apEX CS: Career, Stats, and Major Titles

Dan “apEX” Madesclaire is a French professional Counter-Strike 2 player and the captain of Team Vitality. Born on February 22, 1993, he has competed professionally for over 15 years.

Because of his exceptionally long career, fans frequently look up how old is apEX CS2. He turned 33 in 2026 and remains one of the most experienced and successful active in-game leaders in the world.

Dan started playing Counter-Strike: Source in 2007 and attended his first LAN event in 2008. His earliest recorded team appearances date back to 2009.

During the first years of his career, he competed for several smaller European lineups before joining better-known organizations such as 3DMAX, LDLC, and VeryGames. Those early teams helped him develop the aggressive style that would later define the brand of apEX CS2. 

In CS:GO, he earned a reputation as a relentless entry fragger. He took the most difficult opening duels on the map, opened up bombsites and created space for his team. Years later, he reinvented himself as a mastermind in-game leader.

Today, the apEX Vitality era is one of the most successful periods in modern Counter-Strike. He has won more than 30 S-Tier tournaments, including four Majors and two ESL Grand Slams.

apEX Vitality CS2 Journey and Team History

The rise of apEX CSGO was closely tied to the golden era of French Counter-Strike. He was part of several major roster changes and represented many of the strongest teams in the country.

Before joining Vitality, apEX played with well-known French stars such as kennyS, shox, NBK-, Happy, and RpK. His most important career stops included Clan-Mystik, LDLC, Titan, Team EnVyUs, and G2 Esports.

apEX joined Team Vitality in October 2018. At first, he continued playing as an aggressive entry fragger and often took the first contact in attacking rounds.

His role changed in March 2020, when ALEX left the active lineup and apEX became the team’s IGL. From that point on, he took greater responsibility for strategy, communication, rotations, and mid-round decisions.

Under his leadership, the organization gradually transitioned from a French lineup to an international roster. Danish players Magisk and dupreeh joined in 2022, British rifler mezii arrived in 2023, and Estonian ropz CS2 star became part of the team in 2025.

The current Team Vitality roster includes apEX, ZywOo, ropz, flameZ, and mezii, with XTQZZZ serving as head coach.

apEX CS2 Stats, Playstyle, and Leadership

Early in his career, apEX was one of the most aggressive entry fraggers on the French scene. He frequently challenged contested areas of the map, took opening fights, and created space for his teammates.

That style contributed to apEX major wins and helped him reach the HLTV Top 20 twice. He was ranked 15th in 2014 and 18th in 2015.

His responsibilities are different today. As an IGL, apEX focuses more on communication, utility usage, information gathering, and controlling the tempo of each round.

The main features of his playstyle include:

• active communication;
• aggressive information gathering;
• quick mid-round adjustments;
• space creation for teammates;
• tactical support.

Dan is also known for his emotional reactions. apEX Vitality CS2 celebrations, facial expressions, and moments of frustration regularly appear on tournament broadcasts and often become memes within the community.

Individual apEX CS2 stats are usually lower than those of Vitality’s star players, which is typical for an in-game leader.

apEX Major Wins and Career Achievements

The list of apEX CS2 Major wins includes four championships. He claimed his first title with Team EnVyUs and added three more after joining Team Vitality.

Major Tournament Victories

The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 was one of the defining moments of his career. Vitality won the title in front of a home crowd in Paris at the final Major played in CS:GO.

In 2025, the team won both Majors held that year. Vitality first defeated The MongolZ in Austin and later beat FaZe in Budapest. The second victory gave CS2 apEX his fourth Major title and made Vitality back-to-back Major champions.

Three of those four trophies came after he became an IGL. Vitality apEX produced one of the strongest tournament runs in modern Counter-Strike during 2025, winning several major events in succession. The team continued that form in 2026 with victories at IEM Kraków and IEM Rio.