Caedrel’s Los Ratones has won EMEA Masters in the team’s first-ever split. A 3-0 victory over the LFL’s Ici Japon secured the title for the NLC side. Only a few months after its creation, the brainchild of player-turned-caster-turned-streamer Marc “Caedrel” Lamont has won the ERL’s top competition, prompting questions as to whether the team has an avenue to enter the LEC.
Image credit: Riot Games
A flattering scoreline, the 3-0 win required grit from the Los Ratones members with every match going beyond 33 minutes. The 37-minute opener — the longest match in the series — saw only a 2k gold difference by the time LR destroyed IJC’s nexus, though the side gained momentum to claim a more decisive win in map two.
The third game was again closer as Ici Japon controlled much of the early game. However, Los Ratones held on, eventually turning things around in their favour to close out a historic victory.
Los Ratones’ historic title
Los Ratones’ EMEA Masters triumph is a historic victory on a number of counts. Top laner Baus has become one of a select few players to win the trophy in his first-ever competitive split and the same can also be said for the organisation itself.
Mid laner Nemesis and bot laner Crownie have won the title for the second time in their careers after having won together way back in 2018 on MAD Lions. Superstar support Rekkles has also won his second EMEA Masters after his 2022 win on Karmine Corp, though the Swede has made history as the first player to win the tournament playing two different roles having claimed his first title as a bot laner.
Finally, Los Ratones’ trophy means that the NLC, or any of its equivalent predecessors, has seen one of its representatives win EMEA Masters for the first time. The region came closest in 2021 when both Spring and Summer splits saw an NLC team reach — and lose — the final as BT Excel and Fnatic Rising earned respective second-place finishes.
EMEA Masters record viewership
As well as the records set on the Rift, the final between LR and IJC also became the most-watched EMEA Masters match in the tournament’s history. With more than 300k peak viewers on Caedrel’s stream alone, the match eventually had an overall peak of 471,691 spectators, according to initial data from Esports Charts.
Prior to Los Ratones’ contributions, the highest peak viewership reached at EMEA Masters was during Karmine Corp’s 2021 victory over BT Excel. This was the first title claimed by the French organisation and was the first step in their ascent to the LEC.
Los Ratones to the LEC?
Like KC, Los Ratones already seem destined for tier-one competition. Not only does the roster itself appear more than capable, but the viewership figures and general fanfare around the organisation means that — from Riot’s perspective — the appeal to get them into the LEC will be immense.
Caedrel expressed his wish to make it happen during a post-match interview on the main EMEA Masters broadcast, adding that he’d like to see the side reach Worlds, but admitted that he’s unsure right now how to make it happen.
LR’s biggest hurdle will be around the league’s franchise model. All current teams have either bought into the league via partnerships with Riot, each worth millions of Euros, or paid millions to buy out the spots of other teams. If Los Ratones are to solely take over a slot then it will require Caedrel to secure significant funding.
His best chance may instead be to partner with an existing organisation, taking his enormous brand to the league while utilising the infrastructure of another team, akin to KOI’s first foray into the LEC as partners of Rogue.
However, in KOI and owner Ibai’s case, the partnership did not last for long, ending after only one year following behind-the-scenes disagreements. For Caedrel to take Los Ratones to the LEC in the same manner, he’ll have to be cautious and ensure that he’s getting into bed with a trustworthy partner, so to speak.