Skullz on OG matchup: "I think we are going to win"

paiN's ESL Pro League Season 17 run got off to a less than ideal start as the Brazilian side crumbled against NIP in their opening match. However, a much easier opponent in the little-known Australian side of Rooster presented them a chance to find their groove in Malta. After dispatching Rooster in a comfortable 2-0, Gabriel "NEKIZ" Schenato and Felipe "skullz" Medeiros joined Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Janko "YNk" Paunović and Tres "stunna" Saranthus on the Analyst couch.

Tell me about this Nuke game, was it as exhilarating as it looked?

NEKIZ: The thing is Nuke is a very good map for us, yeah we are very confident we lost yesterday to NIP and we thought we should win. It's a comfortable map for us so yeah.

So you walk into this one, you get out with a 2-0 you now stay alive in this mid-bracket, as we are calling it. Things are trending in the righ direction but let's go back a little bit, this tournament is one thing but NEKIZ you are back on the roster. You were on the bench last year in July, what have you been doing the whole time?

NEKIZ: I was playing for 0 PLANO, I tried to qualify for the Rio Major. We didn't make good damage in the RMR, but yeah im back it's good to be back to playing good tournaments like EPL and others. Yeah, I'm feeling great.

Well you are the perfect man to help with a question i have, paiN tend to play this pretty good level of Counter-Strike. At least in understanding and utility it's not like paiN are hyper aggressive or slow, you just play a good standard level of Counter-Strike where does this come from in the roster?

NEKIZ: I'm not sure we are playing for a while a lot of good tournaments. We are always, actually the guys won the Melbourne tournament which was a breakout I think. When I was back in the days playing with them we were always trying to go to the next level and we never made it. They got it in Melbourne. Right now I think this tournament is the next step of this team, maybe we can go to the playoffs, I think we are very confident of it.

That's just answered my next question, you sound very confident you really think playoffs are possible from this group?

NEKIZ: Yeah we really think we can do it, we are playing super good. I think yesterday is something that should not of happened and we are learning from the mistake that happened yesterday. I think the next game will be good for us, I don't know what team we are gonna...idk who's playing...I think we are going to play against OG.

skullz: I believe that if we play OG and we don't make the same mistakes we made yesterday against NIP, I think we are going to win. We are really confident.

zevy popped off on map one, Anubis what did he end it with almost 30 kills?

skullz: Yeah he hit 30 kills, he is a monster and he is playing very well on this map.

NEKIZ: zevy is a very good player I am not surprised.

This is another difference for you NEKIZ, you come back and now zevy and skullz are here they bring a bit more firepower, what else do they bring to the team?

NEKIZ: Yeah I don't know. I think a new playstyle. The thing is we were playing the same roster for like two years, we changed saffee for nython when saffee went to FURIA and that's the only change in like three years. Bringing new playstyle like skullz and zevy was very good for the team, they can say better than me because when they changed I wasn't on the roster. I was one of the changes, but it was very cool watching them was very good, and playing with them is too.

skullz: Yeah I think we stepped down on the playstyle, we are playing a little bit slower than the guys were playing back then. Now with NEKIZ he is a little more aggressive than me so we are switching between the two playstyles.

We talked about biguzera having to IGL right now and all this, he said it is a new role for him I imagine that you guys are one of those teams that have more people talking and helping him out mid-round?

skullz: hardzao he was a little bit quiet back when PKL was the IGL but now he is helping a lot recently. I can talk as well sometimes, NEKIZ can talk, and everyone is helping biguzera, so he can play good as well.

What about your coach we never really know too much about your coach, can you guys help us learn something about him today?

NEKIZ: Sure, sure, sure he was a very good player back in the days of 1.6. He was in the good teams, he played with kNgV-, mch I don't know if you guys know about mch. A long time ago, I think he won against Fnatic in the last 1.6 world tournament. He is very experienced like Bruno who is our manager and back in the day was our coach as well. So right now you guys know him and rikz is a very good coach.

How would you rate yourself against the other Brazilian teams, like FURIA I guess is number one still but then we have y ou guys, Imperial, MIBR, 00NATION, Fluxo?

NEKIZ: Yeah in Brazil everyone likes to make it the ranking of Brazilian Counter-Strike. Of course I will put ourselves in the second, we lost to MIBR maybe two weeks ago but it was again another mistake from us.

skullz: Yeah we are losing to ourselves in the last games, we are making a lot of mistakes and we are learning from that. So in the moment we are in that space right now.

NEKIZ: I would say us in number two, FURIA in number one the third...

skullz: MIBR, they have been doing well lately.

NEKIZ: then Imperial or Fluxo...

skullz: I would say Imperial then Fluxo.

paiN are now looking to play the loser of OG and Vitality, which will be found later today when those two European giants play at 10:00AM.