Previewing the RMR | What to expect from paiN v. Legacy

For Dust2.us' final RMR opener preview, it's an all-Brazilian matchup between paiN and Legacy. For those who haven't been keeping a close eye on the Brazilian scene, keep in mind this paiN is not Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt's old squad that looked so strong in 2023, with the team instead forming a new core at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Legacy is essentially the old 00 Nation albeit with Bruno "b4rtiN" Câmara in place of Leonardo "n9xtz" Santos.

paiN points

Compared to the paiN's 2023 squad, this new team has been far less impressive, largely due to having their best pieces stripped away by better organizations. While there is plenty of young talent on this team and the lineup had a strong start in 2023, they have really slowed down in 2024 in their domestic matchups however there is still hope for the squad to click here in Mexico.

• biguzera is still a fantastic IGL

• nqz comes into this event with a strong 1.16 rating

• n1ssim has had a rough start to the year with a 0.99 rating

coldzera's Last Waltz

Marcelo "coldzera" David made the conscious decision to not get wrapped up in Brazil's Last Dance hijinks, instead trying to build his own younger roster that could succeed where his former SK teammates failed. Making the RMR is a massive step for coldzera and Legacy, but the odds are stacked above the former star to really do damage and assert themselves in the Brazilian scene.

• dumau continues to be a gem of a player

• coldzera is seemingly back in form after struggling for some time

• Legacy have won their last three matches against paiN

Previous Matchups

Unlike most matchups here, paiN and Legacy have actually played each other quite a lot. In the past five months they've crossed scabbards nine times, with paiN on top with a close 5-4 record. However, that doesn't tell the full story as Legacy have won the past three maps, suggesting they may have a leg up in this upcoming BO1.

Likely Vetoes

Keep in mind that the PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR uses a slightly modified pick-ban structure compared to ESL, for example. Under these circumstances, paiN, as the higher seed, will likely choose to be Team B in the veto as it will allow them to choose the starting side on the remaining map.

• Legacy ban Vertigo (1 Map Played)

• Legacy ban Nuke (paiN's best map with 80% Winrate)

• paiN ban Overpass (0 Maps Played)

• paiN ban Ancient (0 Maps Played)

• paiN ban Inferno (0 Maps Played)

• Legacy ban Mirage, Anubis will be played (Anubis is a far stronger map for Legacy)

• paiN picks to start in T-side (Higher won rounds distribution)

Analysis: Ultimately Legacy seems to be in a much better position in the veto. paiN has multiple maps with no competitive experience which is a real drag factor in the RMR's BO1 openers. Meanwhile, if Legacy can play their cards right, they should end up on a map they are quite comfortable with.