paiN eliminate 3DMAX from Austin Major

paiN avoided having to play Ancient after an admirable comeback on Nuke.

paiN have kept their BLAST.tv Austin Major run alive at 3DMAX's expense, eliminating the French side from Stage 3 with a 1-3 record.

3DMAX began their campaign in Stage 2, scoring wins over BetBoom, Nemiga, and FaZe to secure their place in Stage 3. Although they scored an impressive 13-5 win over G2 to kick things off, 3DMAX suffered a close loss to Natus Vincere and a one-sided defeat at the hands of Vitality before ultimately being eliminated by paiN.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
12/06/2025	G2 Finished 5:13 3DMAX	Match
12/06/2025	3DMAX Finished 14:16 Natus Vincere	Match
13/06/2025	3DMAX Finished 2:13 Vitality	Match
14/06/2025	3DMAX Finished 0:2 paiN	Match

paiN meanwhile are looking to recover from their dismal start to Stage 3, having endured tough losses to Spirit and G2 to end the first day of play with a 0-2 record. With hard-fought wins over Nemiga and 3DMAX now under their belt, Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt's men are just one best-of-three victory away from playoffs despite their difficult start.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
12/06/2025	Spirit Finished 13:3 paiN	Match
13/06/2025	G2 Finished 13:6 paiN	Match
13/06/2025	paiN Finished 2:1 Nemiga	Match
14/06/2025	3DMAX Finished 0:2 paiN	Match

3DMAX's pick of Inferno kicked off the do-or-die series, with the Frenchmen taking quick control on the offense after repeated A hits. Despite facing a 1-5 deficit, paiN rebounded to a 5-7 half after adjustments to their defense.

paiN charged ahead once on the T-side, despite fumbling the first buy round to Bryan "⁠Maka⁠" Canda's auto-shotgun. This would be one of just two rounds the Brazilians would let slip from their grasp during the second half of Inferno, as they snatched away 3DMAX's pick with a 13-9 scoreline.

paiN racked up a quick 3-0 lead to start Nuke, but 3DMAX were the real winners of the first half, shutting out paiN in almost every subsequent round to reach the side swap with an 8-4 lead.

After a 1v3 from Pierre "⁠Ex3rcice⁠" Bulinge denied paiN the chance to convert off their pistol round win, it seemed like 3DMAX were poised to finish off Nuke and take the series to Ancient, a map paiN has played just one time in the last three months.

Instead, paiN managed to claw their way back into the series, winning six straight rounds on the defense. A 2v3 post-plant from 3DMAX allowed the French squad to at least secure overtime, but this offered little consolation as paiN simply swept the extra rounds to take the map 16-12.