biguzera: "I really feel that the Brazilian team that beats the other will be in the Major final"

The quarterfinal bout between paiN and FURIA has everything to be one of the best matches of the BLAST.tv Austin Major playoffs. They met earlier in the tournament, and paiN won, but we never had two Brazilian teams playing one another inMajor playoffs.

In a quick interview with Dust2.us ahead of the playoffs, paiN's IGL Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt said he hopes paiN can defeat FURIA, but if that's not the case, they'll cheer for FURIA for the remainder of the tournament as he wants to see a Brazilian team at the top again.

You can watch the full interview below on YouTube, or read the full transcription underneath. All questions and answers were slightly edited for clarity.

Welcome to the playoffs. It's the first Major playoffs for you. How are you feeling about making this huge achievement in your career?

My feeling right now is just an amazing feeling. I'm so proud that we made it here, and of course, we want to go forward. So, let's see.

paiN making playoffs creates a pretty significant achievement for the Brazilian region as a whole, as we see FURIA and paiN in playoffs, and this is the first time we've had two Brazilian squads in playoffs since PGL Kraków. What has been the reaction at home to this significant success?

Of course, I think Brazil right now is just excited to.... I mean, the feeling in 2017 was just Brazil on the top. So, right now we have the same feeling, [well] not the same feeling, because it's not the same era. But, I feel the Brazilian people are just hoping to be a good result just back there, and they're so excited to see paiN or FURIA going forward. I think everyone in Brazil is so, so happy about everything we make. Everyone there is so proud of us, I guess.

In 2017, both SK and Immortals were experienced. Do you think this is a significant milestone for Brazil, that we have a team of Major playoff rookies making it forward to Major playoffs?

Yeah, of course. I think it's not just important for Brazilian players, but I think for us in paiN [as well]. Because if we could make this just with like 14 days of practice, we can see [what] we can make with six months, we never know. I think right now, the sky is the limit, and I just hope to be better and better each tournament in the next season.

A significant part of that success is the recent addition of dgt, the Uruguayan player. This is your first event having a chance to play with him, other than a couple of days at Astana. Has he lived up to your expectations as a player since he replaced kauez?

We're so happy to have him with us, and he's an amazing player and an amazing person. We're so excited for the next season. We cannot put that in words, and yeah, he's an amazing player, and I'm 100% sure that we'll grow up more and more.

You have now spent five, six years under the paiN banner, and you're going to spend a couple more years after re-signing. In football, it's pretty normal for a player to spend their career under one big club, but it's incredibly rare in CS. Even FalleN's gone through his fair share of clubs over the years. Why did you stick with paiN and dedicate your career to it?

I think that for me it's so important to be a legend in a team, like, to be a guy who's inspiring other players. Some people like to go [through] every team in Brazil, not just in Brazil, but they like to know other teams. I'm the kind of guy who just wants to grow and grow in the same team.

I'm not a curious guy, I just want to stay here and grow, and make more achievements. All this is so important for me, it's the way I think. It's not a big deal or a rule, I just want to be here for as much time as I can, that makes me happy. If I'm not happy anymore, I could [leave], but it's not what's happening right now. I'm happy here, and I just want to [stay] here, and let's see how many years more [I'll stay].

Looking on to playoffs, you're going to be taking on FURIA. What are your thoughts on that matchup against FURIA? How do you feel paiN stacks up to them first?

I really hope it can be a very good match. Of course, I hope we can beat them. They're our friends, but inside the server and the arena, they are our enemy, of course. I really feel that the Brazilian team that beat each other will be in the Major final. I hope that if they go through in the final, they can win the Major, and [put] a Brazilian team at the top again. I hope that the champion will be a Brazilian team, even if they go through.