Vitality player William "mezii" Merriman shared his thoughts on the team’s performance and key factors behind their success. In an interview with Bo3.gg, he reflected on the impact of the crowd, the team’s strategy against Danil "donk" Kryshkovets, and the importance of structured play. He also highlighted Robin "ropz" Kool’s impact on Dust2 and discussed Vitality’s team chemistry and their mindset for the rest of the season.

A 3-0 victory was quite unexpected considering your opponent in the final. Could it have been influenced by the crowd in the arena?

Yeah, I think the crowd definitely helped. They gave us that extra push to keep fighting. But overall, I would say we had really good plans against Spirit. We made sure to play as a team because we know how strong Donk is as an individual. If you give him one-on-one fights, he’s going to headshot you. So for us, it was about good team play and communication. The scoreline might look easy, but the game itself was tough. Having the crowd on our side was great, though.

You mentioned Donk’s ability to eliminate players with one shot. Did you have any special strategies to counter him?

It’s tough going up against Donk. He’s insanely good. We just made sure not to go in one by one. If we knew where he was, we would go together and trade him. Like I said, if you peek him alone, he’ll headshot you. That’s just what he does. It’s like facing a top player of the year.

Before the match, experts said you were underdogs, with your chances estimated at 30-60. Did that take the pressure off?

I wouldn’t say so. Spirit were the previous winners of Katowice and are currently the number one team. Of course, they had some pressure on themselves. But we felt comfortable going up against them because of our strong game plans. We knew we could play well.The expectations weren’t necessarily for us to win, especially with a new player on our roster. But as players, we always want to win. We played without fear, with confidence, and made sure to play good CS. That’s why we came out on top.

Dust2 is one of Spirit’s strongest maps, yet you gave them no chance. How did you manage to close it out so dominantly?

Yeah, Dust2 is definitely one of their strongest maps. They had something like a 13-1 or 14-2 record on it. I think it’s the first time a team picked Dust2 against us. But we’re very comfortable on that map. The French guys on our team love Dust2 and feel confident on it.

For us, it’s a map where we play strong, structured CS. It’s about controlling key areas like long, playing defaults, and executing well. We had good plans and were happy to play Dust2.

Tell me about ropz’s performance on Dust2. How important were his plays, beyond his individual brilliance?

When you have a player like ropz, you expect those big plays. He has a tough role on Dust2, often holding space alone and facing multiple opponents. Today, he was hitting his headshots, which is what we expect from a top player like him.

These are the moments where players like ropz shine. I’m really happy that he had the chance to show that today. He played incredibly well.

In a recent interview, apEX said that after ropz joined, the team gained a new boost of motivation. Does this victory show that your team is now in sync?

I think the team is definitely feeling good. It’s hard to say we’re in perfect sync because we still made some mistakes in this game. But overall, as soon as ropz joined, we developed strong team chemistry. We need to keep working hard, though. This is only the second tournament of the season.

We can’t let this win make us complacent. We need to maintain good habits, and strong team vibes, and continue improving.

You and ropz seem to play a lot together on maps like Dust2 and Mirage. How would you describe your dynamic?

It’s really fun playing with ropz. He’s very calm and makes communication easy. I’ve said before that even though he’s an anchor, he takes a lot of space and makes risky plays, which helps me work around him. He does a great job, and I just need to support him and let the magic happen.

Donk didn’t seem to have much impact in the final. Did you have a specific plan to shut him down?

We didn’t have anything specific against Donk. Like I said, we know we can’t challenge him with one-on-one plays. A lot of teams try to ego-peek him and get headshotted. For us, it’s about playing as a team, communicating well, and avoiding unnecessary risks.

After winning the first map, did that give you more confidence going into the second?

It’s always tough in a best-of-five. Just because you win the first map doesn’t mean you’ll win the second or third. We had to stay mentally strong, reset, and focus on playing our best CS on the next map.

Who had the better final performance—ropz or ZywOo?

It’s tough to say. Ropz had an incredible impact on the team, but ZywOo is the best player in the world. Donk took the top spot last year, but ZywOo is coming back strong. He’s motivated and at the top of his game.

This is your first victory since becoming a father. Can we say you dedicated this win to your family?

Yes, for sure. It’s always hard being away from home for tournaments and sacrificing that time away from home, but it makes it all worth it when we come here and win. 

I miss my baby and partner a lot, but it feels great to win the tournament and dedicate this win to them. It’s our first tournament victory since the baby was born, and I’m really proud.

How has becoming a father impacted your lifestyle as a pro player?

It’s definitely hard, spending so much time away from home. But it also gives me extra motivation to make that time away worth it. I want to be the best player I can be for Vitality and for my family. No regrets.

I’ve seen many posts saying you’ll get the Major trophy this season. Do you feel more confident about that after winning Katowice?

You never know for sure. The Major is still a long way off, and we have other tournaments to play first. I don’t want to put too much pressure on it, but if we keep working hard, I believe we’ll be contenders for sure. Our goal is to keep competing in these big tournaments.

Vitality became the champions of IEM Katowice 2025, securing a dominant 3-0 victory over Spirit in the grand final, receiving $400,000 in prize money. Detailed results can be found via the link.