paiN Gaming Returns After Six Year Hiatus!

Otomo

paiN Gaming is back and ready to take another crack at the top level of Dota 2 competition. The Brazilian organization signed Peru Rejects, immediately qualifying for two major LAN events in the next two months.

This is the first time paiN has fielded a Dota 2 roster in nearly six years. Their last lineup was released on April, 2020.

paiN Gaming signs Peru Rejects after several impressive qualifier runes

Parker Dota 2 when he was playing for Beastcoast.
Image Source: Facebook

For over a year now, Heroic was seen as the strongest team in South America. Last year they attended 13 major tournaments, including The International and Esports World Cup. Heroic was either automatically invited to tier-1 events, or cruised their way through the qualifiers to compete.

This year has seen a change in the South America Dota 2 scene. Heroic released two players, David "Parker" Nicho Flores, and Elvis "Scofield" Peña. Parker and Scofield went on to make Peru Rejects. The two players went on to dazzle in two qualifiers. Winning both DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham Qualifiers. In both of these closed qualifiers, Peru Rejects defeated Heroic a combined four times.

Clearly the region has been shaken up, and paiN Gaming has scooped up a strong lineup that so far has dominated the region. However, Heroic did ultimately beat Peru Rejects 3-0 in the latest PGL Wallachia Qualifiers. So perhaps things aren't as clear cut as before.

paiN Gaming commits to an all Peruvian lineup

How the tables turn. (Credit: Peru Rejects).

One notable aspect about paiN Gaming was their commitment to an all Brazilian lineup. Throughout their decade in competing, every player, apart from Aliwi "w33" Omar in 2019, was Brazilian.

paiN was committed to home-grown talent, and refused to expand to other nationalities. This has changed with the recent lineup. All of Peru Rejects are Peruvian, who have a bit of a rivalry with their Brazilian neighbors.

Personally, I am happy to see more representation from South America. It's a region rich with talent that has gone underrepresented too long. This is a good step by paiN Gaming and hopefully more will follow.