Brazilian Counter-Strike organization paiN Gaming has made significant roster changes, moving Vinicius vsm Moreira to the inactive roster while promoting teenage talent Rickson Rkzinho Ribeiro Dias from their academy squad.
The 16-year-old prospect, who recently landed at number 49 on the HLTV Prospects list, will step directly into the starting five. His promotion comes just one day after achieving that ranking milestone. During his tenure with paiN Academy in 2026, Rkzinho maintained a solid 1.10 rating.
The roster move follows a series of underwhelming performances from paiN's main team. Their struggles culminated in a last-place finish at BLAST Open Porto, where team captain Rodrigo biguzera Bittencourt openly addressed the internal issues, stating the team had lost mutual trust. Other recent disappointments included bottom placements at Stake Ranked Episode 3, an early exit from BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 Finals, and a 17-24th position at EWC.
Vsm joined paiN at the start of this year after an impressive 2025 run with Brazilian organizations Flamengo and Keyd Stars, where he averaged a 1.29 rating domestically. However, his performance declined significantly during his paiN stint, dropping to just a 1.01 rating.
Additionally, paiN announced the hiring of Pedro beto Umberto as a new member of their coaching staff. Beto brings experience from previous coaching positions at Case, RED Canids, and KRÜ.
Rkzinho will make his competitive debut with the main roster during the PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 South America Closed Qualifier, scheduled to begin on September 6.
