Team Vitality Team Vitality Europe Rank #27 Jamppi Elias Olkkonen PROFEK Dawid Święć Derke Nikita Sirmitev Chronicle Timofey Khromov Sayonara Ștefan Mîtcu has announced the return of Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel as their sixth man after the team's former in-game leader stepped down following the end of Stage 1.

In the announcement, the team shared that Sayf was asked to serve as a potential last-minute substitute for their most recent match against Gentle Mates due to another player feeling unwell. While he did not end up playing, he actively contributed to the team's preparation and was added back to the roster ahead of playoffs.

In the event that Sayf plays, he will play as a Flex but will not return to his original IGL role.

The last-minute move comes at a do-or-die moment for Vitality. The French organization is currently tied for fourth in EMEA by Champions points with BBL Esports BBL Esports Europe Rank #5 sociablEE Volkan Yonal LewN Burak Alkan following a Kickoff trophy lift, a fourth-place finish at Masters Bangkok, and 4-6 regular season record, meaning that they'll have to make a deep playoff run if they hope to appear at Champions Paris.

Already in the lower bracket as Group Alpha's fourth seed, the hornets will play their first playoff match against the loser of GIANTX versus Natus Vincere on Friday, Aug. 22.

Team Vitality Team Vitality Europe Rank #27 Jamppi Elias Olkkonen PROFEK Dawid Święć Derke Nikita Sirmitev Chronicle Timofey Khromov Sayonara Ștefan Mîtcu is now:

  • Bartosz "UNFAKE" Bernacki
  • Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev
  • Kimmie "Kicks" Laasner
  • Blendi "KovaQ" Kovaci
  • Felipe "Less" de Loyola Basso
  • Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel
  • Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu
  • Daniel "Faded" Hwang (Head coach)
  • Aleksey "slk" Lynksov (Assistant coach)
  • Edgar "psych_chek" Chekera (Performance coach)