Mezii: Travel, practice gaps cost Vitality in Atlanta

Vitality was eliminated from IEM Atlanta after a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Natus Vincere on May 15. The event ran from May 11 to May 15 in Atlanta. Vitality reached the quarterfinals after beating BC.Game, FaZe and B8 and suffering a group-stage loss to BetBoom. The team had won BLAST Rivals the previous week and had played tournaments in Rio, Fort Worth and Atlanta on consecutive weekends.

William ‘mezii’ Merriman attributed the loss to travel fatigue and limited map practice. He said the extended schedule left the squad exhausted and short on repetitions on maps such as Anubis and Inferno. ‘It’s been a long stretch of events where it’s been pretty exhausting for all of us,’ Merriman said, noting that time away from home did not offer the same recovery as staying at home.

Merriman acknowledged individual form affected play but described Natus Vincere’s performance on Inferno as strong. He argued that letting Inferno through was not the decisive factor and that the outcome could have been similar on another map. ‘They played a better game on Inferno and the individuals were shooting well,’ he added, calling the team’s lack of energy a primary issue late in the match.

Natus Vincere had not taken a map off Vitality since IEM Cologne 2024 before the Atlanta meeting. The loss ended Vitality’s run in Atlanta and halted the team’s bid for a sixth consecutive trophy in 2026.

Following the event, Merriman outlined the team’s immediate plan: rest at home for a few days, fit in practice, hold a bootcamp in Paris, then travel to Cologne for the Major. He said the team will focus on recovery and on-target practice ahead of the tournament.