Ropz nervous as Vitality clinch LANXESS playoffs

Vitality will defend their Major title at LANXESS Arena after beating BetBoom 2-1 in the pool stage. The deciding map was Nuke, where Vitality repelled a late BetBoom surge and finished the match before overtime to secure a playoff berth.

Robin Kool (ropz), an Estonian member of Team Vitality, noted he feels nervous playing a Major and that caring about results brings pressure. He added that family will attend the LANXESS stage. For several players this is their first Major appearance on that arena stage.

On Nuke, Vitality created multiple chances to end the match early but gave up rounds that let BetBoom threaten a comeback. The team lost a three-on-five and dropped other favourable rounds before finding a way to close without overtime.

The squad followed its usual routine of online practice and a short bootcamp. Results in camp were mixed; Kool described some days as poor and others as good. Mathieu ZywOo continued to perform well while other players aim to raise their level.

Kool stated the team is using losses to identify problems and is concentrating on communication and team chemistry for the knockout rounds. He noted the high individual level across teams at the event makes consistency difficult and allows unexpected results.

Kool expressed relief at reaching the playoffs and said he remains nervous as the tournament progresses. ‘I’m just happy to be in the playoffs,’ he added.