In an interview with HLTV, paiN’s biguzera said the team “can win any tournament we play.” Not long after, paiN lost to FUT, ranked No. 36 in Valve’s Regional Standings (VRS), and dropped out of the CS Asia Championships.
Falling out of CAC
paiN’s run began with a 13–8 loss to Fnatic on Overpass. It was Fnatic’s first match since jackasmo officially joined the main roster. In the lower bracket, paiN steadied against Fluxo. After dropping Ancient, they rallied to win Nuke 13–10 and Inferno 13–2, eliminating their Brazilian rivals.
The lower bracket semifinal against FUT never clicked. On Mirage, paiN reached map point but let it slip, losing 16–13 in overtime. Dust2, their own pick, unraveled from the start. Still reeling from Mirage, they fell 13–6, ending their CAC campaign.
paiN finished 9th–12th, with only four teams placing lower at the event in China.
