The big question after BLAST Bounty Fall 2025 is simple: what is happening with Vitality? The French organization has now failed at two big tournaments in a row. In Cologne, they lost to MOUZ in the semifinals. In Malta at BLAST Bounty Fall, they lost again in the semifinals, this time to The MongolZ. Both times they were defeated by teams that didn’t even win the trophy in the end — because both tournaments were taken by Spirit.

For a team that dominated last season, these results feel worrying. Vitality are no longer playing like the clear number one. Instead, they look like a strong team that can reach semifinals, but not go further.

Losing streaks broken

There’s another reason why these losses look so bad:

• Against MOUZ, Vitality had 8 wins in a row. At IEM Cologne, they finally lost.
• Against The MongolZ, Vitality had 9 wins in a row. At BLAST Bounty Fall, they lost for the very first time.

These broken streaks show that rivals have learned how to play against them.

Player performances: comparing the last three events

Let’s look at the numbers. Here is a table comparing the players’ ratings across the last Major of season one and the first two big events of season two.

• Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut – Still the star, but not the monster he was last season. Cologne was especially bad for him.
• Robin "ropz" Kool – Stable as always, he remains the most reliable player.
• William "mezii" Merriman – Decent numbers, not great but no huge problems either.
• Shahar "flameZ" Shushan – Form has dropped hard. Cologne was poor, and BLAST Bounty Fall was even worse.
• Dan "apEX" Madesclaire – The weakest performer right now. His individual level is far below what Vitality need.

What’s wrong with Vitality?

There are a few possible answers:

1. Fatigue. After such a dominant year, the players may simply be tired.
2. Preparation from rivals. Other teams studied Vitality deeply in the off-season. Spirit got stronger, Falcons signed new talent, and everyone is ready for them.
3. ZywOo’s form. When ZywOo is not playing like the best player in the world, Vitality lose their biggest weapon. He is still a top-2 or top-3 AWPer, but that alone is not enough to stop Danil "donk" Kryshkovets and Spirit.
4. Weak spots in the lineup. flameZ and apEX are not showing the level needed to win top events.

Should fans panic?

Not yet. Vitality are still reaching semifinals. They are not bombing out early, they are not losing to weak teams. Their defeats are against strong opponents in close matches. That means the foundation is still solid.

Also, the map pool just changed. Teams are still adapting, and Vitality may need more time to figure out their best strategies on the new maps. Sometimes all it takes is a short break to reset and come back stronger.

Finally, this is still Vitality. Everyone knows they can bounce back at any moment. Nobody would be surprised if they show up at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh and win the whole tournament.

The warning signs are there:

• two semifinal exits in a row,
• broken streaks against MOUZ and The MongolZ,
• ZywOo not carrying as before,
• flameZ and apEX underperforming.

But this is not the end of Vitality’s era. It is only a difficult phase. With so many tournaments coming, they have the chance to fix their issues and prove they are still one of the best teams in the world. For now, Spirit are on top, but Vitality remain the most dangerous challenger. Ignore them at your own risk.