The youngsters are showing some nice progression.
paiN Gaming have kept Brazil alive at BetBoom Dacha as they reverse swept Virtus.pro 2-1 in the second lower bracket semifinals on Aug. 30 and scored a top-four finish at the $500,000 CS2 event in Belgrade, Serbia.
While this is good news for the Brazilian scene, it's an absolute disaster for Virtus.pro fans. The team headlined by Dzhami "Jame" Ali and Denis "electroNic" Sharipov only won matches against Zero Tenacity, BIG, and Falcons ever since the Esports World Cup event in July, raising doubts about the future of the lineup should they not qualify for the Perfect World Shanghai Major or do bad there.
But, for now, let's focus on paiN as esports.gg interviewed their head coach Henrique "rikz" Waku right after they eliminated Virtus.pro from BetBoom Dacha. The interview covers what paiN accomplished in Belgrade, the quality of this specific lineup, and what they're missing to be on the same level as the best Tier 1 teams in the world.
paiN 2x1 Virtus.pro at BetBoom Dacha: post-match interview with rikz
Esports.gg: This result against Virtus.pro means that paiN are in the top four of the tournament. Are you satisfied or do you need more wins here to reach your goals?
rikz: "I can say we're satisfied because if we get eliminated tomorrow, we won't feel like we underperformed at this tournament. But, we want to be champions, and we think that we're capable of winning. We're going to give everything to win the tournament."
You have been coaching paiN for years now. Do you think this is the best lineup the organization ever had?
rikz: "I think so. We had strong lineups in the past that got good results, but I think that on top of everything this lineup is showing on the server, there's also good chemistry in general. Everybody is extremely focused, they want to improve, and they're always welcome to feedback and criticism. This is what you need if you need to become a champion.
"I think this lineup is more open to listening to new ideas and different in-game approaches. They're very young, open-minded, and are not afraid of sacrificing their individual game a bit to help a teammate play better. Older players are sometimes too stuck on their own ideas and habits, whereas these guys are open to trying new things as most of them were inexperienced before joining paiN. They're ready to be molded and to implement whatever is necessary to improve the team as a whole."
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On the contrary to a lot of organizations in Brazil, paiN keeps giving chances to youngsters. Do you think more teams should do it to reach greater heights?
rikz: "Absolutely, but we need youngsters to show up, too. It's hard for these players to promote themselves. They must play tournaments on third-party CS2 platforms, play amateur tournaments, so we can see who really can perform well.
"They need to be on social media, too, so we can find them. If you are an up-and-coming player or do you have a friend who wants to go pro, you must promote yourselves or it's hard for teams to find you. Sometimes, you want to rejuvenate your team, but there's nobody to pick up."
And sometimes, a player can be great on PUGs or smaller tournaments, but has a hard time adapting to actual competition, right?
rikz: "The psychological aspect is very important. Each player reacts differently to feedback. Some players are raw talents — they do well in amateur tournaments and have a sharp aim, but when they need to hear constructive criticism, they don't take it very well, and it hurts their chances of becoming a great player.
"So, the mental aspect is very important. Almost everybody has good aim, so what they need to do is learn how to deal with criticism from coaches, captains, teammates, online forums, to filter what's bad and absorb what's important. You have to be professional."
What does paiN need to improve on to get on the same level as the best Tier 1 teams in the world?
rikz: "We're getting there. I think we're very strong and are on the verge to become one of the best in the world like top five, top 10. I believe we're top 10 material already, but we need to get more practice done in Europe, which we always try to get, but can't go all the time due to qualifiers in Brazil. I'm sure we'll keep improving because we have excellent structure, a great team, and great players."
The Brazilians will come back to the server tomorrow to face Eternal Fire for a spot in the consolidation final later in the day.
That's all for now. Stay tuned to esports.gg for more BetBoom Dacha content.
