CNP Cali 2025 - Finals run with Medellín
Third event with my Medellín family! On Friday, August 8, we flew out of Medellín to play the CNP Cali 2025. I started the trip the right way, with some açaí, and by noon we were landing in Cali. Renting a car was surprisingly smooth, and within 10 minutes we were at the field. That’s when reality hit: the field was… rough. Honestly, a solid 3/10.
The grass? Passable, you could at least dive. The bunkers? Straight out of 2008. Old cans, faded center towers, and half of them would deflate every 2–3 points. By the end of the weekend, the towers were gone altogether, which meant every single point felt like a slightly different layout. For a second, I wondered if this was even worth writing a blog about. But if you’re here reading this, you already know what my decision was.
We checked into a beautiful finca Airbnb, dropped our bags, and I headed out with Kam, Alex, and Dakota for food. Pizza, wings, fries and donuts. I regretted it a little, but it was just too good to stop. Back at the house, we chilled, laughed, and got some real sleep before the grind.
Saturday - Layout? What layout?
Saturday morning we cooked breakfast ourselves, Fernanda took charge, although the chocolate situation was almost a fail. Still, everything else was great. Fueled up, we went early to watch our D5 line play. Honestly, the venue food was also solid, special shoutout to the salpicón.
By 2pm I was dressed and ready for our first Open match. By then, the bunkers were already struggling to stay up, so we were basically playing freestyle layouts. First opponent was AC Team. It ended in a 1-1 tie, and then they immediately dropped out of the event. INSANE.
Our second match was supposed to be later in the afternoon, but then the blowers lost power and fuel. No blowers = no bunkers. Which meant the rest of our prelims had to be moved to Sunday. Not exactly ideal, but what can you do? I went home, grabbed another donut, and next thing I knew I was passed out at 6pm. The guys had to wake me up at 10 for dinner, which was some amazing meat they cooked up.
Sunday - The long haul
Sunday was where things got real. We had to make up games, so the day started early. Our first was against Mystic, which ended in a 2-2 tie. Annoying, but not the end of the world. Right after, we strung together two strong wins. That pushed us straight into finals with a bye.
Between matches, I killed time in the best way possible, food. I had the best lechona of my life at the venue. Like, unreal. If you ever visit Colombia and skip lechona, you’re making a mistake.
Finals
Finals were against Full Paintball. We came out flat, went down 0-3 fast, and were literally one point away from losing on mercy rule. But Medellín Criminals don’t quit. We fought back, point by point, and tied it up. Momentum felt like it was all ours.
In the final seconds, everything pointed toward us stealing the win, we shot bodies off the break, had the field in control, and were ready to close. But we hesitated. One mistake, one second too late. Full Paintball hit the buzzer with just a single second left on the clock. Game over.
Brutal ending. It stung. But that’s paintball.
Despite the chaos, the broken bunkers, the delays, and that gut-punch finals, we had a blast. The finca, the food, the laughs, and the battles with my Medellín family made it all worth it. This team really is family to me.
And now we’ve got one more event together this season for CNP. Next stop: Panama.
