VIT Jamppi on the “bald buff”: Keeping the win streak (and the hair) intact

Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen may not have achieved the international glory yet, but he remains widely regarded as one of Europe’s best in-game leaders. At the VCT EMEA 2026: Kickoff, Jamppi returns in a Team Vitality (VIT) jersey, now tasked with leading two of the region’s most elite talents. The question is inevitable: can Jamppi finally achieve the success he has been chasing for so long?

In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, Jamppi opened up about the growth he experienced during his first year as an in-game leader at BBL, the feeling of returning to the main stage, and Vitality's “bald buff.”

While the offseason is usually a chance to rest after a packed competitive year, Jamppi was more than ready to return. For him, being back on stage is completely different from practice. Feeling the energy of the crowd and the overwhelming support is simply incomparable. "I missed being on the stage, it's so good to be back," he said.

After many years out of the duelist role, it was a surprise to see Jamppi pick up the Yoru and enter a double-duelist composition with Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev. Fun fact: Everything started as a joke. "I was going to play Yoru as a joke, just to see how it goes, and it eventually worked out. Unfake is a very good Sova player, so there wasn't actually that much of a role clashing," VIT Jamppi explained.

For Jamppi, Derke is one of the most experienced duelists in the scene, and he is more than comfortable playing in a double-duelist composition. But their story didn’t begin just a few months ago. Jamppi and Derke went to the same school, and even back then, they shared a vision. “One day, we would be playing together,” Jamppi recalled.

For years, that plan had to wait. Derke continued his journey with Fnatic, while Jamppi represented Team Liquid. After all this time, the two friends have finally reunited on the main stage, wearing the same jersey. “It’s super nice to speak Finnish again,” Jamppi added. “In my VALORANT career, I had never played with another Finnish player before, so it’s been great to have him around, not just in the game, but in general.”

In their opening match of VCT EMEA, Vitality swept ULF Esports with a dominant 2–0 victory. The series was one-sided from start to finish, with a 13–3 win on Breeze followed by a 13–1 win on Corrode. The recently promoted Tier 2 side was unable to disrupt the bees’ synergy.

Jamppi might just be a fortune teller. Not only did he and Derke eventually end up playing together, but the same became true for coach Gregor “PAL” Morton.

“When the offseason started, we shook hands and decided we wanted to keep working together,” Jamppi explained. “It didn’t have to be Vitality. It could have been any team in the future. We just wanted to stick together. Then he joined Vitality, and I knew I wanted to join the team as well.” At this point, it almost feels like Jamppi is collecting his best friends on stage like Pokémon.

There is nothing better for a professional player than achieving international glory. However, not all of them are capable of reaching it. VIT Jamppi has not given up yet, and he believes this roster has all the capacities to qualify for an international event.

“That’s our goal. Last year, I came very close twice with BBL, but in the end, we didn’t make it. I really miss that feeling of traveling to international events with your teammates, just for the vibes, you know," the IGL added. "Seeing all those people we don’t usually get to see. I haven’t seen many of them in years, so I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen. I’m confident in this team.”

Jamppi has not qualified for an international event since 2023, when he was still with Team Liquid, and they finished 5th–6th at VALORANT Masters Tokyo. Fnatic won that tournament, while Derke was still part of the roster.

After 629 days, Team Vitality returned to Breeze in VCT EMEA play. The map had been out of the rotation for some time, but it made its comeback in 2026 following a major rework.

For Jamppi, the update was a welcome surprise. He highlighted the improvements in key areas such as the mid, the double doors, and the elbow areas, which he believes were the most impactful changes. He added that this rework will allow different compositions for the teams to try.

As for the new gun, the Bandit, it is still too early to tell. However, the IGL believes it is a balanced weapon, but not many people know how to use it yet. While it doesn’t match the Sheriff in raw firepower, it fits comfortably in the space between the Ghost and the Sheriff.

During the official broadcast, we got to know that Vitality has all three bald players in VCT globally. So, we decided to ask if Jamppi was ready to sacrifice his hair for the sake of victory. "We shall see," he laughed. "If we start losing matches, we might need more bald people in the team. However, Chronicle and I will try to prevent that."

If you’re a Vitality fan, you might want to hope the players aren’t forced to chop their hair, especially now that Chronicle is letting his grow. “Let’s keep the win streak going so I can keep my hair,” VIT Jamppi joked. The player is thrilled about this new chapter in his career and expressed his gratitude to every fan who took the time to send good luck messages and cheer for the team on stage.