pain bench vsm and promote 16-year-old Rkzinho from academy

pain bench vsm and promote 16-year-old Rkzinho from academy

pain have moved Vinicius "vsm" Moreira to the bench and promoted 16-year-old prospect Rickson "Rkzinho" Ribeiro Dias from the organization's academy roster.

The change comes after a difficult stretch of results for the Brazilian team and gives one of HLTV's highest-ranked young prospects an opportunity at senior level.

vsm benched after eight months

vsm joined pain at the beginning of 2026 following an excellent domestic campaign with Flamengo and Keyd Stars .

He averaged a 1.29 rating during his 2025 run in Brazil.

However, that form did not fully translate after joining pain .

Across his eight months with the organization, vsm averaged a 1.01 rating.

The team's recent results also deteriorated significantly.

pain finished last at BLAST Open Porto, last at Stake Ranked Episode 3, exited the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals in the first round and placed 17th–24th at the Esports World Cup.

Following the Porto exit, captain Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt publicly admitted that the team appeared to have lost trust in one another.

Rkzinho receives first-team opportunity

Rkzinho will now step into the starting lineup.

The 16-year-old is currently ranked No. 49 on HLTV's Prospects list and has been developing through pain 's academy system.

His first major test will come in the PGL Masters Bucharest closed qualifier.

The move gives pain an opportunity to inject young talent into a roster that has struggled to regain momentum during the second half of the season.

The organization has not indicated whether vsm's benching is permanent or whether he remains available for transfer.