paiN defeated 9z 2–0 in the Group A upper-bracket final of the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade Season 2 Play-In and advanced to the main event. On the second map, the Brazilians recovered from a 1–7 deficit to win Inferno 13–10. After the series, kyotostxr spoke with paiN captain Rodrigo biguzera Bittencourt about the team’s mentality, the atmosphere within the roster, preparing for European opponents, and the changes he would like to see in CS2.
Congratulations on the victory over 9z! During the second map, did you believe that you could complete such a big comeback?
Of course.
— biguzera
We always believe in comebacks on every map that we are losing.
When you are inside the game, you do not think that you are going to lose.
At least, that is how I think. I do not know whether everyone sees it the same way, but I always keep believing.
You have been with paiN for around five years. Is this the best roster you have played with?
I do not know whether I would call it the best roster.
— biguzera
But it is definitely the roster whose members are the closest to one another.
We are like a family, and we do almost everything together.
I think those things help us a great deal on the server.
Do you spend time together not only in the game, but outside Counter-Strike as well?
Yes. We do almost everything together.
— biguzera
What is the story behind your unusual weapon position on the screen? Have you always used this viewmodel?
No. I always used to play with the weapon in my left hand.
— biguzera
When CS2 was released, there was no option to use the left hand.
At the beginning, I played very badly with the weapon on the right, so I had to find a solution.
I thought that placing the weapon in the middle would feel closer to the left-hand view than the standard position on the right.
So I moved it to the center and eventually became used to it.
So you did not use the central position in CS:GO and simply wanted to return to the left hand?
Yes.
— biguzera
When the left-hand option returned to CS2, I tried it again, but I started playing as badly as I had when I first switched to the right hand.
So I went back to the central position.
For pistols, however, I have a separate bind: I use the left hand with pistols and the central position with rifles.
How do you prepare for the strongest European teams? Do you have to change your style, or do you try to impose your own game?
In almost every match, we try to play our own game.
— biguzera
Sometimes I prepare specific strategies for a particular opponent.
But usually, we play our own style and use the reads that I have before the match or develop during the game.
Do you create those strategies by yourself or together with the coaching staff?
Both. I do it myself and with the coaching staff.
— biguzera
Snap Tap has already been banned in competition. Do you think CS2 would be better if a similar feature were available to every player by default?
I do not know.
— biguzera
Perhaps it would be better if everyone could use it.
But if only some players have access to it, then banning it also seems like the right decision.
Overall, if a feature makes the game better, I think introducing it can be a positive thing for CS2.
Did you try Snap Tap before it was banned?
Yes, I used it before the ban.
— biguzera
Have you received offers from other tier-one teams? If you turned them down, why?
Maybe there were some offers.
— biguzera
But moving to an English-speaking team would be very difficult for me.
I have never played in a roster that communicates in English. I have always played in Portuguese.
It would be difficult to express myself precisely and explain what I want from the team.
I also sometimes feel that in a Portuguese-speaking lineup, we can be better than some international teams.
If you could make one major change to CS2, what would it be?
Right now, I would change the jumpthrow system.
— biguzera
Having a single bind for it was much better.
I would bring back the option to use a one-key jumpthrow bind.
The current method feels like the worst version ever to me, and I really dislike playing that way.
