Banner image: Ubisoft / @capturedbycyga
Despite adding four players and signing a new staff, Team oNe qualified for the Six Charlotte Major. Almost a year and a half since then, the Brazilians are back in the United States.
Lorenzo "Lagonis" Volpi led the roster by then, as he was the person who assembled the backbone of what we now know as LOS. After the conclusion of the Six Berlin Major, the Six Mexico Major champion signed for Team Liquid.
Since then, the orange roster has been an upper-mid-table team in Brazil, arguably the best region in the world. Having to coexist with rosters like Team Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas, FaZe Clan, or w7m esports isn't an easy task, especially when only four teams can qualify for the stage's Six Major.
LOS knows it better than anyone else. Back when the Brazilians played under the name of Team oNe, the Brazilians missed out on the Six Berlin Major and the Six Jönköping Major by only one point. Eventually, the orange roster qualified for the Six Invitational 2023 after winning LATAM's Closed Qualifier.
Unfortunately for the orange roster, the team went through a deja vu in Stage 1's Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ). After defeating Magic Squad and Viuvas da sN, LOS was one round away from qualifying for the BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen after losing to Ninjas in Pyjamas by 6-8, 7-5, and 7-8.
"It was one of the saddest matches of my life," Leonardo "Dash" Lopes explained to SiegeGG in a pre-BLAST R6 Major Atlanta interview. "We knew we were on the right track, but something was missing, something we didn't know we lacked but that would bring us success. It was a difficult time, but it was needed, the addition of cameram4n was the consequence of that episode," the Brazilian explained.
Following the team's result in Stage 1, the players understood it was time for a roster change as they brought Gabriel "cameram4n" Hespanhol in as Renato "rhZ" Luis was moved to the analyst position.
"Cameram4n's work has been fantastic," Leonardo "Dash" Lopes admitted. "We trusted a lot in him since the start, in his knowledge of the game and his experience, he gave us a kind of trust we had never felt before in the team, which made a difference when playing against some teams like Team Liquid or Keyd Stars," he elaborated.
While the former FaZe Clan's player work has clearly elevated LOS as a team, by the start of the season, Dash could already see a big difference in his team from their international debut. "The difference is in the experience we acquired, knowing how to behave better against different playstyles, which in the past made it difficult for us."
However, the team's start to Stage 2 was far from what the fans expected. After losing their first three group stage matches, the team was confirmed to miss out on the Brazil League Deciders.
According to Dash, the adaptation of the team to cameram4n wasn't as smooth as they wanted it to be. "I think the addition of cameram4n to the team required a bit more preparation from our end."
"We had completely different ideas about how to lead a team, which affected our performances as a team. It was a change from a very aggressive playstyle to a more consistent playstyle," the Brazilian added.
The team's first win with cameram4n came precisely against his former team, FaZe Clan. Although both squads were playing for nothing, the orange roster's win was crucial heading to the Open Qualifiers. "It was a match that didn't mean anything but we played the way we had to play in the next games, it was a positive example for us."
Following the team's disappointing group-stage performance, the orange roster was the top-seeded side in the Open Qualifiers as they won their three matches, including a 7-5 win against Netshoes Miners.
Eventually, LOS would meet Team Liquid in the first round of the Last Chance Qualifiers. The BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen grand finalists were the favorites to win the series, but nothing could be further from the truth. After playing on Nighthaven Labs and Consulate, the orange roster defeated the Blue Cavalry by 2-0.
"We knew about the possibility (of playing one of those maps), so we studied them, just like we did with the rest of the maps. We had doubts about what map they would pick, but we knew ours. They ended up making our job a bit easier," Dash explained.
Following the team's victory against Team Liquid, the team's last obstacle to reach the grand final was Keyd Stars. Previously, the purple organization had finished in fourth place in the Brazil League Stage 2 as Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated them in the game for the league's third seed.
When looking back at their semi-final match, Dash explained that the team's "resiliency" was "the key to defeating Keyd Stars." The Brazilian is very proud of his team's performance, as they "showed the great mental strength the team has."
LOS has been drawn in Atlanta's Group B, where the Brazilians will play against CYCLOPS athlete gaming, Bleed Esports, and Talon Esports to qualify for the second phase of the tournament.
The Brazilians need a good performance in the United States next month to qualify for the Six Invitational 2024, as they currently only have 220 SI Points. To have a chance at qualifying for the competition held in Brazil, LOS needs to finish among the best eight teams in Atlanta and hope for other results to go in their favor.
"Our main objective is winning the Major, nothing else but the title. Regarding the Six Invitational qualification, we just see it as a consequence," Dash admitted.
Although the Brazilians can only think about the BLAST R6 Major Atlanta, Dash is well aware of what's at stake. "Playing a world championship in my country, next to my family, friends, and lover, has been my dream and the dream of the majority of players who have gone professional."
"On top of that, the fact that here, in Brazil, LOS has a big fanbase that supports us a lot, we really want to represent our country in front of them," Dash concluded.