Los Ratones will defend their EM title against Barça

This Saturday, Los Ratones will take on the Spanish champions – Barça eSports – to defend their ERLs throne. The winners of the EMEA Masters Winter have just defeated LFL champions BK ROG 3-0 in the semi-finals. The following day, the Blaugranas also eliminated one of the big favourites, Karmine Corp Blue, with disconcerting ease (3-1).

A clash of titans between the two teams, who made short work of their respective semi-finals. And while Los Ratones may look like favourites on paper, they will have to take revenge on the only team to have beaten them in this edition. Indeed, during the group stage, LR came close to elimination after being relegated to the lower bracket by Barça (0-2) in Group F. It was a match not unlike the Rats’ situation in Winter, when Karmine Corp also relegated them to the lower bracket in Group D.

Two Sinews of War

For the moment, Los Ratones’ run looks very similar to that of the previous edition, with a 3-2 win over the TCL champions in the quarterfinals (SUP and BGT) followed by a clean 3-0 in the semifinals (TP and BKR). If the script follows its course, Barça could be in for a 3-0 defeat in the final… Since the start of the play-offs, the outcome of each of the EM Spring matches seems to have been dictated by two invariable factors, starting with the drafts. The Rats have said it over and over again: they were caught off guard in this area in their first match against the Spanish champions, and they have aligned themselves much better since then, with more early oriented picks.

VELJA THE MENACE pic.twitter.com/jRhgLiiwHO

— LosRatones (@LosRatoneslol) June 18, 2025

The mid-jungle synergy also makes all the difference in this edition. It’s undoubtedly ERL’s finest who will be meeting, with Velja and Nemesis on one side and Thayger and Czekolad on the other. The relationship between the two Rats is well known, with both playing off each other tremendously, but Thayger and Czekolad are not to be outdone.

They far surpassed SlowQ and Yukino, who looked invincible since the start of the tournament. In fact, the two duos have a very similar style of play, with prio-picks to dominate the early game and be able to battle it out in any objective contests. The two veterans of the European midlane have a particular appetite for control mages, particularly Hwei, Ahri, and Syndra, who will no doubt be hotly contested picks in this BO. The same goes for the jungle, with aggressive fighters who won’t hesitate to provoke skirmishes and want to challenge all the objectives from level 6 (Wukong, Xin Zhao, Lee Sin, Trundle, Pantheon).

CZEKOCHAD

Jugada clau per assegurar tres kills més! pic.twitter.com/oaGkVNii01

— Barça eSports 🎮 (@FCBeSports) June 19, 2025

My prediction

The toplane will probably be left weakside in the series, Baus and Whiteknight being two players who manage well without resources and who often put themselves at their team’s service. However, in botlane, I see an advantage for Crownie and Rekkles, who have been the most convincing duo so far, in my opinion. In particular, Rekkles has that clutch factor in the mid/late game that whiteinn lacks. That’s one of the reasons why I see the Rats coming out on top, as I think that, generally speaking, they’re a team with the most individuality capable of clutching the high-tension situations they’ll no doubt face in a BO5 final.

That said, I think the two teams are very similar, and a Czekolad as sharp as the one against KCB could well be the only one from ERL capable of causing Nemesis problems. So keep an eye on the midlane, as that’s probably where the series will be decided. I’m expecting a 3-1 win for Los Ratones, because of their experience playing on such a high stage.