jL Vitality Stand-In Confirmed for BLAST Porto and PGL Bucharest
Justinas “jL” Lekavicius joins Vitality as a stand-in for BLAST Open Porto and PGL Masters Bucharest, covering for William “mezii” Merriman and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire while the pair take paternity leave. The organisation confirmed the move on 5 August, hours after the arrangement first surfaced through reports.
The 26-year-old Lithuanian steps in at BLAST Open Porto first, replacing mezii, before switching to cover apEX at PGL Masters Bucharest in October. He arrives at a team that has not finished inside the top four at its last three events, and whose most recent exit ended a run stretching back to early 2024.
Which Events jL Plays And Who He Replaces
Vitality’s post on X named both tournaments without splitting them between the two absent players. The organisation’s press release, issued from Paris on 5 August, sets the order out: jL debuts in the jersey at BLAST Open Porto in place of mezii, then covers apEX at PGL Masters Bucharest in October. That same split had already been reported ahead of the confirmation by Sebastien “KRL” Perez.
| Event | Vitality line-up | Player on leave |
|---|---|---|
| BLAST Open Porto 2026 |
| William “mezii” Merriman |
| PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 (October) |
| Dan “apEX” Madesclaire |
The press release frames the signing as coming ahead of Vitality’s Esports World Cup 2026 campaign, though the only two events named for jL are Porto and Bucharest.
Why mezii And apEX Are Absent
mezii and apEX are each expecting a child with their partners. Neither absence is a performance call, and the cover is bounded to the two named events rather than an open-ended spell in the line-up.
Team Vitality CEO Fabien “Neo” Devide addressed the leave in the announcement, tying it to how the organisation handles players starting families.
There are certain moments in life that transcend everything else. Welcoming a child is a milestone that will always be celebrated and fully supported here. I am incredibly proud that our industry has evolved to a point where, despite the demanding pace and constant pressure to… https://t.co/9y5FbUTeud
— Fabien ‘Neo’ Devide (@Vitality_Neo) August 4, 2026
Devide added that he has “absolute faith in our starting 5” for the second half of the season, and thanked jL for stepping in.
The IGL Question Waiting In Bucharest
The two absences do not cost Vitality the same thing. At BLAST Open Porto, jL fills a rifle slot with apEX still in the server and still calling. At PGL Masters Bucharest, the player missing is the in-game leader, and Vitality have not said who runs the calling in his place. That leaves the tactical side of the Bucharest roster unresolved with the event set for October.
jL’s Year Of Stand-In Work
The MVP of the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 comes into the role with recent practice at it. He left Natus Vincere in July, a year after benching himself from the active line-up, and has spent 2026 filling gaps on other rosters. A short loan took him to Team Liquid for Roman Imperium Cup VI, replacing NertZ, who could not travel to the event. He then played PGL Astana 2026 and the CS Asia Championship 2026 for MOUZ, taking third place at both. Across those limited appearances in 2026 he holds a 1.06 rating.
Writing after the Astana bronze, jL said he was “super happy with the team, honestly”, adding: “A little disappointed in myself, expected higher output, but I know what to work on now.”
Those two podiums stood as MOUZ’s best results of 2026 until the German organisation won BLAST Bounty Summer 2026 for its first trophy of the year, days before the Vitality announcement. Every one of jL’s appearances this year has come as cover for someone else, which is the exact job Vitality have brought him in to do.
What jL Said About The Move
jL set out his aim for the stint in Vitality’s announcement, framing it around the players he is joining rather than the two he is replacing.
When you’re a fan of Counter-Strike, you follow the best players. Now I have the chance to play with every single one of them. My goal is to slot in as best as possible. I can’t be mezii or apEX, but I can come in as mechanically prepared as possible to give us the highest chances to win. Also, having zywOo, you always have a chance to win the trophy. The goal is to win a tournament; if luck is on our side, maybe even two.
He had already reacted to the move on his own stream before the announcement went out, joking that he no longer had to hide the fact that he could play with “ZywOo, ropz, mezii, apEX, flameZ, MrBaldGuy”, a dig at head coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam.
Vitality’s Worst Run Since 2024
The cover arrives in the middle of the roster’s roughest stretch in years. Vitality won five events on the bounce earlier in 2026 and last lifted a trophy at BLAST Rivals Spring 2026. Since then the team has gone three events without a top-four finish, placing 5th-6th at IEM Atlanta 2026 and going out 5th-8th at the Cologne Major to eventual champions Falcons.
The slide bottomed out at the BLAST Bounty Summer 2026 Closed Qualifier, where an upset loss to Team Liquid put Vitality out in the 17th-32nd bracket, last among the qualifying teams. ropz posted after the defeat on 25 July: “Unfortunate start to the season, a bit rusty even though really tried to get back in form.. GGs Liquid”, pointing the team towards the Esports World Cup in Paris.
That exit carried a number well beyond the qualifier itself. Vitality had not finished outside the top eight at any event since IEM Katowice 2024, where Heroic beat them into a 13th-16th placing, a run of 911 days. The loss to Liquid ended it.
jL’s debut in the jersey comes at BLAST Open Porto, with the switch to covering apEX following at PGL Masters Bucharest in October.
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