Vitality have officially confirmed the signing of Robin “ropz” Kool, filling the vacancy created by Lotan “Spinx” Giladi’s move to the inactive roster.
For the first time in three years, ropz will no longer represent FaZe when he steps into the competitive arena. During his tenure with FaZe, the Estonian player experienced immense success, winning the PGL Major Antwerp, securing seven other major LAN titles, and appearing on HLTV’s list of the top 20 players three times, achieving a career-high third place.
However, 2024 proved to be a challenging year for FaZe compared to their prior achievements. They reached second place at the PGL Major Copenhagen and claimed the IEM Chengdu title early in the year, but their performance faltered in the months that followed. A resurgence came toward the end of the year, culminating in consecutive Major grand final appearances, with ropz playing a pivotal role in driving their campaign at the Perfect World Shanghai Major.
Joining Vitality, ropz becomes part of a team that dominated the Counter-Strike scene in 2023 but struggled to replicate that form in 2024. After securing five titles, including a Major in 2023, Vitality failed to lift any trophies during the first half of 2024, heading into the summer break empty-handed.
Vitality managed to claim the IEM Cologne title in 2024, ensuring they did not end the year without a trophy. However, that victory marked their last grand final appearance of the season. The year concluded on a disappointing note as Vitality suffered a first-round playoff elimination at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, ironically at the hands of ropz and FaZe.
The current Vitality roster now features Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, William “mezii” Merriman, and Robin “ropz” Kool, with Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam continuing as coach. Lotan “Spinx” Giladi remains on the inactive roster.
