Team Vitality Benches Head Coach Faded After a Rollercoaster Season

Team Vitality has announced that head coach Daniel “Faded” Hwang will be moved to the team’s inactive roster, marking the end of his one-year tenure with the organization.

Faded Reflects on His Time with Vitality

In his farewell statement, Faded expressed gratitude for his experience:

“Can’t thank Vitality enough for bringing me into the family. This was a year with many ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. From the players to the staff, everyone was vital to my growth as a coach and as an individual. Love you all.”

Faded joined Vitality ahead of the 2025 season, following a stint as head coach for TSM and previous experience as a coach for BackOutsideBoys and analyst for FaZe Clan.

A Season of Highs, Lows, and Roster Shuffles

The year began with strong expectations for Team Vitality. With a refreshed lineup featuring former FNATIC star Derke and LOUD’s Less, the team dominated the EMEA Kickoff and entered Masters Bangkok as one of the top contenders. After a perfect 2-0 run in the Swiss Stage, Vitality ultimately fell to T1 and G2 Esports, finishing fourth overall.

Determined to push further, the organization made several roster adjustments throughout the season. trexx was replaced by CyvOph in Stage 1, which ended with a 7th–8th placement. Later, UNFAKE and KovaQ joined the roster, but midseason changes — including Sayf’s return — led to another 7th–8th finish in Stage 2.

Looking Ahead

Following the season’s conclusion, Vitality brought in Chronicle, reuniting him with former teammate Derke, while parting ways with Kicks.

Team Vitality’s current roster:

• Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
• Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov
• Blendi “KovaQ” Kovaci
• Felipe “Less” de Loyola Basso
• Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel
• Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu
• Andy “Bangovic” Zajimovic (Manager)
• Robert “Mulgan95” Mulgan (Manager)
• Aleksey “slk” Lynksov (Assistant Coach)
• Edgar “psych_chek” Chekera (Performance Coach)

As Team Vitality reshapes its structure, fans remain eager to see how the organization’s new lineup and coaching approach will perform in the next competitive season.