CNP Cali 2026 - Medellin Dominates
The 2026 season started the best way possible: with a win.
This event was played with my team Medellin. The roster had Croque, Santi, and Dakota as always, but this time we also had two special guests. A few days before the event, Croque asked me to find the best players I could bring to Colombia so we could really put on a show. The first people that came to mind were the guys from Aftershock/Shock. I reached out, and in the end two absolute killers were down to play with us: Jet and Michael.
At the time we had no idea this would turn into one of the best events we’ve ever played.
Dakota and I flew in on Thursday night. And since this is apparently becoming a tradition, the police called me again to check my gear. I had to explain once more that paintball markers are not firearms and that they run on compressed air. After a few minutes of explaining, they finally let me go so I could board my flight.
Meanwhile, the guys flying from Tampa had their second flight cancelled. I tried to help them get a hotel for the night since their new flight was moved to 5 AM on Friday.
When Dakota and I landed in Cali, we stayed at a hotel near the airport. The shower was amazing after the travel, and we went straight to bed.
Friday – Practice and Team Chemistry
We woke up at 6 AM to pick up Jet and Michael from the airport. After bringing them back to the hotel and grabbing breakfast, we relaxed until noon.
Dakota and I left for the field early because he was trying out for Team Colombia.
The field was in Palmira, inside a sports complex with incredible grass. While the tryouts were happening, I helped with timing and scoring. Later, when Santi, Jet, and Michael arrived, we geared up and ran a few practice points.
Right away we could tell something special was happening.
Everything clicked instantly.
Communication was smooth, the moves made sense, and everyone trusted each other. We were locked in.
That night we stayed at a finca outside the city. The place was beautiful, but I ended up with a bunk bed that barely fit me. I hit my head multiple times just trying to move around. Between that and the Cali heat, I was exhausted and went to sleep around 10 PM.
Saturday – Slow Start
I got to the field at 8 AM because I was helping our divisional team and Valkirias.
Our first match was scheduled for 1:30 PM, but like many LATAM events, the schedule fell behind. We didn’t actually play until 4 PM.
I started the match wearing Meta glasses to record everything, but the first point was rough. We got a minor penalty that pulled Michael, Jet died trying to fill, and we had to towel the point quickly.
After that I took the glasses off and locked in.
The next point lasted several minutes, but we managed to tie the game. Then we secured another point after stopping their run-through attempts.
Final score: 2–1.
Our second match was against Templarios, the local team. They brought in Tom Guest from X-Factor, who has one of the nastiest snaps out there.
By the time we played it was really late and I was exhausted, but we managed to keep the points short and controlled.
Final score: 4–2.
That night we went back to the house and had an incredible asado. I had trouble falling asleep and didn’t actually get to bed until almost 3 AM. Unfortunately, we had to be out of the house again at 7 AM.
Sunday – The Run Begins
Despite the lack of sleep, the long days at the field, the Cali heat, mosquitoes, and reusing dirty jerseys, we were ready.
Winning our next match would give us a bye straight to the finals, so everything started with our game against Suricatos.
The first point was slow, but I managed to land a nasty snap shot using the snake beam.
The second point was faster.
On the third point we found ourselves in a 3v3, but Suricatos had control of the Dorito side. I moved into the snake to set a trap and snapped the center player. At the same time Jet shot their back Dorito player, who hadn’t exited the field yet, giving them a minor penalty.
We secured the point.
On the last point we were down 3v4, but Jet pushed through the Doritos and eliminated two players. Using the chaos, I ran down the snake and bunkered another player while Dakota and Jet cleaned up the last one.
Final score: 4–0.
Next up was Wild Dogs, who were playing under the name Perros Flacos at this event.
This game was total domination.
We didn’t lose a single body the entire match and even played a completely different strategy, without using a snake player at all.
Final score: 4–0.
By 1:30 PM we were done with prelims and had secured the bye to the finals, so we spent the afternoon watching other divisions and hydrating while waiting for our final match.
Finals vs Templarios
Around 5 PM, it was time for the finals.
Our opponent was Templarios again.
We tried starting with the same no-snake strategy we used earlier. On the first point, a Templarios player hit the buzzer but was already hit, which meant the point went to us.
1–0.
The second point didn’t go our way. I got shot early and Jet followed right after. The team still managed to finish the point, but an overshooting penalty turned it into a no point.
Still 1–0.
On the next point I switched back to the snake side. We quickly eliminated two players and closed it out.
2–0.
The fourth point happened so fast I barely remember it, they toweled quickly.
3–0.
For the last point I went to the corner and caught two cross-field eliminations before shooting the home player. Soon after, the snake corner was eliminated as well. We actually lost track of the score because we were ready to keep playing, until we realized the game was already over.
Final score: 4–0.
Sunday ended 4–0, and the whole weekend felt unreal.
We celebrated, got completely waterboarded right after leaving the field, and didn’t even bother changing much since it started raining during the finals anyway.
First event of the 2026 season. First win.
Huge thank you to Jet and Michael for trusting me and coming down to Colombia to compete with us. It meant a lot, and we absolutely dominated together.
Now we’re ready to do the same thing in the next three CNP events.
