ApEX returns to lead Vitality at IEM Katowice

Team Vitality’s in-game leader is being called back early from his time off.

The French CS:GO team announced just hours before their opening match today that Dan “⁠apEX⁠” Madesclaire will return to the in-game leader position for their IEM Katowice 2021 run.

Earlier this month, apEX was moved to the bench by Vitality coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam. XTQZZZ cited “collective differences” within the team and said that apEX needed to work on personal matters.

In their lone event without apEX this year, Vitality didn’t look like the same team that was a dominant force in 2020. Vitality were eliminated first from their group at the BLAST Spring series following subsequent losses to Complexity and Evil Geniuses. The loss to Complexity was especially humiliating since they fell 16-2 in the second map on Overpass. Vitality’s star Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut notched just two kills on that map in one of his worst performances as a pro.

With apEX leading them, Vitality have looked like a much more dangerous team. They finished third at the BLAST Global Final, only losing in close affairs to two of the world’s best teams in Astralis and Na’Vi. With him back at the helm, Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom should revert back to his sixth-man role that’s helped Vitality achieve much of their success.

Vitality will face OG in the late window of Feb. 18 play at 12pm CT.