Report: paiN Gaming to bench piriajr and promote academy player Tatu

paiN Gaming is reportedly preparing to bench Guilherme "piriajr" Barbosa following a last-place finish at BLAST Open Porto. According to a report by Dust2.com.br, the team plans to use academy player Lucas "Tatu" Santana in his place, at least temporarily. This move follows the recent benching of Vinicius "vsm" Moreira, who was replaced by another academy player, Rickson "Rkzinho" Ribeiro Dias.

The roster adjustments come after a difficult start to the season for paiN. The team finished in last place at both BLAST Open Porto and Stake Ranked Episode 3, in addition to suffering an early exit at the Esports World Cup. Following the tournament in Porto, Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt commented on the team dynamics, stating that they no longer trusted each other.

If the roster change proceeds, piriajr's nine-month tenure on the starting lineup will come to an end. He joined paiN from Bounty Hunters in January but struggled to replicate his regional 1.32 rating internationally, averaging a 1.03 rating during his time with the team. Replacement Tatu has spent two years with paiN Academy and averaged a 1.07 rating this year.

The report did not clarify whether Tatu's promotion is a permanent solution or strictly for upcoming events. Should the changes hold, the paiN roster will feature biguzera, João "snow" Vinicius, Rafael "saffee" Costa, Rkzinho, Tatu, and coach Henrique "rikz" Waku.