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Los Ratones Included in LEC Winter 2026 Causing Community Uproar

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Devin Morris | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 11:51 AM ET

Los Ratones, headed by Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, has taken the ERL system by storm this year. With three former LEC pros, LR had high expectations going into 2025. They have been the most dominant team in the ERLs this year, winning every NLC split and EMEA Masters title. They have one more EMEA Masters championship to fight for in the Summer. Sheep Esports announced yesterday that the LEC Winter format is getting changed to include two ERL teams, LR and the winner of the EMEA Summer Split (If LR wins again, the spot goes to the runner-up).

Who are the Los Ratones?

The rumours surrounding the Los Ratones persisted throughout 2024, and in November of that year, Caedrel announced the formation of the team. At the time, Caedrel was the owner and the only coach of the roster. They have since added former LEC top laner,

Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and former GAM Esports analyst, Molecule, as assistant coach and analyst, respectively. The vast majority of LR’s scrims and matches take place on the individual players’ and on Caedrel’s streams. The Los Ratones roster is:

Simon “Thebaussffs” Hofverberg – Swedish Top Laner
Veljko “Velja” Čamdžić – Serbian Jungler
Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek – Slovenian Mid Laner
Juš “Crownie” Marušič – Slovenian Bot Laner
Carl Martin Erik “Rekkles” Larsson – Swedish Support

Sheep Esports Announcement

Image of LTA North League of Legends gameplay, courtesy of Riot Games.

According to Sheep Esports, the LEC has made plans to change the formats for next year. One of those changes affects the Winter Split. The split is being expanded to twelve teams. It includes the ten current LEC teams and the two ERL teams. Due to Los Ratones’ dominance this year, they have been invited and will be joined by the winner of the EMEA Summer Split. If LR wins the split, the spot goes to the runner-up.

In theory, LR or the other ERL team can qualify for the First Stand event in Brazil if they win the Winter Cup. However, the Spring and Summer Splits will only involve the ten LEC teams. Reports suggest that teams denied the ERL inclusion in Spring and Summer due to their participation devaluing their MSI and World Championship spots.

The Community Reaction

The community has had split reactions about the announcement. Some are excited to see ERL teams, especially LR, face off against the LEC teams. Questions have been asked all year if Los Ratones has what it takes to beat an LEC team. The increase in viewership is another factor that the community has noted in favor of LR participating in the LEC. On the other hand, fans of Karmine Corp have reacted well to the announcement. Their team had a similar ERL dominance in 2021, but they had to wait until 2023 for their LEC debut. They also had to buy a spot. LR, on the other hand, can participate in the LEC without payment.

Kamel “Kameto” Kebir added more fuel to the fire after he mentioned that the LEC teams did not agree to allowing LR or any other ERL team to participate in the LEC. Riot when over their heads with the decision. Regardless of which side you find yourself on, for or against ERL teams participating in the LEC, Riot should never go over their team’s heads in this way. While it is only for the Winter Split, what is stopping Riot from making a similar decision without the consent of their teams in the future?

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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