nqz: "Joining paiN was the best decision that I have made in my life"

The 19-year-old sniper was full of praise for captain biguzera and the paiN organization as the Brazilians move onto the Elimination stage.

Lucas "⁠nqz⁠" Soares, at his second Major, is through to the Elimination stage in Copenhagen after taking down SAW 2-0.

His first Major came in 2022, with 9z at IEM Rio's Challengers stage, but paiN have already gone one better with in-game leader Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt as the highest-rated player of the tournament thus far.

"For me he's one of the smartest players, if not the smartest player, I have ever played with," nqz remarked about biguzera. "Not only by his individual form, but his mental, his mind games, the way he approaches the game, is the most unreal thing, the most important part of why he frags so much."

paiN's qualification to the next stage ensured the Americas will have at minimum five representatives at Shanghai later this year, and the Brazilians are not done yet.

---

Congratulations, through to the elimination stage. What's your initial reaction?

I'm really happy, the team played really well today, with a lot of energy and passion.

What is it about Majors, do you think? The Brazilian teams are all egging each other on, you're the loudest in your booths every time, what's fuelling paiN and Brazil through this?

For the majority of Brazilian teams, we haven't had any taste of success in the international tournaments in the past months, years, whatever. For us, it means a lot to play at a tournament of this level, and it means a lot when we win. So we try to express how glad we are, and how happy we are, to advance at a tournament like this. We all dream about that, right? In past years, we only had FURIA performing well. Right now we are shaping up as well.

For yourself in this paiN team, it's one of those weird ones where you're the second most experienced player even while not being too experienced yourself, do you feel like a bit of a leader in the team, just because you've been at Rio and around the scene a bit longer?

I don't feel like a leader necessarily, because all the guys like to talk a lot, to express how they're feeling, to calm us down. Everyone does that, not just me and biguzera. They are, of course, inexperienced, less than me, but they are doing really well for their first international event. It removes the pressure off my back, and off biguzera, because the guys are so calm, so proactive, and so energetic about the game.

Tell me a bit about your journey to get here. Starting in 9z, then a stint in 00NATION that didn't really work out. What's your thoughts looking back, and on when you are now?

Back in the 9z days, I was really happy and really comfortable with my game, and the whole team game as well. We only stayed together for six months but we made the Major, and we played well at the Major. It's a good memory, a good thing that I keep in my heart.

About 00NATION, I think that my playstyle didn't really fit theirs. They came from a basis where they didn't have an AWP in GODSENT times, so I think that my playstyle did not match how they wanted to play the game, and there was some other stuff that made me uncomfortable there.

I thought the best decision was to explore other options, and then paiN came to me. And, for me, that was the best decision that I have made in my life, because the people here are so lovely, push me up, good feelings all the time, they hype me up all the time. Not just inside the game, but out of the game they make me feel the best way possible.

Compare that to the new system with biguzera, all the backroom staff as well, do you feel set up to succeed a bit more in paiN?

The way they approach the game, the way they let me do things with freedom, of course it will help me a lot to improve in the international scene. I haven't had a lot of experience at international tournaments, so they are really helping me to do what I want to do, to do things I am comfortable doing. biguzera and rikz are a big part of that.

The paiN Gaming brand, in Brazil huge, in League of Legends huge, but do you think there's a bit of room to expand in CS? With FURIA up and down, too, is there a gap paiN can fill?

I think not necessarily a gap to fill, but we do have a lot of room to explore on the CS2 paiN lineup. As you said, paiN is a huge organization in Brazil but their focus is more on the League of Legends side, in the media, I would say. We have a lot to prove still, and after proving all that stuff, all the hype in the media, all the recognition for our CS2 lineup, will come.

I have to ask again: biguzera. The highest-rated player of the event, the IGL, the 'Pai' of the team, is that the meme? What's it like to play with him?

For me he's one of the smartest players, if not the smartest player, I have ever played with. He prepares himself and the team so well for games that he almost senses everything the enemy is doing. So I think not only by his individual form, but his mental, his mind games, the way he approaches the game, is the most unreal thing, the most important part of why he frags so much. He knows what the enemy will do and positions himself well, and has a lot of good aim. Playing with him has been very cool, he makes me feel very comfortable, gives me a lot of freedom to do whatever I want, and adjusts to whatever I need him to do. He's a complete player.

Going into the next stage, you'll be underdogs again, but how confident are you of upsetting again?

Right now, for me, it's a different approach. We have difficult teams, tier one teams, right now for us we need to keep doing what we're doing, prepare as much as we can, but it's going to be tougher. We are capable of doing it.