Fans of top CS2 squad Team Vitality will soon notice a big change as jL steps into the team’s Counter-Strike roster. For those wondering why and what’s set to happen next, the explanation is a relatively simple one.
Team Vitality has made its name as one of the top Counter-Strike squads of all-time, and its current roster has been together since the start of 2025. After that roster’s assembly, Vitality went on a run of arguably unprecedented success, winning several of the game’s biggest trophies including two CS2 Majors and two Grand Slam prizes.
The Vitality roster is now seeing some disruption with the inclusion of jL at multiple events, but fans of the team need not worry about the roster’s future.
jL steps in as Vitality sub while apEX, mezii both step back
jL is being brought in as a substitute player for Vitality at two events on the 2026 Counter-Strike 2 esports calendar, as two of the squad’s veteran players step back temporarily for personal reasons.
Both team captain apEX and British rifler mezii will be stepping away from CS2 temporarily in order to support their respective partners while welcoming new children to the world. The substitute run isn’t meant to go any longer than for those two events, though in the world of CS2 esports, anything can seemingly happen.
The first event at which jL will sub in for Vitality is BLAST Open Fall, the finals of which will be held in September at Super Bock Arena in Porto, Portgual. There, jL will replace mezii, and Vitality likely won’t skip a beat.
jL will step in again at PGL Masters Bucharest in October, and on this occasion, he’ll be replacing in-game leader apEX. This may prove a greater disruption for the squad, as apEX has been its steady and ever-confident captain dating back to 2018, having overseen all of the squad’s many successes since.
For his part, jL expressed confidence in Vitality being able to continue its winning ways while bringing him in as a sub.
“My goal is to slot in as best as possible,” jL said in an official release. “I can’t be mezii or apEX, but I can come in as mechanically prepared as possible to give us the highest chances to win.”
jL also specifically cited the opportunity to play with ZywOo as both a stirring opportunity and a further reason to believe that the squad could win trophies even with a substitute player.
For his part, jL is no stranger to success. His most prominent run of play in Counter-Strike esports came with Natus Vincere between 2023 and 2025, and included a CS2 Major trophy win at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. Vitality finished tied for third place at the same event, dropping to FaZe Clan in the semifinals and narrowly missing out on a finals match with NAVI.
2026 has been an up-and-down year for Team Vitality, with multiple trophies won early in the year followed by disappointments later, including at the IEM Cologne Major. The squad will hope that its bringing in a substitute player won’t further that disruption to its winning ways.
Vitality expects to return to its normal lineup of CS2 players following the two respective substitutions at BLAST Open Porto and PGL Masters Bucharest.
