Cloud9 vs paIN Gaming Prediction: who will turn out to be stronger?

Prediction for the match between Cloud9 and paIN Gaming which will take place on August 23. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Cloud9 is going through a new stage - the formation of the team from scratch. Only Boombl4 and Ax1le remained from the previous star roster, and they were joined by HeavyGod, ICY and interz. The new Cloud9 looks more organic and interesting, and now the roster only needs time for the players to play and learn to interact together. But judging by the first matches, there is faith in the Boombl4 team!

Right now there are no results. Cloud9 lost the open qualifiers at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 and IEM Rio 2024 (at the time of writing this prediction, the team still has one shot at the closed qualifiers). At BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024, they dropped out after two matches against FaZe (1:2) and Ninjas in Pyjamas (1:2). However, in the battle with FaZe, Clouds almost closed the series in their favour, but failed to convert two matchpoints and had to play overtime. With Ninja the match was emotional, and again the ending on the second and third maps failed. In terms of individual play, it can be noted that Ax1le returned to his roles, and specifically on the groups BLAST looked very good. HeavyGod didn't lose any stats either, occasionally showing that he was sitting in OG for nothing and losing the best years of his career. Turns out it's easier to play with sniper, ICY demonstrates that. There are certain problems with interz, but Timofey hasn't competed on the dash-1 scene for a long time, and is still getting used to the top level again. Boombl4 showed in 1win that he can work with young guys and take them to the next level, and in Cloud9 he has a second opportunity to prove to the world his competence as a captain.

The story goes that Cloud9 absolutely knows how to work with star rosters, but knows how to develop prospects. The pressure from the fans on Cloud9 has been greatly reduced, there is a lot of work ahead. In the future we can see Cloud9 as a stable dash-1 team, but now it needs to prepare for the confrontation with the best team in Brazil.

Biguzera and company are in great shape, as they showed in Cologne. PaIN Gaming didn't make the playoffs at IEM Cologne, but finished in 7th-8th place - an impressive result for the South American team! The community is used to the dominance of European teams, but if paIN Gaming will show up more often at tier-1 tournaments, they might soon find a place in the top 10 of HLTV. Why do we think so?

Firstly, paIN Gaming is dominating in South America. Between the first matches after the break and IEM Cologne 2024, the Brazilians played 29 matches, and lost in only one! Along the way, the team won qualifications for IEM Rio 2024, BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024, won the local Ace South American Masters Fall 2024 title and qualified for BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2024. Secondly, at IEM Cologne 2024 paIN Gaming did not look like a weak team unable to put up a fight. Moreover, it made campbacks against The MongolZ and Team Liquid, which are the teams from the top 10 HLTV. Brazilians play soulful, aggressive and are not afraid to do an arcade shootout. The Brazilians have bought the fans with sincere emotions after each round.

PaIN Gaming plays well on the domestic scene, but in matches with European teams has great difficulties. At the same IEM Cologne 2024 there were also matches against Natus Vincere (0:2) and G2 Esports (0:2), and in each series the Brazilians did not even gain a total of 10 rounds. This is also a small statistical note, which shows that paIN Gaming's style has vulnerabilities that teams from CIS and Europe can take advantage of.

Bookmakers believe that Cloud9 will be the favorite in this match, although recent performance suggests otherwise. But there is one common pattern - both teams do not refuse to play third cards and spend a lot of rounds in matches. Cloud9 might be able to start BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2024 with a win, but we'll reassure ourselves and wait for the results of this series on the descider.