flameZ on joining Vitality: "The motivation was to succeed with another Israeli guy"

The Israeli rifler appeared on HLTV Confirmed to discuss the last months with OG, his decision to not renew his contract, and his arrival in Vitality.

Shahar "⁠flameZ⁠" Shushan decided to not renew his contract with OG and leave for greener pastures ahead of the 2023 fall season, ending a two-year stint with the European squad. The Israeli rifler immediately became one of the most sought-after free agents on the market, and quickly found a new home with the current Major champions, Vitality. The 20-year-old appeared on HLTV Confirmed on Thursday and opened up about the issues with OG, his decision to leave, and why he chose Vitality.

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flameZ replaces dupreeh in Vitality

"2023 was a disaster," said flameZ in regard to the OG's situation over the last six months. "Overall, in 2022, when degster came in and we had NEOFRAG and F1KU, I think we made the semi-finals in all the BLAST tournaments like the Spring Final and World Final.

''I think it was pretty good and that we could improve on a lot of things here and we can still find for ourselves what works for us well. We worked with the psychologist and everyone is working really hard. I think we find a rhythm that we can stick to so that we can go off it and start playing very good CS."

flameZ then opened up about the issues that plagued the team this year. "Then 2023 we started out with Katowice and BLAST. It was very close to getting playoffs [at Katowice] and with BLAST we were very close to qualifying for Washington," he began. "With Katowice I was sick, so it was the tournament we just throw out the window, we don't really care about it. It could have been better.

"Two days before the RMR, nexa goes on leave and we take niko from the eternal bench and free agency," the rifler said. "But I love niko so I was convinced and very happy with this decision. It starts off and it was so shaky, it did not feel stable at all, and Pro League was just a shit show for us.

"I am really happy we made the Major, it was something I was very excited for and happy and that was my motivation after seeing all the roster changes. I think right now, I am thinking to myself that 2023 was a disaster, but we sort of made it not so bad because we qualified for the Major in these circumstances.

"In the end, I think everybody felt bad, a lot of players felt burnout and it just wasn't fun to play as it was before in the other part of the year in 2022. Overall in 2023, the last part of OG was not full of good memories for me."

The 20-year-old then confessed that joining a tier-one team such as OG did not exactly match his assumptions. "I expected more to play whatever we can to get in form, and play those big tournaments like last Major was with Apeks, Monte, 9INE," he explained. "They come in with like 500 or 200 officials in a year and come up against a team that has like 40 so, of course, they are going to be prepared. That's the best practice you can wish for, to play officials at this amount."

The conversation then moved on to his decision to not renew his contract with OG ahead of the summer break. "What I wanted to do in CS is to pick trophies up and try to achieve an era with a team, a legacy, and play the best I can," flameZ explained. "I think with OG, for many years it's not going to be possible or as possible as I see for a team like Vitality."

"I talked to the coach and heard his plans, but told him that there are some offers that if they are going to come, I will go play for them. I told them beforehand in Dallas that if these offers come I will explore them deeper than usual."

The rifler also explained that the possibility of playing with other Israeli players was a plus in any team he joined. "We are all very good friends, you have to understand. We go once or two times a month to barbeque in Spinx's house and we talk to his mum and father about everything, with his sister — it's completely chill. We all know each other very well and we are good friends.

"Spinx, NertZ, and xertioN are very good friends of mine, but they are also very good players. The motivation was to succeed with another Israeli guy, reunite and speak my language, some Hebrew, in my free time. I think it's very valuable for me to have a few people on the team that I am very connected to.

"It fits me more when people are able to express their emotions or are like 'I have a problem, let's sort it out.' I just know they would give me that, and if you have a guy in the team like that it helps a lot to make the team environment better, to play better so that was the motivation that was there. It was just how the Israeli players are and what I know of them."

flameZ chose to join Vitality and reunite with Lotan "⁠Spinx⁠" Giladi for the first time since 2020, when they both played in the same FPL/FPL-C circles and coincided in mix-teams such as Tikitakan and Elites. The move was one of the highest-profile transfers in the off-season, teaming up the Israeli rifler not only with his countryman, but also Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut.

Vitality's newest arrival was ecstatic at the prospect of playing with one of the best payers in the world. "I don't think this is even a question, it's obvious," he said. "You get the chance to play with a guy that looks like one of the best teammates there is on the planet, the best player in the world statistics-wise, and he's so good man."

In terms of fitting within the existing team structure, flameZ seemed confident about his ability to fill the roles left by Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen. "On T side I fit because Vitality need a guy that runs and doesn't give a single fuck and sacrifices, and I think I fit that background pretty well," he said. "I feel comfortable playing aggressively and giving my teammates the feeling that someone is sacrificing for them, especially in a team with someone that can close any 1vs4 round or 1vs3, or 1vs2 like ZywOo.

"On CT I am not sure how it will go, I'd like to say I fit the roles, but at this kind of level any player should know that he's going to sacrifice something and try to do the very best and try to master the site he's playing."

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You can watch the whole HLTV Confirmed episode with flameZ on YouTube, or listen in audio form via popular podcast apps.