This is the latest in a series of articles profiling the 18 teams attending The International 8, which kicks off on Aug. 15.
South of the border
Brazilian squad PaiN Gaming is a mainstay of the South American Dota 2 scene, with some of its current roster having five or so years’ worth of competitive experience. Considering how much knowledge and wisdom they have under their belts, one would think that they’d be among the top teams—but so far they’ve only managed to get close to a premier title.
South America is the clear underdog among the six main regions in competitive Dota 2. Throughout the game’s rich seven-year history, not once has a South American team won a premier tournament—despite the continent’s obvious love for Dota 2 and the serious talent that Brazil, Peru, and other neighboring countries have produced.
Unfortunately, teams from the area have yet to really unlock their potential. It is the destiny of those who live in the region to one day rise to the occasion—but so far, absolute success has eluded them. Can this PaiN Gaming lineup bring their home region into the promised land?
Flashes of brilliance
Led by the highly-decorated midlaner Aliwi “w33” Omar and team captain Danylo “Kingrd” Nascimento, PaiN Gaming reached third place at ESL One Birmingham—a result that helped put them on the Pro Circuit leaderboard. Getting to where they did was hardly a walk in the park, mind you, thanks to the presence of world-class teams such as Mineski, Team Liquid, Newbee, and Vici Gaming.
In fact, they were the ones who eliminated Mineski from the tournament in the first place, taking down the winners of the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2-0 in the first round of bracket play. Sadly, they ran into Virtus Pro, the final bosses of Dota 2, in the semifinals. There is no shame in losing to VP, and PaiN getting so close was an indication of what they are capable of when they’re on point.
Of course, just that one bright spot in what was an otherwise lukewarm season for PaiN Gaming is not likely to be enough to carry them through the biggest stage in Dota 2. There’s a reason that the invite system for The International 8 rewards consistency over performing well in the one or two months leading up to TI—and what they’ve shown us doesn’t inspire a significant amount of confidence.
They have the talent and experience, yes, but in order to capture the Aegis of Champions, it typically takes something special aside from those two factors. They’re going to have to dig deep if they want to make it past the bottom half in Vancouver—assuming they survive the group stage, that is.
Player to watch
One of the original Meepo gods, w33 hasn’t missed a beat since his stint with Digital Chaos (most recently known as Planet Odd before their disbandment). With Windranger on the rise, teams will have to make sure to remove her from the hero pool when going up against w33 as well.
Biggest challenge
As a team composed mostly of players that haven’t yet tasted victory at a premier event, the relative skill level of PaiN Gaming’s roster compared to the rest of the field is clearly lacking. Frankly, we see them taking a top eight finish at best, with top 12 being a more realistic expectation.
Team grade
PaiN Gaming gets a C+ in our books. Their roster has the makings of something great, as seen in their performance at Epicenter—but the rest of their Pro Circuit run has been less than encouraging.
