LoL: Los Ratones are back-to-back-to-back NLC champions

This weekend, Los Ratones reached their third NLC final of the year and lifted the trophy for the third time. On Saturday, Aug 30, Marc "Caedrel" Lamont’s team secured the Summer Split title with a clean sweep against Verdant in Stockholm's Hovet Arena after already taking down NORD Esports by the same scoreline in both Winter and Spring. Until now, no team had ever won three splits in a row in the NLC. All year, the team also reigned supreme on the regional stage, winning both EMEA Masters splits, putting them just one trophy away from completing the ERL golden road.

Ten years after winning the EU LCS with Fnatic, Martin "Rekkles" Larsson returned home to the same stage, this time with Los Ratones, to lift the team’s third consecutive NLC trophy. The numbers speak for themselves: Since their creation, the Rats have won every competition they entered. In this Summer Split, they didn’t drop a single series — and winning the finals looked easy.

Veljko "Velja" Čamdžić and Tim "Nemesis" Lipovšek formed a jungle-mid duo defined by seamless cohesion, dictating the pace throughout the series. Verdant had a strong start in Game 2, but Los Ratones steadily clawed their way back, with Juš "Crownie" Marušič coming close to a Jinx pentakill that Nemesis ultimately denied. Game 3 was a flawless snowball, wrapped up in just 28 minutes, securing a back-to-back-to-back NLC title and the first seed for the Summer EMEA Masters.

After winning all three NLC splits and both 2025 EMEA Masters titles in Winter and Spring, Los Ratones qualified as the NLC’s first seed for the Summer edition. Yet doubts remain over whether the double champions will defend their crown, as the tournament runs from Sep 23 to Nov 2 — overlapping with Worlds 2025 in China, held from Oct 14 to Nov 9. During a stream, Caedrel and Rekkles discussed the possibility of skipping the EMEA Masters altogether to head straight to China for scrims against top-tier teams and Solo Queue practice alongside players like Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin, and Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu.

The scheduling has been poorly received by fans, players, and teams alike, who see little sense in ending the summer competition in November. In an interview with Sheep Esports, Karmine Corp Blue AD carry Thomas "3XA" Foucou argued that “The [EMEA Masters] competition would completely lose its appeal,” further pointing out that the offseason begins just a few weeks later.