In the wake of the success of content-focused team Los Ratones in 2025, the
Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) is once again betting heavily on streamers and personalities ahead of 2026. The Rats
may have moved on, but their impact is undeniable: the NLC saw an astronomical 12,067%
(from 1,949 to 235,224 average over the year) increase in average viewership from 2024 to 2025 after Los Ratones arrived. Now, the league is determined to keep that momentum alive, and teams like the Swines are stepping up to do just that, with Swedish streamer Sebastian "Forsen" Fors leading the charge as the squad’s jungler.
When asked about his
Platinum-peaking jungler, toplaner Maks "
Drututt" Przychodzień explained:
“He said that jungle is the easiest role to be carried in when competing, because all he needs to do is clear camps [...] Forsen is our captain. The NLC bent the rules so he could play.”
A potential dark horse?
A team focused on content creation, 4 SWINES & A BUM is nevertheless not one to be underestimated. While the jump from mid-tier solo queue to professional play may be daunting, Forsen has surrounded himself with some of the best talent available. With two former major league veterans and one of Europe’s top solo queue toplaners, the team certainly won’t lack firepower. “With our players, it shouldn’t be hard. All we have to do is win lanes. I don’t think the NLC will be that stacked with Challenger players. As long as we have prio, we should be winning,” commented Drututt.
One potential question mark is the team’s support, Marius "
Veigar v2" Aune. Despite coaching Cloud9 for over five years, the Norwegian has remained a high-ranked player on the European ladder,
currently sitting at 1001 LP in Grandmaster. He rarely plays support, though—true to his name, he has spent most of his career as a Veigar one-trick. He is also known for his proficiency on other control mages such as Anivia, Azir, Karthus, and more. However, Veigar v2 is a controversial figure, having
been fired from Fnatic in 2020 for extreme toxicity, a past that has led some fans to raise eyebrows and voice disapproval.
Another talent to watch is toplaner Drututt, who has had limited exposure to competitive play outside of fringe appearances in the
NNO Cup and other streamer-oriented tournaments. Having reached Challenger on all roles and currently holding nearly three Challenger accounts, Drututt first became known as a Camille one-trick before gaining recognition as one of the ladder’s top Akshan players. He now boasts a large—if unconventional—champion pool. Cocky, greedy, but undeniably talented, it will be interesting to see how he performs in a Fearless Draft format, which has challenged him in the past during unfavorable metas, such as during the NNO Cup Season 2.
Amid the chaos, former LCS midlaner Eugene "Pobelter" Park and LEC AD Carry Jakob "Jackspektra" Gullvag Kepple should provide stability. Once regarded as top prospects in their respective roles, both have transitioned into content creation but remain far ahead of other rookie players in the league. Their inclusion continues the trend of North American content creators joining the NLC, following Jackson "KatEvolved" Dohan, who played for Muhammed "Agurin" Kocak’s Dung Dynasty last year. Still, it is yet to be confirmed if Pobelter will be playing from Europe, If he were to be forced to compete on high ping, it could be severely detrimental to his performance and the team’s overall results.
