The MongolZ advance to EWC playoffs with 2-0 victory over paiN

The Brazilian squad's run in Paris has come to an end in the group stage.

The MongolZ booked their Esports World Cup playoff berth by winning the Group D lower semi‑finals, while their opponents, paiN , saw their run come to an end. Though rounds were traded on Nuke, the Mongolian squad controlled much of the tempo on Inferno to wrap up the map quickly.

It was a closely contested opening on Nuke, with neither side pulling away early. Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt racked up a triple kill outside, helping his teammates secure the force‑buy round and crippling the opponent's economy, but Garidmagnai "⁠bLitz⁠" Byambasuren answered back with a triple kill of his own in the 7-5 half.

paiN fought hard across several rounds to no avail, even as bLitz pulled off an 180‑spin to get another triple kill and bring his team to match point, which they then closed out by a three‑round margin, 13-10.

bLitz triple-kill

Where The MongolZ leaned on team cooperation to secure rounds, the Brazilian side relied far more on individual heroics. On Inferno’s first eco‑round, biguzera got his side off to a flying start with an ace. However, unfortunately for paiN , their advantage lasted only three rounds as they foundered on the Mongolian squad's pick.

biguzera pulled off an ace on the eco‑round

An ace from Sodbayar "⁠Techno⁠" Munkhbold in the anti‑eco round, the third ace of the series, hastened his team's advance to the win as they took an 8-4 lead at the half. biguzera put together plenty of highlights throughout the series and tried to carry his side, yet it was all to no avail.

Having won the fourth of four pistol rounds, The MongolZ seized their shot at a playoff berth and dominated the CT side, winning the map 13-4 after successfully winning five consecutive defenses.