biguzera on making Major playoffs: "I'm just wondering if it's a dream or not"

paiN's captain was filled with pride after his team reached the playoffs of a Major for the first time ever in Austin.

paiN locked in their first-ever Major playoff berth after fending off a comeback effort from Virtus.pro in the final match of Stage 3, denying Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov's men a recovery from 1-10 down in round 24 to clinch the last spot in the Moody Center.

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paiN secure final Austin Major playoff spot over Virtus.pro

It was a revenge game for Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt, who took the fault upon himself for losing to Virtus.pro when the teams met in the 2-0 pool of Stage 2.

"I told [my team] that the first match against VP was mostly my fault," he told HLTV after qualifying for the playoffs. "I made a lot of mistakes individually, and also in the group."

The Brazilians got the victory that mattered the most, though, and secured a Major playoff berth in only their third event since bringing in Franco "⁠dgt⁠" Garcia. It is the realization of a six-year dream for biguzera, who made the playoffs of a Big Event for the first time in February, and now will get to represent the organization he has called home all those years on the biggest stage.

"It's an incredible feeling, it's like a movie in my head right now," he says. "I always want to grow and learn more things, and I just want to learn more about Counter-Strike and be better every day. So right now my feeling about myself and the team is to just be proud of everyone."

You can listen to the interview here.

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Congratulations. Huge win for you. Your first-ever major playoffs, second Big Event playoffs after Cluj. What's going through your mind right now?

I don't know, I'm just wondering if it's a dream or not, but I'm feeling so proud of the whole team. I'm so happy.

You've come so close twice. You went 1-3 in Shanghai, 2-3 in Copenhagen. I remember seeing your face after those losses and I know it was heartbreaking. So, do you feel vindicated? Does it feel good to finally get there?

Yeah, of course. Right now it's just a relief. I have no words to describe my feelings right now. We had two weeks of practice and scrimming, it's not a lot of time, so it's so crazy to make the playoffs at the first Major with this lineup. And I hope to do more with them.

It's not just the first Major with this lineup, it's one of your first real events because dgt missed part of Astana. So it's your second full event with this lineup, so to be able to do that too, just tell me about making that move before this Major and having it pay off already.

A lot of people disapproved of that. I know a lot of people sometimes just... I don't know the word, but keep complaining a lot about changes, changing roster and these kinds of things. Of course, sometimes we don't want to change, but no one knows better than us about changes. We thought it was a good moment for change and we did it, and it worked.

This game in particular was a bit of a revenge game for you because you narrowly lost to VP 0-2. In the end, this got really close, you were up 10-2 and they nearly came back. Tell me about getting that revenge, and also just how close that got in the end.

I told them [my team] that the first match against VP was mostly my fault. I made a lot of mistakes individually, and also in the group. So I think the first match was just my fault. Right now, I knew we could beat them if we just play our Counter-Strike. Of course the third map was intense and close at the same time, but it should be easier, right?

As I said earlier, it's your second Big Event playoffs. You only made your first in Cluj this very year, after trying for six years. Making it now to the arena of a Major, especially with such a young team with some new players, how are you feeling about that?

It's an incredible feeling, it's like a movie in my head right now because it has been six years in paiN Gaming. I always want to grow and learn more things, and I just want to learn more about Counter-Strike and be better every day. So right now my feeling about myself and the team is to just be proud of everyone, every person who is in the way with me.

And as I said, this team isn't experienced on stage, right? And there are a lot of big names in these playoffs. I'm not sure if you saw the bracket on broadcast or not, but what do you make of it and of you going into the arena? What's the expectation now?

Right now, we have to think step by step. We don't have to think about Major champions, we just have to go through. Of course we want to be the champion, but we know it is so difficult to be there. We just have to chill and enjoy the game. That's the reason that we play and that's the way that we have to play, just enjoy the playoffs of the Major and let's see what happens.

There's been a bit of a conversation this Major about whether Asia is the next best region in CS after Europe, but in playoffs here we obviously have you and we have FURIA, who've made it as well. Do you feel that's true? Do you feel Asia's the second best region CS or do you think it's still the Americas, South America, Brazil, with these kinds of results? Because Legacy also came close.

No, I don't think so, I think it's Brazil. Brazil has a lot of good players, what was missing was putting these players together. Legacy has a lot of good players as well, they just need a little bit more experience and they will get it with time. Right now we have three very strong teams in Brazil, I hope to keep that in the next tournament. Not just at the Major, probably after the vacation and the time off as well. And we keep it grinding and getting better each tournament.

Lastly, there was this whole conversation around whether you would leave paiN and join FURIA, or whether these other Brazilian teams would get you as an IGL. Do you feel you've proven yourself, that you could do it with this team and you could build this roster and get it up to the top?

Yeah, of course. Sometimes when we were losing a lot of matches and these kinds of things, losing a lot of tournaments, of course, sometimes it goes to your mind like, 'Oh, maybe it's my time here, maybe I have to leave.' But at the same time, I know where I want to be. I know where I can put paiN Gaming, and I just want to put paiN Gaming on the top. So, I'm also so proud of myself, and I know we can do better and better.