paiN Gaming secured a crucial 2–1 victory over FaZe in the second Swiss round of ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2, bouncing back after a difficult opening match. The Brazilian squad recovered after losing Dust2 and eventually closed the series on Mirage, moving to a 1–1 record in the Swiss stage. For FaZe, the defeat deepens an already worrying run of results and sends the European squad to the 0–2 bracket, where they now face elimination pressure.
Path through the tournament
Both teams entered the match in the 0–1 bracket of the Swiss stage.
Earlier in Stage 2, FaZe suffered a 0–2 defeat against G2, placing immediate pressure on the roster. The loss against paiN now pushes them into a dangerous 0–2 position, where their next match will determine whether they remain in the tournament.
paiN, meanwhile, also started the stage with a defeat after falling 0–2 to The MongolZ. The victory over FaZe therefore becomes a crucial recovery, moving the Brazilian squad to a 1–1 record and keeping their playoff hopes alive.
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Nuke — paiN strike first (16–13)
The series opened on Nuke, picked by paiN, and the Brazilian side immediately showed confidence. Early rounds were highly competitive, with both teams trading momentum as frozen and Twistzz found important entries for FaZe. However, paiN gradually took control thanks to consistent pressure from nqz and biguzera, who repeatedly cracked open FaZe’s defenses.
Several late-round executes from paiN proved decisive, allowing the Brazilian team to close the map 16–13 and take the early series lead.
Dust2 — FaZe respond (16–13)
FaZe answered back on Dust2, their map pick, delivering a much more structured performance. The European side looked far more comfortable on the map, with frozen leading the server and broky providing key AWP impact in several rounds. FaZe built momentum during the mid-game and managed to control the tempo of the map.
Despite strong resistance from nqz, FaZe held their nerve in the closing rounds and secured Dust2 16–13, leveling the series.
Mirage — paiN close the series (13–5)
The deciding map Mirage quickly turned into a one-sided affair. paiN’s aggressive setups and confident mid control repeatedly caught FaZe off guard. nqz continued his outstanding performance, consistently finding opening kills and maintaining pressure across the map.
FaZe struggled to gain any real control and failed to string together rounds. paiN capitalized on the momentum and comfortably closed the map 13–5, sealing the 2–1 series victory.
Match statistics
Player of the Match — Lucas “nqz” Soares
Across three maps:
- 70–44 K-D
- +2.63% swing
- 89.1 ADR
- 78.9% KAST
- 1.35 rating
The Brazilian AWPer delivered a standout performance, consistently finding opening picks and stabilizing his team in key rounds throughout the series.
VRS impact
The result also influenced the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
- After the victory, paiN gained +25 VRS points, significantly strengthening their position in the global ranking.
- Meanwhile, FaZe lost –21 VRS points, further damaging their ranking and increasing the pressure for strong results in upcoming matches.
Team reactions
The match quickly sparked reactions from players and organizations on social media. Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken admitted the team’s frustration in a post after the match:
Can only go up from here. Frustrated about my individual level, frustrated about our team work. Some bad looking CS from us. Need to step up in every aspect. Ggs g2 and pain.
Meanwhile, paiN Gaming responded with humor on X, posting a playful message directed at FaZe:
hey @FaZeClan, fixed it for you
The post referenced a graphic showing the updated tournament standings after paiN’s victory.
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What comes next
With the win, paiN move to the 1–1 bracket and remain firmly in the race for playoff qualification. Meanwhile, FaZe drop to 0–2, meaning their next match will be a must-win elimination series if they want to keep their ESL Pro League Season 23 campaign alive.
