Los Ratones have one last chance to qualify for EM playoffs

This Friday, Los Ratones conceded their first defeat in the Spring edition of the EMEA Masters. The reigning EM champion — and NLC First Seed — lost the Winner match in the Group F against the SuperLiga titleholder this split: Barça esports (0-2). The Rats will have one last chance to defend their Winter title in playoffs, with the Decider Match being against Hangry Knights once again, whom they defeated in the first round.

Los Ratones have already experienced this scenario. Placed in the difficult Group D this Winter, they were defeated in the Upper Bracket final against the LFL Champion at the time: Karmine Corp Blue. They even lost in a similar way to Barça, with a sweep (0-2) and a contested game 1, followed by a stomp in game 2. Maybe it is a good omen from the Rift? In any case, they will need to bounce back quickly if they are to progress to the second phase of the competition. Marc “Caedrel” Lamont’s team will be playing in the playoffs on Monday.

An opponent who cannot be looked down upon

Los Ratones will be going up against Prime League third seed, Hangry Knights. As in Winter, the Rats have landed in one of the most dangerous groups of the EM. First Axolotl dominated the playoffs in their region, taking down the 1st seed (Colossal Gaming) in the Upper Bracket semifinals 3-0, before reaching the final in the fastest way by defeating the third seed (GMBLERS Esports) 3-1. Colossal Gaming eventually took them down in a quick final where Axolotl looked unrecognisable (3-0).

Unlike LR, they also took one game to Barça in their opening match of these EMEA Masters, thanks to a great performance from the experienced jungler Mateusz “Kikis” Szkudlarek and his talented midlaner, as both carried AXL to the LIT Final.

Con la vittoria di ieri, gli @Axolotl_Esports volano agli EMEA Masters – Spring Split! 🔥🫡

L’Europa vi aspetta 😈🇮🇹#ThatsLIT #SpegnersiMai @league_italia pic.twitter.com/MGu5H2Ah5u

— LIT (@lit_official_it) April 19, 2025

On the other hand, Hangry Knights did not make such a big impression in the Prime League.  The split has been defined by the rivalry between BIG and CGN, fighting for first place. The third seed from Germany finished the regular season in fourth place, then fell to a much stronger CGN Esports in the semifinal (1-3), before qualifying for EMEA Masters thanks to a very tight third-place match against ROSSMANN Centaurs (3-2).

Los Ratones already convincingly defeated them this Wednesday, with two stomps (2-0). However, this is a team that can never be underestimated, especially given the names they have in their ranks. Jesper “Jeskla” Strömberg, for example, is a former LFL Champion with LDLC OL in 2023, Benjamin “Visdom” Larsen and Jochem “Rabble” van Graafeiland were EU Masters finalists together in 2020, with Gamers Legion.

More recently, the toplaner Iwan “Venour” Skorikov — who is probably the player Los Ratones must pay attention to. He was previously one game from winning EUM in Spring 2023 and might have his own saying against Bauffs.

While for most of them their prime is long gone, the team still packs enough experience and could make an upset if they face an overconfident opponent.

LR will be fighting for their qualification series next Monday, at 20:00 CET, deciding both teams’ fate at this EMEA Masters Spring.