How lux has emerged as one of Brazil's most promising IGLs

PGL Bucharest will be the 22-year-old's biggest test since he took charge of Legacy in January.

As the 2024 event season came to an end and the rumor mill went into overdrive, paiN were at the heart of one of the most surprising roster moves in the scene.

After a year of growth and maturity, with appearances at both Majors in addition to IEM Cologne, IEM Rio and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade Season 2, the Brazilian team opted to move on from Lucas "⁠lux⁠" Meneghini, their joint-highest-rated player of 2024.

The unexpected benching could have stalled lux's progression, a backward step for a player still adjusting to the demands of elite-level Counter-Strike. What happened in reality could only be thought of as a boon for the 22-year-old, who is starting to carve out a reputation as an in-game leader with Legacy.

If there was ever any bitterness in the aftermath of his benching, it has gone. lux doesn't want to go into detail about what led to his removal from the starting lineup, but he notes there is no bad blood with anyone on the team. "It was the best for both parties," he simply tells HLTV.

As surprising as the IGL transition was at the time, the move had been on the back of lux's mind for a while. It had even come close to happening before he signed with paiN in August 2023, when the Brazilian team underwent a roster overhaul with three changes.

"I had some offers to be an IGL, but I ended up going to paiN as a playmaker," he explains. "I think that was the best decision for me at the time because it allowed me to gain a lot of experience and a way to see the game that I didn't have at the time.

"I believe this was the right moment to make this transition."

lux inherited a talented young squad, headlined by Bruno "⁠latto⁠" Rebelatto and Eduardo "⁠dumau⁠" Wolkmer. A key part of his job will be extracting the most out of the duo, who are still being talked about as up-and-coming prospects even though they have been part of the Brazilian scene's upper echelon for four years now.

Vinicius "⁠n1ssim⁠" Pereira brings a sense of familiarity, having played alongside lux for six months, including at the Copenhagen Major, while on loan with paiN. He returned to action in January after several months withering away on Sharks' bench after talks between the Portuguese organization and paiN over a permanent transfer broke down.

Guilherme "⁠saadzin⁠" Pacheco presents the biggest question mark on the team. The former W7M AWPer, 20, has very little tier-one experience, with only two international LANs on record. But that's nothing new for lux, who watched Lucas "⁠nqz⁠" Soares develop into Brazil's best AWPer from up close during his paiN stint.

"They are very different players," lux says. "nqz is more of a passive guy by nature, while saadzin is the complete opposite. He is a very aggressive AWPer; in fact, he is one of the first aggressive AWPers I've played with.

"Sometimes, we have to ask him to take it down a notch, unlike most AWPers I've played with, whom you have to ask to take more chances. I'm really learning how to get the most out of him.

"I believe nqz is at a higher level at the moment, on account of his experience. He has already played in a lot of [big] tournaments, while saad has not.  But I think his potential is phenomenal; he has very good mechanics, he's very easy to deal with, very dedicated. I think he can achieve a lot."

It would have been hard to imagine a better start to lux's tenure as an IGL. Within three months, the team has qualified for two international LANs - PGL Bucharest and IEM Dallas -, while having to travel to and from Dallas, its home base in the United States, where it can practice and compete in ESL Challenger North America.

Surviving Brazil's cut-throat qualifiers is never easy, yet lux chuckles at the suggestion that his team is enjoying a honeymoon period. "We lost the first tournament we played," he points out with a laugh, referring to Frost and Fire Season 1, in which Legacy finished second to BESTIA. "Our honeymoon ended there.

"The scene was in a bit of turmoil at the time, with a lot of teams making changes. So it was a honeymoon for everyone, right? It was balanced in that sense."

Splitting their time between Brazil and the U.S. has given Legacy the chance to test themselves against different styles, but it has also prevented the team from bootcamping in Europe. "Our schedule has been a bit crazy," he admits. This will be the last Challenger season they will play in North America; afterward, the plan is to set up camp in Europe and bootcamp there between tournaments.

Legacy have a lot of ground to make up and no time to spare before PGL Bucharest kicks off. To make matters worse, they will go up against Liquid, who recently brought in Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek as IGL — a move that will certainly come with many positional adjustments, adding a layer of unpredictability to Sunday's match.

lux acknowledges that the IGL swap will make preparation for this match even more difficult. Still, he is keeping a positive mindset.

"It's his [siuhy's] debut, that means they don't have a lot of reps as a team," he explains. "Even though their players are very experienced, they probably will not have practiced much together. So there are two sides to that argument, right?

"Let's just hope it will not be their honeymoon."

lux still hasn't proven himself worthy of entering the conversation for one of the best captains in Brazil, but his promising start in the role is starting to turn heads.

A high-fragging IGL is a hot commodity in today's market, and there's a good chance one of Brazil's elite teams will eventually consider a leadership change: Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo's future beyond the Austin Major remains a mystery, and the role has changed hands on MIBR two times in the past 12 months.

Asked if the IGL transition could be his ticket back to the top, lux stressed he is fully focused on the task at hand. "I'm very happy at Legacy and believe we have tremendous potential."

After playing under Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt for nearly two years, lux admits his leadership style — "where the IGL uses the crosshair to take space" — was moulded by the 28-year-old's teachings. "But as time goes by, I will certainly bring a bit of my personality to it," he notes.

Date	Matches
PGL Bucharest 2025
06/04/2025	Liquid 14:05 Legacy	Match

lux is still very early in his development as an IGL, but he says he feels ready to test his skills against more experienced callers. "I have to use every match that I play to grow, evolve, and get to the level of those captains," he says. "I have to play games and make mistakes in order to learn."

After PGL Bucharest, a trip back home awaits Legacy, who will play the South American MRQ. Getting one of the three Major Stage 1 spots that the qualifier will offer would go a long way towards achieving lux's main goal for 2025: becoming regulars in international competitions.

"We want to get into the event [invite] bubble, so we don't have to go through these qualifiers and don't go months without playing in tournaments," he explains. "We want to play tournament after tournament until we get to a point where we can say, 'That's enough. Now we have to practice.'

"We really need that experience and those reps. I think that will be good for everyone's development, including my own as an IGL.

"In terms of results, well, let's see what's in store for us."