The preseason predictions for the NLC, the Nordic
League of Legends league, have held so far. On Thursday, the leagueās two strongest teams on paperā
Los Ratones and NORD Esportsāsecured their spots in the Winter Split upper bracket final, defeating Bulldog Esports and Verdant, respectively. Marc āCaedrelā Lamontās squad made quick work of their opponents, closing out both games in under 25 minutes. The botlaneās KDAs perfectly illustrate LRās absolute dominance. JuÅ” āCrownieā MaruÅ”iÄ died just once across both games and racked up a KDA of 23 (13 kills, 10 assists).
Meanwhile, Martin āRekklesā Larsson went completely unscathed, maintaining a flawless KDA with one kill and an impressive 27 assists. On the other side, Lucas āSantorinā Larsen and his teammates faced a tougher challenge, dropping a game but ultimately securing a 2-1 victory. Los Ratones and NORD Esportsātwo teams featuring several former LEC players and reigniting excitement around the leagueāhad already clashed once before in this Winter Split during the group stage. That match opened the NLC season and marked LRās first-ever official win in the ERL network.
LR & NORD stats in the NLC Playoffs
Two rematches in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals
The upper bracket final will take place this Friday at 6 p.m. CET in a best-of-five series.
āI'm excited for us to level up and hopefully beat Los Ratones next time,ā Santorin
said in an interview with Sheep Esports ahead of this week's matches. Now, the jungler will get his shot at revenge. The winner of this match will advance directly to the grand final, needing just one more victory to qualify for the EMEA Masters. Meanwhile, the loser will drop into the lower bracket final and must secure a win there to reach the grand final.
NLC Winter Split Playoffs Bracket. Credit: Sheep Esports
Following their defeats on Thursday, Bulldog Esports and Verdant have dropped into the lower bracket, where each team will face the opponent it previously defeated in the first round of the upper bracket playoffs. Verdant will take on Rich Gang Esports, the winners of Group B, while Bulldog Esports will look to once again overcome The Ruddy Sackāa third team stacked with former LEC stars, including Luka āPerkzā PerkoviÄ and Marcin āJankosā Jankowskiāwho have struggled more than LR and NORD in the early season. The winners of these two matches will advance to the lower bracket semi-final, with the victor earning a shot at the loser of LR vs. NORD in the lower bracket final.
Header Photo Credit: Los Ratones/NORD