Dan “apEX” Madesclaire has been an enigmatic figure in Counter-Strike history. An entry-fragger by nature, few would have expected him to lift major trophies when he first took to the IGL role in 2020. But apEX has consistently proven his doubters wrong, not by betraying his natural instincts, but by accepting that his greatest weakness is also his greatest strength.
In a long-form interview with Sébastien “Ceb” Debs—the French Dota 2 legend and two-time TI champion, who now hosts a mental performance podacst—apEX opened up about his temperament, the G2 period where he lost himself, and how he has inculcated a system of trust in Vitality.
The temperament that cost him teams
Watch any Counter-Strike broadcast and apEX’s animated actions will be the thing that stands out every time the camera turns to Vitality. But his defining characteristic could have proven his downfall early in his career.
“I’m hyper impulsive, I experience emotions as they come into my body. My mother lives things 100%. She is very happy, very sad. And I’m like that too.”
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That volatility cost him early opportunities. “It cost me teams at the beginning, to get fired up a bit, to have a temperament that was too strong,” apEX admitted. “I didn’t fit into a certain mold and I was a little more crazy.”
Eventually apEX would come to accept this as a part of himself. “The best advice I received is to tell myself that my strength is my weakness and it is also my strength,” he said. “My temperament can lead my team, but my temperament can make them lose. It took me a long time to understand that.”
“I wasn’t really myself.”—The French G2 era
Before Vitality became the French powerhouse, G2 tried to make the French superteam work for many years. Nearly every great French player, except Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, played for the organization at some point and apEX is no different. But, much like his compatriots, his time on G2 saw the player struggle with his identity.
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“I realized that I wanted to fit into the mold. It was one of my first big salaries, everything was going really well and I said to myself okay, I’m going to fit into the mold.”
The cost was brutal. “I wasn’t really myself. I had periods when I wasn’t myself and moreover it’s a period where the performances weren’t there at all.” Stripping away his authentic self stripped away his edge. Eventually, apEX and Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt stepped away from G2, and went on to create the foundations of Vitality.
The G2 experience became a core leadership principle for apEX at Vitality: “”We have to take people as they are and try to improve them. Not fit them into molds. Chase away the natural, it comes back at a gallop.”
Chase away the natural, it comes back at a gallop.
Becoming a leader for Vitality
ZywOo, and Vitality, broke out in 2019, making a number of grand finals and famously were the only team that took a series from Liquid in their summer run. But the intense travel schedule took a toll on the team’s then-IGL Alexander “ALEX” McMeekin. Following a tough elimination at IEM Katowice 2020, ALEX took the decision to step away from competition, just before the world of CS shifted online.
Related—apEX says he’ll be Vitality’s captain following ALEX’s departure
That left Vitality scrambling for a new leader, and apEX stepped up to the task. When the news first broke out, skeptics were perplexed. How could someone so explosive, someone who had largely played as a brute-force entry in his career, lead a team effectively?
“People didn’t think it was possible because my temperament was like that. In the end, I proved it was possible by working a lot on myself.”
While some of the work did involve controlling his outbursts, the goal was never to remove it entirely. “Three years ago I did it 30 times in a match. Today I’m only going to do it ten times. But it’s something I need to externalize.”
apEX has now lifted 30 international trophies, and his Vitality side is showing no signs of slowing down. But his personal philosophy prevents complacency, instead requiring relentless effort. “My goal, at least in a team, is to be indispensable. […] Tomorrow, I have to work again to be indispensable.”
Even after tournament victories, the grind continues immediately. “We won a final on Sunday. Tuesday morning I was on the PC watching our games. It’s not because we won that we played well.”
Tomorrow, I have to work again to be indispensable.
A leadership style built on trust and vulnerability
Like the legendary leaders of the past, apEX is a leader both in tactics, and in the locker room. He emphasizes the importance of trust, and safety, and regularly has one-on-one talks with his players to ensure they’re doing well.
“I’m talking about my doubts to my teammates, telling them ‘I’m not good enough at the moment.’ I think it’s important for them to feel that their captain opens up, so for them it’s easier to open up.”
And the approach often bears fruit. apEX recalls an anecdote from the BLAST.tv Austin Major finals. “”My teammate tells me ‘I don’t stop missing’ and I say ‘I don’t care if you miss, we love you,'” This wasn’t a line he had prepared ahead of the game, it was something he just said naturally in the moment. But it reflects his true nature.
This, there, it revives him, he feels loved, he smells his cocoa, he’s good, he performs. They
trust me and in fact he just does it to be there, together.
When teams struggle, honesty becomes essential. “There have to be moments where we sit together and say things to each other, being very honest, to make a clean sweep of the past and rebuild,” he said. “Those moments saved my teams at crucial moments.”
“ZywOo has never opened the analysis software in eight years”—apEX
While some might contend that 2019 still remains ZywOo’s best year in Counter-Strike, there is little doubt that apEX has continued to harness the phenom’s talent brilliantly. And his interactions with ZywOo build upon the understanding he developed at G2. Every player is different, and must be dealt with differently.
“ZywOo has never opened the analysis software in eight years. It makes me frustrated. I want him to work more on it because I know if he works a little bit more, he’ll be even better.” But forcing him to change would repeat the mistakes of apEX’s past squads. “That’s how he is. Maybe it would even take away something from who he is. I have to make him do less than the others.”
The principle applies broadly. “The basis of management is that you will never manage the same person the same way as another. Every human being is different and has to be managed in a different way.”
“You’re 33 and you’re going to show this little 19-year-old kid that you’re hungrier than him.”
Seventeen years in, apEX faces daily battles against opponents half his age. “Each match, you have to show that you want it more than the others. You’re 33 and you’re going to show this little 19-year-old kid that you’re hungrier than him.”
And much like Finn “karrigan” Andersen, the leader is quite open about using every edge he can find in and out of the server. “When they’re going to be in front of me, I’m going to get up and look at them and they know me. I’ve seen vlogs where guys talked about how when apEX yelled, it made them feel bad.”
“Today I need to have a healthy lifestyle to manage all these moments. Otherwise it would be impossible.”
But age demands adaptation. “If I were just a player, I don’t think I could still be here. But with the status I have as captain, I could play another couple of years.”
“I don’t have any regrets in my career, and I’m quite proud of that.”
apEX’s words about his longevity echo the thoughts of champions across any sport. “My number one motivation is to enjoy what I do the maximum time. I don’t know how long I’m here for—one year, two years, three years, I have no idea.”
But that enjoyment does not come at the expense of discipline. “I don’t want to have regrets. Maybe not giving enough of myself, not doing my best every day. I don’t have any regrets in my career, and I’m quite proud of that.”
“I think about what I can control—communication, decision-making, my preparation. That’s related to Counter-Strike.”
Where many younger players crack under the pressure, apEX’s approach reflects years of conditioning. “In moments of greatest pressure, I don’t ask myself any questions, I just think about the game. I think about Counter-Strike, there’s nothing else. Not winning or losing.”
Discipline and lessons beyond the server
Despite unprecedented success, apEX obsesses over process. Vitality’s motto reflects his philosophy: “Team First, always. We have to do our job on a daily basis. The process is what you control. The result is the process plus a bit of luck.”
His perspective on talent versus work is unambiguous: “Performance does not reward talent, but discipline applied over time. For me, it’s 75% work, 25% talent.”
These competitive lessons translate beyond Counter-Strike. “The way to deal with pressure is to think about what you can control. Focus on what you need to do now. Not related to winning or losing,” he explained. The principle applies everywhere—even asking someone out. “The no hurts the ego, but try to think less and act more.”
When asked about the worst advice he received, apEX’s answer is familiar to all who work in and around esports. “Stop playing video games, you’re ruining your life. Today I have lived a sick life, would change with no one in the world. I’m proud of what I did.” So instead, he chooses a different message for his past self. “Don’t let go, keep going. Everything your family has instilled in you, it’s the good stuff, so it’ll serve you well.”
After their win at IEM Krakow 2026, Vitality look set to secure their second Grand Slam, and possibly a third major. At 33, apEX’s mind isn’t occupied with the question of if he can still compete. Instead he wakes up every morning determined to prove he’s still indispensable.
