 semifinal, we spoke with the French organization’s player Shahar “flameZ” Shushan.
In an exclusive interview with Players, the Israeli esports player discussed the team’s struggles on Anubis, their potential opponent in the grand final, Vitality’s current form, and shared his thoughts on the new silent reload mechanic in CS2.
The full interview with flameZ after the victory over Aurora is now available on YouTube!
Today, you managed to win only one round on the T side of Anubis. What do you think went wrong, and why was this map so difficult for you?
We had a game plan, but in my opinion, Anubis is quite a random map. Obviously, Aurora are very consistent on it. At the same time, sometimes we play really well on the T side using the exact same plans and ideas.
I think this time we simply lacked individual skill — we weren’t hitting our shots. And when your opponents are winning duels and getting important kills, it becomes very difficult to get back into the round.
In the final, you will face either MOUZ or Spirit. Which of these two teams would you prefer to play against, and why?
I don’t care. We want revenge against both teams because we lost to them in our last two matches.
Can you compare the Vitality roster that went on an incredible winning streak in 2025 with the team we see today?
To be honest, we still need to play against top teams like Spirit and MOUZ. We’ve already played against Falcons, so we have some idea of the level of opposition.
But overall, the atmosphere within the team is great. We feel like we can compete with the best, and so far, everything is going really well for us.
And finally, what do you think about the new update featuring silent reloads? How important do you think this mechanic will be for CS2?
I think it’s a really cool addition. It brings something fresh to the game and actually has an impact, while at the same time not changing the meta too much. And I really like that.
At the same time, I think this mechanic will help decide quite a few rounds. It won’t fundamentally change the game, but clutches and 2v2 and 3v3 situations will become completely different.
After our conversation, Vitality’s opponent in the grand final was also decided — MOUZ defeated Spirit to secure their place in the tournament’s decisive match. This means flameZ will have the opportunity to get the very revenge he spoke about in the interview. A high-stakes clash between two of the world’s top teams awaits us, promising an exciting grand final.
As a reminder, “I’m open to different opportunities” — YEKINDAR on FURIA’s form, fatigue, FalleN, NAVI, and the ESL Pro League favorites.
