For years, we spoke about the FaZe magic—the comebacks, the fighting spirit, the ability to claw their way back into games that looked impossible to win. They never gave up, even when pushed to multiple overtimes, with their backs against the wall, still managing to secure the win. But was it just the magic of Robin ‘ropz’ Kool? Are we only just realizing this now, as we see him make the move to Vitality and dominate 2025 so far, claiming four trophies in a row and the Intel Grand Slam?
From the start of the year, when we analyzed what ropz could bring to Vitality, it was clearly the best roster move of 2025—especially because he came for free, with no buyout, as his contract with FaZe Clan had expired. But I didn’t expect to see him bringing the magic with him as well. That is exactly what we are witnessing now, as Vitality faces tougher fights and more challenges. Not as many overtimes, though—Melbourne on Nuke vs. Falcons stands out as the most memorable for most of us.
The first event for Vitality with ropz was the opening event of the year, starting with two online games during BLAST Bounty Season 1 2025, which got them to the LAN final before they were eliminated by Eternal Fire (now called Aurora), a team they had always struggled against.
Then came some more practice time with ropz before Katowice, and an understanding of how they wanted to use him and approach the game. They just dominated… again and again and again. At the time of writing, they are sitting on a 22-match win streak with four trophies to their name and an extra $1M prize for winning the Intel Grand Slam. They’re doing more than just eating good right now—they are by far the best team in the world. But that does NOT mean they are playing perfect CS…
.@TeamVitalityCS receive their ESL Grand Slam Gold Bars 💰
Congratulations! 🎊🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/TtGMesjODa
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 27, 2025
So how is ropz bringing the magic to Vitality? Looking at their games, they don’t often need to fight back or pull off miracles—so what are we talking about here?
Well, ropz’s magic comes in many different forms: how he pushes around the map, the experience he brings, how hard he is working, and how he motivates those around him. On top of that, we can’t forget about the positive vibes he brings that are rubbing off on his teammates, who seem elevated by his presence.
If we look at BIG events—the most elite tournaments in ropz’s career—he has already broken all his previous records since putting on the Vitality jersey.
Before joining Vitality, ropz had posted a 1.27 rating with FaZe at ESL Pro League Season 17, but for Vitality, he already surpassed that twice: once at ESL Pro League Season 21, dropping a 1.28 rating, and just recently at IEM Melbourne with a 1.30 rating—though he did NOT get the MVP for the event, as that was claimed by ZywOo.
This is actually new territory for both ZywOo and ropz, who complement each other so well—and this is where the magic begins. ZywOo is the star of the team, but playing mostly on the other side of the map is ropz, who is a star in his own right. ZywOo has never had another teammate who could realistically chase him in terms of rating to potentially claim MVPs. But in my opinion, neither of these players has the ego for that, which is why they won’t clash, and I don’t think it will be a problem.
Ropz is able to walk across the map, lurk his way to success, and push further than ever before, knowing that ZywOo has the other areas covered and his teammates can hold their own. This means he can do things his way, at his own pace.
The communication between the team as a whole has to be on point, but the calmness that ropz brings contributes to that. More ropz magic—delivered in his own special way.
If you want to see more magic from ropz, know that all of Vitality have spoken about how hard he is working outside of team practice and official games. He is a grinder, and that is pushing the other players on the team to work harder too. He’s also a player who wants to geek out on the game—find new utility, new ways to play, new ways to improve—and that will always enhance what the team can bring to matches.
If you’re a team that only borrows from what others are doing, you could technically be behind the meta. But with what ropz likes to do, you can be ahead of the meta—creating it—and going forward, staying one step ahead of the competition.
Ropz is a complete player. There aren’t many you can say are complete at this level with that much experience. On top of that, he brings the magic—and that’s what Vitality was missing before he arrived. Yes, as of April 2025, they are the best team in the world, dominating the competition—and honestly, they don’t look like they’re slowing down at all.
My prediction for Vitality for the rest of the year? At least two more trophies, one Major title, and ropz claiming an MVP over ZywOo—with ZywOo happy for his teammate and sharing in that magic!
BanKs over and out.
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