Vitality to bench rpk after Blast Premier Showdown, add Kyojin
Cédric “RpK” Guipouy will be benched after the Blast Premier Showdown by Vitality, which is set to replace him with young rookie Jason “Kyojin” Nguyen.
The announcement follows a series of disappointing results as the French team has failed to return to title-winning form since the start of 2021. The legendary player, who spent the past three years playing for Vitality, will take time to reevaluate his options. He initially retired in 2012, but made a comeback after two years.
“It’s one of these tough decisions that we have to make. Cédric is an example as an achiever, consistent and inspiring player. The team is facing some difficulties and we need to find a new pace. It’s never easy to let a legendary, inspiring, and consistent player such as RpK step back from competition, and we’ll do everything we can do to support him in what’s yet to come,” Vitality’s coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam said.
After
@BLASTPremier
Spring Showdown,
@RpKTANKK
will step back from his active player position.
It’s not an easy decision for the team, and we’ll support him as much as possible in his future challenges.
For now let’s celebrate Le Tank’s during this upcoming competition! ????????
pic.twitter.com/XRUhBSFyey
— Team Vitality (@TeamVitality)
April 12, 2021
Vitality sign unexperienced rookie Kyojin
Replacing RpK is the unknown Kyojin. His signing is remarkable, Valve did not clear him to compete in majors up until the start of March. The 22-year-old has a pair of VAC bans to his name, but
was cleared to compete by Valve, avoiding a situation similar to that of Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen who was forced to transition to Valorant after Valve
dug its heels
in on banning him permanently from majors over a years-old VAC ban. The addition of Kyojin to the roster is also bad news for Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom, who is still on Vitality’s bench. The Belgian was removed earlier this year as Vitality decided to move back to a five-man lineup.
When questioned about why Nivera wasn’t the one replacing RpK on Twitter, Vitality’s owner Fabien “neo” Devide explained that Nivera’s playstyle was not the right fit to replace RpK, but that the team feels Kyojin could be trained to do so.
After the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, Vitality will be fielding the following lineup:
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Heirbaut
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire
- Jason “Kyojin” Nguyen
- Kévin “misutaa” Rabier
- Richard “shox” Papillon
Read Also
Counter-Strike
BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-final predictions: who’s making it to the grand final?
Owen Harsono
The top four teams we’re seeing at the BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-finals are far from what anyone would expect before the tournament began, but here we are. We’re only three matches from crowning a winner, so let’s take a look at the best BLAST Bounty semi-final predictions for both upcoming matchups. Starting the semi-finals off is a banger of a series between FaZe Clan and Team Spirit, which is one ...
Counter-Strike
We Ranked The Top 5 Most Hated CS2 Maps
Owen Harsono
If you’re a Counter-Strike player, you probably have that one map you always ban first in every Premier game — and you're not alone as almost everyone has one too. Below, we’ll take a look at the most hated maps in Counter-Strike history and explain why they are disliked by the community at large. Anubis is one of the newer releases in the Counter-Strike 2 map pool, but it has ...
Counter-Strike
The Top 10 Best Clutches in Counter-Strike History Ranked
Owen Harsono
Pulling off an impossible clutch is one of the greatest hits of dopamine any Counter-Strike 2 player can ever feel. However, pulling them off at the highest level can be a little tricky since everyone is so coordinated. That’s exactly why mind-blowing clutches are remembered forever. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the 10 best clutches in Counter-Strike history. We’re opening the list with former mousesports ...
Counter-Strike
Is the CS2 Esports Nations Cup Going To Be a Huge Disappointment?
Owen Harsono
The Esports World Cup recently rolled out a new tournament series called the Esports Nations Cup, where participants can only compete under their country’s flag — just like the FIFA World Cup. 2026 is going to be the first time the Esports Nations Cup plays out, and though there was a lot of hype surrounding it, there are concerns it might fall short of expectations. The qualifiers for the CS2 ...
Esports Betting
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule
Hannan Mundia
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...
Counter-Strike
XSE Pro League 2026 in China: Teams, format and prize pool
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike is back after the IEM Cologne Major, as the XSE Pro League 2026 is the first notable event since then. 16 teams book flights to China to compete in the million-dollar event. Here’s everything you need to know about the XSE Pro League 2026 event. Top-tier Counter-Strike returns to the passionate grounds of China, as the event will take place in the city of Guangzhou. Teams will play in ...
Esports Betting
Will Valve add Cache in the CS2 Premier Season 5 Active Duty map pool?
Wasif Ahmed
Following the highly anticipated return of Cache to Counter-Strike 2 earlier this season, the competitive community has almost started believing that the legendary industrial map would soon make its way into the Active Duty map pool for Premier Season 5. This expectation followed a pattern set by Train, which Valve brought back late last year before quickly pushing it into the main professional tournament rotation. However, in a recent Twitter ...
