Justinas “jL” Lekavicius says he is trying to balance William “mezii” Merriman’s responsibilities with his own natural style as he continues his stand-in spell with Vitality at BLAST Open Porto 2026.
Vitality endured a difficult start to the event with a 0-2 loss against Inner Circle, but recovered through the lower bracket to reach the playoffs. Ahead of their quarterfinal against FURIA, jL explained that the team has steadily adapted to his presence and that he does not want to become a direct copy of the player he is replacing.
The Inner Circle loss helped Vitality adjust
jL’s first official match with Vitality ended badly.
Inner Circle defeated the European lineup 2-0 on Anubis and Cache, immediately sending one of the tournament favorites into the lower bracket. The loss exposed several communication and role issues that were difficult to solve through practice alone.
According to jL, that defeat ultimately helped the team identify what needed to change.
- Vitality lost 0-2 to Inner Circle in jL’s debut
- jL is standing in for mezii, who is on paternity leave
- The team reviewed reactions, utility usage and role responsibilities
- Vitality then recovered to qualify for the playoffs
The biggest adjustment involved understanding how mezii normally supports his teammates. Knowing the role on paper was not enough, because many rounds depend on reactions rather than pre-planned utility.
That forced Vitality to communicate more explicitly about who throws certain flashes and smokes, who enters first and how the team reacts when the original plan breaks down.
jL wants mezii’s responsibilities without copying him
The central challenge is finding the right balance between fitting into Vitality and maintaining his own strengths.
jL accepts that some responsibilities cannot change. If mezii normally throws a particular grenade, enters a bombsite first or supports another player, someone still has to perform that job.
Once those structured responsibilities are completed, however, jL wants freedom.
jL believes he cannot produce his best Counter-Strike when he is trying to become another player instead of trusting his own instincts.
| Situation | jL’s approach |
|---|---|
| Set utility | Takes over mezii’s responsibilities |
| Early-round plans | Follows Vitality’s structure |
| Mid-round decisions | Plays more naturally |
| Late rounds | Relies on his own instincts |
| Overall goal | Fit the system without losing individuality |
That philosophy comes from previous stand-in experiences.
Previous stand-in spells shaped his approach
jL has already experienced several different temporary roles during his career.
He described his stint with Liquid as relatively straightforward, with the focus mainly on playing naturally and winning as many rounds as possible.
His experience with MOUZ was different. There, jL felt he tried too hard to become the ideal supportive stand-in by surviving sites, throwing utility and filling whatever gap the team required.
- Liquid allowed him to play more freely
- At MOUZ, he tried to become a more passive role player
- Vitality gives him structured duties but more freedom afterward
- jL says mezii’s roles suit him better than some of his previous positions
That last point is significant.
Although some of mezii’s responsibilities are new to him, jL says he actually prefers those positions to several roles he previously played for MOUZ or NAVI.
The result has already produced some notable performances.
Vitality have improved throughout Porto
After the Inner Circle defeat, Vitality responded with a dominant 2-0 victory over 9z.
jL produced one of the strongest LAN maps of his career in that series, recording 21 kills and a 2.49 rating on Dust2. Vitality then survived Legacy 2-1 after recovering from 2-10 down on Nuke before defeating FUT to secure their playoff place.
The progression supports jL’s argument that the roster has improved with every official match.
The schedule has not provided easy opposition, but he sees that as an advantage. Each difficult series has forced Vitality to solve problems quickly instead of relying on comfortable matchups.
flameZ helped make the integration easier
jL also highlighted the role of his new teammates in helping him adapt.
He specifically credited flameZ with recognizing after the opening defeat that the team needed to communicate more about how certain situations should be handled.
apEX, ZywOo and ropz have also contributed to the adjustment.
For jL, observing those players from inside the team has been valuable because demos do not reveal everything. Communication, preparation and the reasoning behind individual decisions can only be fully understood when playing alongside them.
He also praised ropz’s work ethic and described Vitality as an environment where players are comfortable showing their real personalities.
FURIA await in the quarterfinal
Vitality now face FURIA in the BLAST Open Porto quarterfinal on September 4.
jL enters the matchup with confidence. He has extensive experience facing FURIA from his time with NAVI and believes Vitality understand the Brazilian side’s general approach.
The winner will advance to face MOUZ in the semifinal.
For Vitality, the playoff stage will provide the clearest test yet of whether the progress made during the group phase can hold up in front of the Porto arena crowd.
Assessment
jL’s comments highlight one of the biggest difficulties involved in using a stand-in at elite level.
Replacing a player is not simply about occupying the same positions. Utility timing, communication, reactions and individual instincts all shape how a team functions.
Vitality’s early loss to Inner Circle showed those problems clearly, but their recovery suggests the roster has adapted quickly.
The most important part may be allowing jL to remain himself. Taking over mezii’s responsibilities provides the structure Vitality need, while giving him freedom afterward preserves the aggressive instincts and confidence that made him successful elsewhere.
The FURIA quarterfinal will show whether that compromise is now strong enough for playoff Counter-Strike.
