"We didn’t expect this": Lagonis, and what the stats can’t tell

_{Banner image: Ubisoft / Kiril B.}

Lorenzo “Lagonis” Volpi was the very first piece of Team oNe’s eventual Mexico Major champion roster. He is also the only member that stayed in the team after the Six Invitational 2022, as Karl “Alem4o” Zarth signed with G2 Esports, while the rest of Team oNe’s squad signed with 00 Nation.

It was back to the starting line. Team oNe’s future was once again on the hands of Lagonis, who was given the difficult task to create a competitive roster for a second year in a row. 

Just a few days before the start of the Brasileirão, Team oNe’s brand-new roster was unveiled. The golden squad gave three Série B players the chance to debut in Brazil’s top-flight. The team was completed with the return of Renato “rhZ” Luiz, who was benched from the team in Feb. 2020.

Bringing so many new faces to a Major champion organization made some people wonder if that was the right move, especially those that don’t follow Brazil’s regional scene. Now, one month in the new professional season, there’s no space for doubts. Lagonis has done it again. Despite the roster shuffle and playing with three debutants, Team oNe are second in the standings and on the verge of qualifying for this stage’s Copa Elite Six.

“We didn’t expect this. We have been together for 42, 43 days. We are playing against teams that have been together for years,” admitted Lagonis in an interview with SiegeGG. 

Brazil’s main storyline this season is the strength of the region’s youth, which is completely taking over the scene. As of now, w7m esports and Team oNe lead the standings. In terms of ratings, three of the best five belong to debutants. 

Although Lagonis doesn’t belong to this youth revolution, oNe’s wunderkids are shining to a large extent due to his work as IGL. His impact in the rounds is one that a rating will never reflect. 

“My job starts before the matches or the scrims start. We have a lot of conversations, when you are an IGL you don’t only communicate inside the match, but also outside. You must talk a lot, understand what’s happening. My experience helps a lot because I have experienced many situations,” Lagonis mentioned.

According to Lagonis, oNe’s current roster is “more aggressive” and the members have “more attitude”, which gives Lagonis a better chance to develop himself and work on his individual performance. “[Last season] I had to talk sometimes more, sometimes less. I don’t have to speak for every single second of the round, they understand what we need to do and that’s great because I can focus on my individual style and skills.”

Lagonis also highlighted the team’s hunger and desire to communicate, think for themselves, and come up with new ideas and plays. Unlike in Team oNe’s 2021 roster where Alem4o also took some part in the IGL role, Lagonis reveals that this season “I am doing this more solo.”

“Everyone needs to communicate. Everyone needs to have ideas, talk. Obviously, they must know when to talk. But everyone communicates at the right time. Sometimes I am droning somewhere and another person on the team sees an opportunity to do another play and calls it out, then I go ‘oh, let’s do this!’. Because when I do this IGL role I don’t like to have only my mindset, I don’t want only my opinion, I don’t think that’s correct.”

Although Lagonis is possibly the most important part of the roster, many people don’t realize the importance of his job. Lorenzo is a very hard-working person, incredibly humble, who aims at becoming the best support in the world. He wakes up insanely early to stream, practice, scrimmage, and work on the future of the team. He usually starts his streams with an AimLab session – practicing and staying in touch with fans is killing two birds with the same stone. 

Lagonis is aware of his position in terms of mechanical skills, he puts in a huge effort, but he also knows what his role is. “My importance is to lead the team, bring the right mentality. People must understand that having a person in the team that communicates a lot, brings a good atmosphere to the ambience, push the others to work hard, it really makes a difference.”

His leadership, his knowledge, and his open-mindedness are skills that make Lagonis invaluable despite what his stats might show. Don’t be fooled: without Lagonis’s calls, mindset, and honesty, this roster wouldn’t be working out. Lagonis is oNe’s master pillar.