Team Vitality could not have kicked off their 2026
VALORANT season in a better way: a fast and emphatic 2–0 victory finally turned months of off-season training into an official statement. Immediately after the victory, Nikita
"Derke" Sirmitev discussed the team’s mindset ahead of their opening match, his evolving role as a duelist within a structured system, and more topics.
After this first match of 2026 under the Vitality banner and a clean 2–0, what are your first impressions of the team?
Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev: "It felt good to get the first official out of the way. I feel really good because everyone was having fun. Going into the official, we were a bit too excited, and practice didn’t feel as sharp because all we wanted was to finally play the match. We waited a long time through the offseason and practiced a lot, so it was nice to finally play an official, enjoy the moment, and not overthink. We put in so much work, now we can just play the game.
You also seemed in a really good mood. You even joked about ranked, what was that about?
Derke: For me, it was a really good game because I had a terrible ranked streak. I played eight ranked games yesterday and lost all of them. Before I went to sleep, I was thinking it wasn’t going well, so I’m happy I won this one. Now I’ll go home and play ranked again because I need to fix it.
You’re one of the only survivors from the previous roster with Bartosz "Unfake" Bernacki still temporarily here. Do you feel more like a pillar now? How do you balance integrating the new guys while keeping your freedom as a clutch player?
Derke: With the new guys, it’s really good. Players like Jamppi (Elias Olkkonen) and Chronicle (Timofey Khromov) are stable, fundamental, and system-focused. They don’t care about being stars. Sometimes I want to fight more because it’s the nature of my role, and Duelist can be frustrating; often, you’re doing similar things repeatedly, but those first seconds can decide the round.
The key is controlling it: creating space, not just running in and dying. I think we’re finding a good balance. Today was perfect for me, I could do my own things, the team allowed it, and it worked. I also wasn’t overextending. We built a good system and balance. It was fun too: we celebrated rounds, hyped each other up, joked around. That energy is good.
Jamppi and Chronicle after their win against ULF Esports. Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
Let’s talk about Chronicle. You share a lot of history with Fnatic. What does he bring, and does it motivate you even more?
Derke: It always motivates me. Chronicle is a really good friend and a very solid player with a stable personality. We played together for a long time, so there’s a lot of shared experience. I was really happy when I heard he wanted to join. The same goes for Jamppi, I have history with him, too. For me, it’s special to play with people I’ve known for so long.
Was Chronicle and Jamppi joining one of the reasons you decided to stay?
Derke: No. Right after the season ended, I told my agent and the managers I wanted to stay. Vitality treats its players really well, and the way the organization builds its system feels different. It feels like more than a job. There are a lot of people here, a lot of support, and you can share experiences across teams. It’s not just five players and a coach. That matters.
The organization is really transparent and supportive. I can talk to people across different teams like
CS, Rocket League, and it feels like a big environment with a lot of staff and structure. They plan things properly and communicate clearly. If something might be an issue, they tell me early. That transparency is important.
Neo (Fabien Devide)’s passion is a big part of it, too. He genuinely cares about the players and teams. I don’t think many organizations have leadership that is involved and honest with their players. If I ever owned an org, I’d want to do it like that. When you have those qualities, it’s hard to look elsewhere because many orgs don’t offer the same experience.
Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu is expected to join in March when he turns 18. After playing with him in the offseason, what’s your opinion of him? Did you build a connection, and did you take a “big brother” role?
Derke: I don’t think there’s a big brother dynamic.
He’s 17, but he already feels experienced. In my opinion, he’s already a stable Tier 1-level player. If you put him on stage, it wouldn’t feel different from veteran players, and I think he can become even better. The main thing is helping him get more control and adjusting to how things work within the team, but he fits quickly. Everyone is excited to play with him.
He’s a great talent, how he shoots, how he moves, he’s smart. His comms are good. His adaptations and fixes are usually on point, and when he says something, you often think, 'He’s right.' He feels like a next-generation franchise-type player who can stay in Tier 1 for a long time if he keeps working. And he clearly grinds a lot."
