Team of Streamers Disrupts the Tier 2 League of Legends Scene
The Los Ratones project may have come to an end, but its legacy as a player-driven initiative has undeniably reshaped tier 2 esports for good.
Last year, Los Ratones skyrocketed the viewership of the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) to unprecedented levels.
In 2024, the EMEA Regional League (ERL) for the UK, Ireland, and Nordics struggled with viewership, peaking at just over 2,000 viewers during its Spring split, according to data.
Fast forward to Spring 2025, and peak viewership surged to over 223,000, a staggering increase.
Fans were eager to see how the all-star lineup curated by League of Legends streamer Caedrel would perform. The roster, featuring Rekkles, Crownie, Nemesis, Velja, and Thebausffs, also streamed their practice sessions, racking up millions of views throughout the year.
Other teams also attracted big-name players and creators, such as Noway4u and Santorin at Nord, and Perkz and Jankos at Ruddy. Coupled with the NLC’s impressive broadcast talent, including Archarom, Foxdrop, Troubleinc, Initialise, Hiprain, Jamada, Eragon, Middlecott, Duckling, and Solari, the ERL enjoyed a remarkable year.
The NLC transformed from one of the least-watched ERLs to the most-viewed in Europe, even surpassing the North American LTA in viewership.
The UK and Nordics hosted some of their best events in 2025, with thousands of esports fans gathering in Nottingham, Copenhagen, and Stockholm to watch Los Ratones face off against teams like Nord Esports, Bulldog Esports, Verdant, The Ruddy Sack, Rich Gang Esports, and more.
Los Ratones made history as the first NLC team to clinch an EMEA Masters title, defeating other organizations from across EMEA to establish themselves as the top tier 2 team below the LEC. They even secured a second EMEA Masters title shortly after.
Los Ratones became the darlings of NLC organizers, and League of Legends publisher Riot Games soon found a way to integrate Caedrel and his team into the higher-tier LEC.
The LEC Versus tournament was introduced, featuring the usual 10 LEC partner teams plus two additional teams: the EMEA Masters Summer winners (Karmine Corp Blue) and a team recognized for their standout performance throughout the 2025 EMEA Masters season (Los Ratones).
However, following these highs came significant lows.
Last month, after finishing ninth at LEC Versus, Caedrel announced the conclusion of the Los Ratones project.
This news hit hard for the NLC, which was already facing its own challenges.
Leagues Media had laid off some staff last year while centralizing operations in Copenhagen, and now NLC broadcast talent were voicing concerns about late payments and other issues.
The NLC broadcast was left without commentators, turning what was once a highly-watched tier 2 ERL into a series of random high-elo ranked matches in the game client, with only player cams to differentiate them.
On March 4, 2026, it was revealed that most of the Los Ratones roster had reunited under a new name: Witchcraft.
This new team saw Bwipo stepping in for Baus in the top lane, with YamatoCannon and Shaves, who had been part of Los Ratones recently, joining the coaching staff.
Witchcraft announced their participation in the Winter 2026 EMEA Masters, which will for the first time allow the top two teams to qualify for the new Esports World Cup Qualifier.
However, this development came at the expense of one of the four NLC teams, who believed they would still have four qualification slots for the EMEA Masters.
UK esports organizations Verdant and Bulldog Esports learned at the last minute that they would be competing against each other for the third spot, with Witchcraft claiming the fourth.
The sudden formation of Witchcraft and their acquisition of Los Ratones’ EMEA Masters spot understandably upset Bulldog, who were replaced as the fourth seed.
Bulldog co-owner Alex Jolly expressed his frustration on social media, stating, “Nice as an NLC owner to find out the day of the announcement, one of the four NLC EMEA slots will be going to 4 LR lads and a misogynist,” referring to Bwipo’s past comments about women in esports.
This situation highlights a disparity in treatment between traditional esports organizations and those with the viewership clout to secure special invitations and opportunities.
Witchcraft operates without a formal organization structure; as YamatoCannon mentioned in their announcement video, they are “CEO-less,” though mid-laner Nemesis is “technically the CEO.”
When asked about the duration of the Witchcraft project, he stated, “Until we’re out of the competition. So, it’s a very short-term thing with no promises of anything else. We’re just going to do the competition and then that’s it.”
As for funding, he added, “There’s no funding needed (laughs). We’re playing from home and everyone’s doing it for free.”
How can traditional organizations compete with that?
This situation underscores the rise of creator and player-led teams as the future of tier 2 esports, bypassing conventional management structures through sheer influence. Is it fair? Not necessarily. Is it thrilling? Absolutely – the viewers benefit. But given the current state of esports, nothing surprises me anymore, and it certainly complicates matters for traditional tier 2 organizations.
