Los Ratones secure emotional first victory in LEC versus

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 26/01/2026

Los Ratones defeated Team Heretics to secure an emotional first victory in LEC Versus on Sunday evening behind an extraordinary performance from Tim ‘Nemesis’ Lipovšek on Ryze.

The rats had started with a 0-4 record in the LEC, piling on pressure from critics of the LEC for including LR and Karmine Corp Blue in the Winter split.

How Los Ratones got their first win in the LEC

After a strugglesome Week 1 in the LEC, Los Ratones were sitting 0-3 following losses to Karmine Corp Blue, Karmine Corp, and Fnatic.

Week 2 started with an equally ominous loss to GiantX, further sparking speculation that LR would finish the split 0-11.

The early signs against Team Heretics were, in truth, no better. Simon ‘Baus’ Hofverberg’s Kled was caught early by Sebastian ‘Tracyn’ Wojtoń’s K’Sante to give up a solo kill.

Shortly after, Juš ‘Crownie’ Marušič completely misjudged an ult on bottom, later admitting that he did not know Théo ‘Sheo’ Borile’s Jayce was there to catch him out.

The team fell to an early 2k gold deficit, both trailing in Top Lane and Jungle, but the signs were not so grim elsewhere.

Nemesis, Crownie, and Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson began roaming the map as a group, catching Team Heretics repeatedly off guard and equalising the kill count.

Additionally, LR were getting all the dragons despite the difficult game state.

A pivotal moment came when Sheo and Tolga ‘Serin’ Ölmez attempted to gank Nemesis in Top Lane. Nemesis displayed virtuosic movement to delay his death and greatly wound the TH pair.

The TH pair managed to get the kill, but at a huge cost to their health, resulting in their deaths upon the arrival of the LR reinforcements.

Veljko ‘Velja’ Čamdžić, amongst the most criticised of the Los Ratones players in their first four games, stole the following Baron, giving LR a strong footing in the contest.

LR would go on to secure Chemtech soul immediately after, leading to a Nemesis triple kill and an ace.

Picks onto Sheo’s Jayce and Paul ‘Stend’ Lardin opened up the runway for the rats to capture Baron and Elder Dragon, creating a clear path to victory.

LR looked for the end, with a measured approach to Team Heretics’ Nexus. When the engagement eventually came, Nemesis’s Ryze damage melted through Heretics as LR secured the first win of their LEC Versus campaign.

Victory sparks emotional reaction from Caedrel

The win began an outpouring of emotion from Los Ratones owner and LEC co-streamer, Marc ‘Caedrel’ Lamont.

Following the loss, the British streamer shared through tears, “Thank God, man. I’m sorry for getting emotional. It’s only one LEC Bo1 win, but the last few weeks have been so f**king hard.”

The team has been under fire from a portion of fans and from some organisational owners following LEC’s decision to add LR and KCB from Tier 2 to the LEC Winter split.

The decision was contrary to Riot’s model, which usually requires orgs to spend an eight-figure sum on a partnership deal to appear in the LEC.

Following the roster’s opening losses, some expressed discontent with the Bo1 format brought about by LR’s inclusion and questioned their place in the league.

While the victory may not quell all that criticism, it is at least a release of pressure for the team after four tough losses in a row.

Despite the criticism, Los Ratones’ matches have garnered strong viewership, despite an overall league regression, with LR’s victory attracting 457,283 viewers according to Esports Charts.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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