Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut has put a defining stamp on Team Vitality's record-breaking 2026 with another MVP performance and a historic second Counter-Strike Grand Slam, captured in front of the Rio faithful at IEM Rio 2026.
The French superstar admitted the latest piece of silverware felt sweeter than usual after he was edged out for MVP at the previous tournament.
"Of course it's feeling better," ZywOo said. "I got lucky when I was joking with the team. I got scammed by Robin for this last MVP, but of course it's a small joke between us. Like even though we want everyone to perform in the team. So also I mean, joke about it, like if Flamie or even apEX or anyone in the team can get their MVP, it means he deserves it as well."
He acknowledged his pride had taken a brief hit before, but said the post-Rio mood inside the Vitality camp was overwhelmingly one of celebration.
"It's not hurt, but you know my ego, when you play good and you don't get the thing you you want, my ego got a little hurt," he said. "But of course after like 30 seconds I don't really care about it. I'm just really happy for us to get it and also for Flamie for the insane tournament he did."
The IEM Rio crown completed a sweep that included two Majors and four trophies in 2026 alone — a return that secured Vitality their second Grand Slam, an achievement no Counter-Strike team has previously matched.
"Incredible to win this. I don't think we respect anything happened for that, like this and obviously we need two Grand Slams," ZywOo said. "Now feeling really happy, feeling great, feeling like we are to win this is the top emotion. Like a lot of things happened. Everyone cannot believe still that we are playing that good, and we just want to keep going in this way."
There was a hint of mortality, too, from a player who has spent much of the year racing the clock against history. "We won Grand Slam Rio, two Majors with this team, like we are over. We don't know what's going to be next. We don't know what maybe tomorrow is going to be over. So we just want to keep going in this way, keep going to win trophies, keep going to be one of the best, and we really feel good."
Vitality's next examination is the upcoming Cologne Major, traditionally Counter-Strike's most prestigious annual event. ZywOo conceded the Rio result removed some pressure from the next campaign.
"Of course less pressure for Cologne. I think it's pretty much the same as last year, I would say. Like Melbourne was a lot of pressure for us, and I think it was a bit less pressure for us in this tournament because we're used to it. We knew what we're going to fight for."
A hypothetical second Grand Slam scenario — winning Atlanta, Cologne, EPL and IEM China to bag another inside the same season — has already begun circulating online. ZywOo confirmed his focus remains squarely on Cologne.
"People on Twitter or someone in the team talk about it already, but for us it's not really, you know, a main thing yet," he said. "I think the next step is going to be Cologne because it's going to be the next really big step, and the major."
With four trophies, two Majors and a Grand Slam already secured, ZywOo's parting line summed up the mood: "We are not really focused on what we have, Grand Slam to do again. So much preparation, so much things to do, and we just feel like we cannot stop."