apEX: "I want to show the world that JACKZ is still a great player"

The French captain heaped praise on the team's stand-in after a quick 2-0 win over MOUZ.

Vitality are through to the semi-finals in Singapore after a convincing 2-0 victory over MOUZ in a series that they dominated from the early exchanges.

The manner in which Vitality comfortably dispatched MOUZ came as a huge surprise as they are attending the event with Audric "⁠JACKZ⁠" Jug as a stand-in. Before flying to Singapore, the team had only two practice games with the 32-year-old, yet they gave Spirit a run for their money and beat Liquid and MOUZ en route to the last-four stage.

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JACKZ: "I think I can still play one or two years at the top level"

For Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire, this tournament is the perfect testing ground for JACKZ, who is currently without a team. "He's really fearless," he told HLTV after the match. "He has a sick aim, I swear. His aim is really sick, the way he shoots, etc."

Next up for Vitality is a match against G2. The last time the two teams faced each other was at the Fall Final, where Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski's troops ran out 2-1 winners in the semi-finals after a late comeback on Mirage. "I'm not going to lie, we should have won this game," apEX said. "Last time, NiKo showed up, malbs showed up, and we didn't show up that well. Except for ZywOo, maybe, and maybe flameZ, We need to have more players tomorrow to be good."

You can listen to the interview on the widget above or by clicking here.

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A 2-0 victory and you're through to the semi-finals. Did you expect it to be this easy?

We never know which Vitality we're going to get, to be honest. Sometimes, we play so well, and individually we step up, we don't make many mistakes, and this is what happens. Sometimes, you have the Vitality that has lost a lot of close games since Cologne. I know what we're capable of. It's just one way or the other, so we don't know which one we're going to get. But today it was the right one.

Most people expected a different outcome. You came into the event with just two practice games with JACKZ. He's playing also a different role, but you guys are still playing well. What is the secret?

JACKZ is playing some of his positions, though, some maps on the CT side, and some on the T side are a bit harder. Because he is more like an entry and not a lurker. He is trying to adapt to our play and we're adapting to his play. That's what I'm trying to do. Sometimes we're talking a lot. We're really good friends, we see each other a lot and we speak about CS a lot in general in real life. So I know what he likes and what he wants to do. So I try to adapt to him as much as possible and really put myself on the side and just try to be the best that I can be to help him.

And do you think that the fact that you are playing with a stand-in, which takes away some of the pressure, is helping you to make it this far in this tournament?

I don't think so, to be honest. I don't think it's about that. Maybe, but I don't see it [that way]. Let's be honest, this second part of the year we could have won, like, three tournaments already. We could be with NAVI fighting. But we lose those close games all the time, and that really hurts.

We haven't found a solution to win those close games yet. I think we have probably lost 80 percent of those games this year. That's really painful. We know we're playing with a stand-in, but I told my teammates I don't really care about it. I know what we're capable of, and with the team we have, with the players we have, we can win tournaments with a stand-in as well.

This has been a bit of a rough tournament for you individually. Is there anything going on? How do you analyze your performances so far?

I think I want to do really well, and sometimes I have to explain things to JACKZ on the fly. I want to give him some freedom, but I want him to feel really well, also individually. That's why I prefer sacrificing myself for him. It's not easy, that's for sure. I have not been playing that well, except maybe that last map. I'm not satisfied with myself. Far from that.

I know I can do much better, mostly on the CT side because I have good positions and I know people criticize me a lot for my positions. But when you look at some maps, we have really good CT sides where I play the star player. I may not have the best stats but we are really good on some CT sides. So that's what matters to me, and stepping up a bit would be nice for the next games.

What has it been like to play with JACKZ? He's a good friend of yours. Some people laughed when he told me on media day that he still thinks he can play one or two more years at the highest level. He's been playing well in this tournament, he's having his moments. What is your opinion about his level?

Well, it's HLTV people or analysts, most of them don't know CS. I really know him, so it's a lot different. Of course, what he showed with TSM or whatever wasn't that good. He has a bit of the same problem as mezii. He's okay to do everything. He's okay to be a bitch in some way and let the others shine, but he doesn't understand that he needs also things for himself. mezii is a bit the same. He has never created any problems in the team but he's not thinking enough about himself sometimes and doesn't want to make moves or whatever.

So for Jacky, I know him really well, I just try to use him the way he likes to play. And he's really fearless. He has a sick aim, I swear. His aim is really sick, the way he shoots, etc. Maybe sometimes, in some roles, he doesn't have the right understanding, because he played some different roles on T side, playing on the sides, etc., and not in the pack. So I'm trying to move him more now and trying sometimes to tell him to go and take his spot, etc., for him to shine.

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier World Final 2024
02/11/2024	G2 09:35 Vitality	Match

Now you're going to play G2 in the semifinals. There's been a bit of back and forth between you guys. This year you win one match, they win one match... Last time, you lost to them at the Fall Final, also in the semi-finals. What are your expectations for this matchup?

Well, I'm not going to lie, we should have won this game. We were 12-9 up. There is a round I pushed underground on Mirage, I remember, we know it's A, we lose the round. Bad stuff. They deserved the win because we couldn't finish a close game. So I think it's going to be a tough one for both teams. I don't know what's going to happen. It's always the same. They have sick individuals. We have sick individuals. It's also about who shows up on the day. Last time, NiKo showed up, malbs showed up, and we didn't show up that well. Except for ZywOo, maybe, and maybe flameZ.

But yeah, we need to have more players tomorrow to be good. I need to step up as well. And even though I told you the opposite, try to play without pressure. We just enjoy it here with JACKZ. I really enjoy playing with him. He's such a good guy, and he gives… While mezii is way calmer, this guy is way crazier, he creates a really good vibe in the team, and as a stand-in he just wants to do so well. After two-and-a-half years — I think his last stage was probably BLAST Spring in Lisbon — he really wants to show he's still capable. I really want to beat them because it's his old team and because I want to show the world that he's still a great player.