Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, legendary in-game leader of Team Vitality, is the star of the 522nd Episode of 'Reflections'. This is part three of three about apEX's career.
apEX was a rising talent in Source, but CS:GO is where he made his name as one of the best entry fraggers initially in France and then the whole world. Playing in elite Titan, EnVyUs and G2 squads he won the major and was at the elite level for the majority of the game's history. Late in CS:GO he joined with up and comer ZywOo in another project combining big French names as they became Team Vitality.
During the online era of 2020 apEX transitioned his role to in-game leader and the team was competing for trophies through most of the year. In 2021 they arrived at LAN play again and were able to win IEM Winter and prove they were one of the best teams under his leadership. 2022 was a tough year as getting the coach and two of the names of the legendary Astralis raised expectations, but the team fell short in the results department until acquiring former ENCE star Spinx and winning EPL late in the year.
Early 2023 was when the formula was perfected and Vitality won BLAST Paris, the last CS:GO major, along with IEM Rio and Gamers8. In CS2 they were an elite side from early on, with a couple of player changes from their major-winning roster of CS:GO, but the first year and a bit only produced two BLAST trophies and the IEM Cologne crown.
2025, with the acquisition of ropz, has seen apEX catapulted into discussions of the best IGL of all-time, as Vitality have broken records and achieved an absurd amount of tangible success. In the first season of 2025 they won 37 series in a row and seven trophies in succession, including the BLAST Austin major, and an ESL Grand Slam. In the second season they had more diminished results, but still won EPL and the Starladder Budapest major. In 2026 Vitality has already won four straight trophies, completed another ESL Grand Slam, won 18 series in a row, won 22 play-off maps in a row and set the record for most consecutive top four finishes at HLTV big events with 20.
In part three, apEX talks about his individual role and CT fragging at 33, his nade mastery, Vitality's tactical system, making the case for Xtaz as the best coach in the world, whether 2025 season one was the greatest run in CS history, the psychology behind their comebacks, the pressure of the Austin Major final, what went wrong in season two, why veteran IGLs hunger differently, his legacy as the kingmaker of French CS, the GOAT IGL debate and how Vitality avoids the burnout that ended Astralis.
This interview was recorded on the 22nd of April, 2026.
► Time-line of topics discussed:
0:00 Individual Role in Vitality
6:22 His Nade Mastery
11:12 Vitality's Tactical System Explained
13:42 Xtaz
24:32 Was Season 1 the Greatest in CS History?
30:51 Comebacks
35:19 The Pressure of the Austin Major Final
40:19 What Happened in Season 2?
43:56 Why Veteran IGLs Hunger Differently
51:05 Is apEX The Kingmaker of French CS
54:14 Does Legacy Actually Matter?
57:35 Is ZywOo actually the GOAT?
58:56 Is Apex the GOAT IGL?
1:01:05 Avoiding Burnout
1:04:59 The Budapest Major Final
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► This video was kindly supported by:
touken_
Nicky
Jasun
Jensen Goh
Special thanks go out to JerCkysMiNi0n.
#apEX #ZywOo #vitality
Use code THORIN at gamersupps.gg/THORIN for 10% off an order of GamerSupps' delicious energy formula.
► Join the Scrilluminati to get exclusive perks and support this channel: patreon.com/Thooorin
► Check out the ropz interview here: youtu.be/MAISUmzo1DI
Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, legendary in-game leader of Team Vitality, is the star of the 522nd Episode of 'Reflections'. This is part three of three about apEX's career.
apEX was a rising talent in Source, but CS:GO is where he made his name as one of the best entry fraggers initially in France and then the whole world. Playing in elite Titan, EnVyUs and G2 squads he won the major and was at the elite level for the majority of the game's history. Late in CS:GO he joined with up and comer ZywOo in another project combining big French names as they became Team Vitality.
During the online era of 2020 apEX transitioned his role to in-game leader and the team was competing for trophies through most of the year. In 2021 they arrived at LAN play again and were able to win IEM Winter and prove they were one of the best teams under his leadership. 2022 was a tough year as getting the coach and two of the names of the legendary Astralis raised expectations, but the team fell short in the results department until acquiring former ENCE star Spinx and winning EPL late in the year.
Early 2023 was when the formula was perfected and Vitality won BLAST Paris, the last CS:GO major, along with IEM Rio and Gamers8. In CS2 they were an elite side from early on, with a couple of player changes from their major-winning roster of CS:GO, but the first year and a bit only produced two BLAST trophies and the IEM Cologne crown.
2025, with the acquisition of ropz, has seen apEX catapulted into discussions of the best IGL of all-time, as Vitality have broken records and achieved an absurd amount of tangible success. In the first season of 2025 they won 37 series in a row and seven trophies in succession, including the BLAST Austin major, and an ESL Grand Slam. In the second season they had more diminished results, but still won EPL and the Starladder Budapest major. In 2026 Vitality has already won four straight trophies, completed another ESL Grand Slam, won 18 series in a row, won 22 play-off maps in a row and set the record for most consecutive top four finishes at HLTV big events with 20.
In part three, apEX talks about his individual role and CT fragging at 33, his nade mastery, Vitality's tactical system, making the case for Xtaz as the best coach in the world, whether 2025 season one was the greatest run in CS history, the psychology behind their comebacks, the pressure of the Austin Major final, what went wrong in season two, why veteran IGLs hunger differently, his legacy as the kingmaker of French CS, the GOAT IGL debate and how Vitality avoids the burnout that ended Astralis.
This interview was recorded on the 22nd of April, 2026.
► Time-line of topics discussed:
0:00 Individual Role in Vitality
6:22 His Nade Mastery
11:12 Vitality's Tactical System Explained
13:42 Xtaz
24:32 Was Season 1 the Greatest in CS History?
30:51 Comebacks
35:19 The Pressure of the Austin Major Final
40:19 What Happened in Season 2?
43:56 Why Veteran IGLs Hunger Differently
51:05 Is apEX The Kingmaker of French CS
54:14 Does Legacy Actually Matter?
57:35 Is ZywOo actually the GOAT?
58:56 Is Apex the GOAT IGL?
1:01:05 Avoiding Burnout
1:04:59 The Budapest Major Final
Subscribe this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCfeeUuW7edMxF3M_cyxGT8Q/join
► Check out bite-sized Thorin on my new clips channel:
youtube.com/thorinclips
► Follow me on social media:
twitter.com/Thorin
facebook.com/Thooorin
instagram.com/thooorinofficial
► My written content:
iamesports.substack.com
► My stream:
twitch.tv/Thorin
► You can discuss this content at my Discord server:
discord.gg/rDKxKfM
► Want esports predictions? I have my own server to post them and share tips:
discord.gg/T9bgaAQN4D
► This video was kindly supported by:
touken_
Nicky
Jasun
Jensen Goh
Special thanks go out to JerCkysMiNi0n.
#apEX #ZywOo #vitality
