paiN have secured a place at the BLAST Bounty Season 2 LAN Finals after defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-0 in the online Stage 2 Round of 16. The Brazilian squad delivered a confident performance on both maps, winning Nuke 13-6 before closing the series on Mirage 16-14 to book their ticket to the offline stage.
Road to the LAN Finals
paiN began their BLAST Bounty Season 2 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Gentle Mates in Stage 1. They followed it up by eliminating Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-0, securing one of the coveted spots at the LAN Finals.
Ninjas in Pyjamas opened the event with a convincing 2-0 win over M80. However, their run ended in Stage 2 after the defeat to paiN.
paiN control the series from the opening map
NiP selected Nuke hoping to gain an early advantage, but paiN quickly took control. The Brazilians dominated the server with aggressive CT setups and efficient trading, limiting the Swedish side to just six rounds before comfortably taking the map 13-6.
Mirage proved much more competitive. NiP kept the game close throughout regulation and pushed paiN to the limit, but the Brazilian squad held their nerve in overtime. Strong late-round execution and disciplined defense secured a 16-14 victory and completed the 2-0 sweep.
Rafael “saffee” Costa led paiN with a 1.32 rating, while Vinicius “vsm” Moreira posted the highest rating in the match at 1.40. For Ninjas in Pyjamas, Roman “n0te” Hamze was the team’s best performer with a 1.23 rating, but his efforts were not enough to extend the series.
Player of the Match
Vinicius “vsm” Moreira earned the Player of the Match award after finishing the series with a 1.40 rating. He recorded 42 kills, 88.8 ADR, and consistently delivered impact rounds that helped paiN stay in control across both maps.
VRS impact
The victory also benefited paiN in the Valve Regional Standings. The Brazilian team gained 19 VRS points and climbed from 30th to 29th place. Meanwhile, Ninjas in Pyjamas lost 18 VRS points and dropped from 25th to 27th.
What’s next?
By qualifying for the BLAST Bounty Season 2 LAN Finals, paiN remain in contention for the tournament title and valuable VRS points. Meanwhile, Ninjas in Pyjamas exit the competition in the online stage and will turn their attention to the next events on the 2026 calendar.
