paiN have moved Vinicius “vsm” Moreira to the bench after eight months in the starting lineup and promoted 16-year-old Rickson “Rkzinho” Ribeiro Dias from paiN Academy. The organization announced the changes as part of planned restructuring following a difficult run of results, with Rkzinho set to take the open spot in the starting five.
The move comes after paiN lost five consecutive matches and failed to win a series since August 15. Their recent run included early exits from Esports World Cup, BLAST Open Porto and the IEM Beijing Closed Qualifier.
paiN make a change after five consecutive losses
The recent results have been accompanied by concerns inside the roster. After the last-place exit at BLAST Open Porto, Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt admitted that the problems went beyond the final scores.
I feel as a team we don’t trust each other anymore.
biguzera said paiN were struggling with communication and confidence in their own decisions, while also stressing that the level of Counter-Strike they were playing was more concerning than the results themselves.
paiN then travelled into the IEM Beijing Closed Qualifier and lost 0:2 to both HOTU and BIG, leaving the event without a series victory.
Seguindo algumas reestruturações planejadas, Vinicius “v$m” Moreira passa a integrar o banco de reservas da nossa equipe de CS2.
Agradecemos ao vina por todo o trabalho, dedicação e por tudo que entregou vestindo a nossa camisa nesse período.
Com a mudança, Rickson “Rkzinho”… pic.twitter.com/ORrL6Fa4iT
— paiN Gaming (@paiNGamingBR) September 4, 2026
vsm could not reproduce his 2025 form
vsm joined paiN at the beginning of 2026 after a strong previous year with Flamengo and Keyd Stars. He averaged a 1.29 rating during his 2025 run on the regional scene, but his numbers dropped after moving to paiN.
Across his eight months with the roster, the 27-year-old averaged a 1.01 rating. His Rating 3.0 over the last three months sits at 1.00 across 41 maps.
paiN confirmed that vsm has been moved to the bench rather than released from the organization.
Rkzinho earns promotion one day after entering the Prospects Ranking
Rkzinho receives his first opportunity in the main paiN lineup just one day after appearing in the HLTV Prospects Ranking for the first time. The 16-year-old entered the September ranking at #49.
He has averaged a 1.10 rating with paiN Academy during 2026. His recent performances include a 1.49 Rating 3.0 across three maps against Grêmio, where he finished with a 60–31 K–D.
Rkzinho has spent his development period inside the paiN system and now gets the chance to move directly from the academy roster into a lineup currently ranked #19.
beto joins the coaching staff
paiN also announced another change behind the players, adding Pedro “beto” Umberto to the coaching staff. The 25-year-old previously worked with Case, RED Canids and KRÜ.
The active paiN lineup is now:
- Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt
- Guilherme “piriajr” Barbosa
- Rafael “saffee” Costa
- João “snow” Vinicius
- Rickson “Rkzinho” Ribeiro Dias
- Henrique “rikz” Waku — Coach
- Pedro “beto” Umberto — Coaching staff
What’s next?
Rkzinho is set to make his debut with the main roster in the PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 South America Closed Qualifier. The event is currently scheduled for September 9–13 and will feature eight teams competing for one place at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026.
The qualifier will provide the first indication of how quickly Rkzinho can adapt to the main roster as paiN attempt to end their five-match losing streak.
