“Derke will win games holding W”: PAL on Team Vitality’s firepower – VCT EMEA Kickoff Interview

After Team Vitality’s convincing win over ULF Esports in their opening match of the VCT EMEA Kickoff, Hotspawn caught up with Vitality head coach PAL to break down the roster build, team culture, leadership structure, and expectations moving forward. PAL, formerly of BBL Esports, spoke candidly about the process behind Vitality’s star-studded lineup, how the team functions behind the scenes, and what lies ahead in EMEA.

Hotspawn: So first of all, PAL, I wanted to ask you, how are you feeling?

PAL: “Great, obviously. It’s nice to see the guys putting into practice all the stuff that they’ve worked very, very hard on. We’ve pushed them quite a lot over the last couple of months. So no, it’s nice to see them not only match what we know they’re capable of in practice, but actually go above that today. That’s why it ended up looking so comfortable.”

Hotspawn: This roster, there’s been a lot of hype around it, understandably, and it’s so far lived up to expectations. So I wanted to get the story behind how the roster came together.

Was there any player in particular that you were sure that you wanted on the team, or was it like known in your head from the beginning?

PAL: “When I got the chance to join Vitality, I knew I’d be working with Derke, and obviously Sayonara, who’s soon to come in afterwards. But it was very clear to me from the beginning, as soon as I knew I was going to be leaving BBL, that I wanted to be working with Jamppi again. And almost certainly PROFEK.

“We looked for reasons to potentially take somebody else over PROFEK, not because he wasn’t what we wanted, but simply because I know how biased I am towards him. Ultimately, again, no one could have been a better choice for us. So it was quite a simple process to fill out the first four. Then eventually, when we realized that Chronicle was going to be an option, that he was going to be leaving Fnatic, it was a bit of a no-brainer if we had the opportunity to get him, which eventually we did.

“After that, coming out of the offseason and going into the beginning of 2026, UNFAKE seemed like a really easy option to slip into things, into our systems, to allow us to keep working on everybody else in the way we had been playing throughout the offseason.

“So yeah, it was a lot of obvious choices along the way, which made my life a lot easier.”

Hotspawn: You also got Scuttt on board. I remember reading that you guys were going to do everything to make life easier for your players and give them really good support.

So what does that look like behind the scenes?

PAL: “It’s a lot of fun. That’s what it is behind the scenes. We have myself, Scuttt, and also slk, who was previously on Fnatic in 2023 and was also on Vitality last year. I am incredibly lucky to work with both of those two inside the game, because both of them could head coach any tier-one team around the world right now. They have a very clear way of seeing the game, understanding how coaching should work, and understanding what our players need.

“Outside the game, we also have two fantastic performance coaches as well, Bayer and Bernie. They really assist me in making sure that every time we turn up in the server, whether it’s scrims or days like today, the boys are playing as close to their best as they humanly can. So yeah, I’m a pretty lucky guy. I just have to turn up and make sure everyone has the room to do what they’re already experts in.”

Hotspawn: Is there anything in particular you guys do for team bonding?

PAL: “Yeah, we do a fair bit. Every day there’s a chance to play some party games. We’re big Pummel Party fans. Unfortunately, I’m the one who has to tell them to stop sometimes because we have other work to do.

“We also do a lot of stuff in person. The boys have been in the office pretty much every practice day since October. We go for breakfast, dinner, walks, coffee. I don’t like forced activities. It’s more like, ‘We live in the same city and enjoy each other’s company.’”

Hotspawn: Out of curiosity, who wins most of the time in Pummel Party?

PAL: “It’s Chronicle or Sayonara by far. Derke has MVP performances sometimes. The Polish duo has been pretty dangerous too. At the bottom of the scoreboard though — Jamppi, me, and Scuttt.”

Hotspawn: How has it been for Jamppi switching into this roster with so much experience?

PAL: “It’s a massive change for him. We’re pushing him to have a much higher ceiling of performance. We’re working on his vision of leadership, how he wants the team to operate, and how to communicate that vision. He’s only been IGLing for about 16 months.”

Hotspawn: Is UNFAKE helping with calling, or is it centralized?

PAL: “It’s just Jamppi calling. Everyone can feed ideas, but there’s no second calling. UNFAKE enjoys being able to just focus on his job.”

The final piece to our Kickoff team 🔥

The 1v1 god is ready. pic.twitter.com/3SvFhvvEMq

— Team Vitality VALORANT (@TeamVitalityVAL) January 20, 2026

Hotspawn: Who else looks dangerous in EMEA?

PAL: “Heretics, Fnatic, Liquid, Gentle Mates, BBL. PCIFIC looked better than expected. Those are teams people might underrate.”

Hotspawn: What do you want to improve before playing Liquid?

PAL: “Now that we’re settled, we want to think more about strategy and be cleaner. If we add that on top of today’s firepower, we’ll be in a good spot.”

Hotspawn: Vitality started strong last year but faded. Is that a concern this year?

PAL: “No. The way we’ve built the team and relationships is very different this year.”

Hotspawn: How do the Initiator and utility nerfs affect the meta?

PAL: “There’s going to be a big change in how teams manage information mid-round.”

Hotspawn: And Veto as a Sentinel?

PAL: “Underused and underutilized, for sure.”