saffee returns to paiN as the Brazilian team reshapes its AWP role

saffee returns to paiN as the Brazilian team reshapes its AWP role

paiN have officially brought Rafael “saffee” Costa back into the lineup, confirming the veteran sniper as the team’s new AWPer after Lucas “nqz” Soares stepped away from competition for personal reasons. HLTV reported that nqz had temporarily withdrawn earlier in April, with paiN saying the move was made with the player’s well-being in mind. The organization has now turned that interim solution into a formal signing, putting saffee back in the jersey he previously wore during one of the most important stretches of his career.  

The move is more than a routine roster change. For paiN, it is the return of a player who helped the organization rise to wider international attention in 2020 and 2021. During his first spell with the team, saffee earned the first Major appearance of his career and established himself as one of Brazil’s notable AWPers before leaving for FURIA at the start of 2022. His return therefore reconnects paiN with a familiar figure rather than introducing an entirely new piece. HLTV’s player records and the latest transfer coverage both place his first paiN stint from July 2020 to January 2022.  

Since leaving paiN the first time, saffee has played for two of Brazil’s biggest organizations. He spent roughly 18 months with FURIA and was part of the roster that made a deep run to the semi-finals of IEM Rio Major 2022 in front of a home crowd. After that, he joined MIBR in June 2023. His MIBR period lasted about two years, although the final several months came on the bench after the organization moved him out of the active lineup in August 2025. HLTV’s report on that decision states that saffee had been benched after a two-year run with the team, while Dust2.com.br’s  report on his new signing with paiN says he had been inactive for eight months before this comeback.  

paiN’s decision also comes with immediate competitive implications. According to the announcement coverage, saffee is set to represent the team at IEM Atlanta and at the CS Asia Championships, and he has also been registered as a substitute for the IEM Cologne Major. Dust2.com.br independently reported the same tournament plan, confirming that paiN expect him to return to official matches next month. That gives the organization short-term stability in a role that became uncertain once nqz paused his activities.  

The signing lands at a moment when paiN are still trying to turn roster moves into consistent international results. Over the last several months the Brazilian side has continued to reshape its lineup, adding Vinicius “vsm” Moreira and Guilherme “piriajr” Barbosa ahead of the 2026 season, with piriajr initially arriving on loan before paiN later exercised the purchase option to make the transfer permanent. HLTV also noted that paiN expected to use saffee at IEM Atlanta once nqz stepped away, so the official signing follows the direction that had already been reported earlier this month.  

That broader context matters because paiN have shown flashes of promise, but their year has also been uneven. Earlier reports highlighted a strong moment in February 2025, when the team reached the playoffs of PGL Cluj-Napoca after beating Virtus.pro, a run described by HLTV as only the organization’s second-ever Big Event playoff appearance and its first in front of a crowd. More recently, however, HLTV wrote that paiN had struggled internationally in 2026 despite domestic success, including winning Circuit X Mayhem and securing a Stage 2 berth for IEM Cologne. In other words, the team has remained competitive enough to stay relevant, but not yet stable enough to avoid recurring lineup corrections.  

There is also a personal angle to the story. nqz had been with paiN for roughly two and a half years when the team announced that he was stepping back, and HLTV’s report said he spoke openly about dealing with stress while hoping to return to the server as soon as possible.

paiN did not provide a timetable for his comeback. The official acquisition of saffee therefore looks like a practical solution for the present rather than a definitive public closure on nqz’s future.  

With saffee in, paiN’s active lineup is now built around biguzera, vsm, piriajr, snow, and the returning AWPer. On paper, the move gives the squad a player with prior chemistry with the organization, long experience in top-level Brazilian Counter-Strike, and a résumé that includes Major appearances with paiN, FURIA, MIBR, and a semi-final finish in Rio. Whether that translates into a meaningful competitive step forward will only become clear once the team reaches its next international events, but the logic behind the move is easy to see: paiN needed an experienced replacement immediately, and one of the most familiar names available was a player who had already helped define an earlier chapter of the club’s rise.