may be gone, but most of its roster is not done yet.
A majority of the former lineup will reunite under a new banner, named
Witchcraft. Following LEC Versus, streamer and team owner Marc “Caedrel” Lamont announced the end of Los Ratones. Toplaner
had also
repeatedly stated that full-time professional play no longer suited him.
Initially, the remaining players were expected to go their separate ways due to the lack of clear competitive opportunities. However,
Sheep Esports recently revealed changes to the EMEA Masters and Esports World Cup Qualifier formats, developments that reopened the door for the group to stay together.
NLC fourth seed
Jungler
,
,
, and support
are planning to compete together once again in EMEA Masters. Their main objective will be securing a top-two finish, which would grant access to the EWC Qualifier against LEC teams.
At the tournament,
the new roster will enter as the NLC’s fourth seed, the ERL where the core of the lineup competed last year. Because of that seeding, the team will begin its run directly in the EMEA Masters group stage, which will feature eight groups.
The EMEA Masters Winter format has been significantly expanded to 36 teams, bringing together squads from across the ERLs. Among the notable participants is Misa Esports, a team that reportedly held a positive scrim record against Los Ratones earlier this year. At the end of the tournament, the two best non-academy teams will qualify for the next stage, the EWC Qualifier.
A long road ahead
At the EWC Qualifier, 12 EMEA teams will compete: the 10 LEC organizations and the top two EMEA Masters teams. Two spots at the Esports World Cup will be on the line, alongside a share of the tournament’s $2 million prize pool. Together with the LEC Spring champion, three teams will represent EMEA against top squads from the LPL, LCK, and other major regions.
For this new project,
will take over the toplane, replacing TheBausffs. The Belgian player attended Worlds 2025 but has yet to secure a team for the 2026 season. The coaching staff from Los Ratones’ LEC Versus run is also set to return, with Jakob “
YamatoCannon” Mebdi and Kevin “
Shaves” Tolman joining the project.
Bwipo is expected to take over the toplane, replacing TheBausffs. Credit: Sheep Esports
After winning EMEA Masters twice last year, much of this roster now has another opportunity, not only to prove themselves again in Europe’s tier-two scene, but potentially to face LEC teams once more and even reach international competition. At LEC Versus, Los Ratones ultimately finished ninth after a tightly contested standings race in which a single additional win could have pushed them as high as third.
EDIT: Witchcraft has been officially announced and now has its own social media accounts. Nemesis also shared on stream that toplaner Karim “Sanchovies” Dodson will be the team’s substitute player.