Roster Shakeups in Brazilian and German CS:GO Teams
The CS:GO competitive scene is no stranger to roster changes, and recently, two prominent teams, paiN Gaming from Brazil and MOUZ from Germany, have undergone significant shakeups in their lineups.
Brazilian CS:GO Lineup Shakeup
paiN Gaming, a Brazilian CS:GO team, has experienced significant roster changes recently. Wesley "hardzao" Lopes, a long-standing member of the team, has announced his move to the reserve bench following the recent benching of Gabriel "NEKIZ" Schenato. Reports suggest that paiN Gaming is looking to replenish their roster by adding academy prospect Cássio "cass1n" Santos and Lucas "lux" Meneghini from Fluxo, who is currently benched.
During his time with paiN Gaming, hardzao contributed to the team's victories in several tournaments, including ESL Challenger Melbourne, CBCS Invitational 2022, CCT North America Series 2, and ESL Challenger League Season 41 North America. The team also achieved notable performances in various smaller tournaments across North and South America, earning ESEA Cash Cup titles and qualifying for international events.
The team's recent success came after Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt took on leadership duties. They made a promising run to the Challengers Stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major but fell short of advancing further, ultimately exiting the event with a 2-3 record. However, paiN Gaming has since experienced a decline in performance.
As paiN Gaming reshapes its lineup, it remains uncertain who will replace hardzao. Romeu "zevy" Rocco is reportedly set to join Fluxo, and NEKIZ has already been benched. The expected additions of cass1n and lux will likely fill two of the vacant spots. With one more spot left to fill, paiN Gaming's current lineup consists of
- Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt,
- Felipe "skullz" Medeiros,
- Romeu "zevy" Rocco,
- and Henrique "rikz" Waku as the coach.
- NEKIZ, Vinicios "PKL" Coelho, and Wesley "hardzao" Lopes are currently on the bench.
MOUZ Makes Changes to German CS:GO Lineup
Meanwhile, MOUZ, a German CS:GO team, has made changes to its starting lineup. Jon "JDC" de Castro, a rifler from Germany, has been moved to the inactive roster for the upcoming fall season. This adjustment coincides with MOUZ's reported acquisition of former academy player and in-game leader Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek during the transfer window.
JDC joined MOUZ in March 2022, transitioning from the MOUZ NXT roster, where he had achieved success by winning three WePlay Academy League trophies alongside teammates Ádám "torzsi" Torzsás and Dorian "xertioN" Berman. Initially, JDC's integration into the main team encountered challenges as MOUZ failed to qualify for the Antwerp Major and faced an early exit at IEM Dallas 2022, finishing 9th-12th.
However, the team's performance improved during the summer of 2022, reaching the playoffs at IEM Cologne and ESL Pro League 16. JDC consistently delivered average statistics in his role. MOUZ's fortunes peaked with an impressive semi-final run at the IEM Rio Major but experienced a decline at the beginning of 2023. The team faced multiple group stage eliminations and couldn't recover even with a strong showing at IEM Dallas, where JDC achieved his career-best rating of 1.12 in his final event with MOUZ.
As MOUZ prepares for further changes, the current lineup consists of
- Christopher "dexter" Nong from Australia,
- David "frozen" Čerňanský from Slovakia,
- Ádám "torzsi" Torzsás from Hungary,
- and Dorian "xertioN" Berman from Israel.
- Dennis "sycrone" Nielsen serves as the coach.
With JDC being benched, MOUZ aims to integrate Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek into their lineup during the transfer window.
These recent developments reflect the dynamic nature of CS:GO team rosters. As organizations strive to find the optimal combination of players to achieve success in competitive tournaments. Both paiN Gaming and MOUZ will need to adapt to these changes and work towards building cohesive lineups. So that can compete at the highest level in the CS:GO scene.