TheBausFFS is dead, long live LR Baus

Simon “Baus” Hofverberg is the unofficial mascot of Los Ratones, and he’s doing it while defying narratives about him and his play, here’s how.

Los Ratones are fighting for their EMEA Masters lives, after a short and not-so-sweet loss to KCB, Karmine Corps’ Tier 2 team. However, whether or not they make it out of their brush with Tier 2, there’s one story from the ascendancy of Los Ratones that I’d like to focus in on – the Sion-esque revival of TheBausFFS into what I see as the heart and soul of what makes Los Ratones so special. He’s dispelling narratives long-held about him, and doing it all while being the unofficial mascot.

Big Baus on campus

Baus truly rose to the wider attention of the League of Legends player base during the hay day of “inting Sion”, the strategy that involved repeatedly throwing Sion, and his post-death passive, down lanes in a mono-purpose task to deflate his own gold value while still stripping turrets off the map with frightening speed. It eventually caught a fat nerf for pushing the boundaries of sideline pressure and League of Legends’ gameplay a bit too far. But, unlike many a tactic-du-jour enjoyer, as the true golden days of inting Sion passed, Baus’ proclivity for this type of gameplay maintained. As the years have borne out, pushing the limits of what seems like “reasonable” strategy is just what Baus does. Baus pushes the envelope of League of Legends gameplay, for better or worth, and that’s a natural fit, and a fantastic combination, with Los Ratones’ paradigm shift of content-backed teams.

His inclusion in Los Ratones tells a lot about his part in the team, and why he’s been such a success in my eyes. Next to Crownshot/Crownie, Rekkles, and Nemesis, this team is already stacked to the gills with talent. Caedrel could, surely, secure another LEC talent of elder days to be the team’s top laner – with Velja’s inclusion being Caedrel’s commitment to fostering talent, and content, at the same time. Three LEC competitors, even winners, and one superstar rookie jungler isn’t a combination that most would round out with a streamer, but Baus is the perfect selection. Baus’ presence, in-game and out, makes exceptional content for LR.

Good deaths and bad vibes

To address the elephant in the room, it has to be acknowledged that Baus’ tendency for, shall we say, “good death”-heavy gameplay frequently toes, and has crossed (per Riot’s measures), the line between good-natured limit-testing and kind of just inting. But, like it or not, the fact that Baus’ normal playstyle and most disruptive moments are so close together is part of his appeal.

Sometimes, when the Baus is popping off, the vaunted “eye test” will tell you he’s running it down.

And, at the same time, if it looks like he’s running it down, sometimes he’s just running it down. When Baus was invited onto the European LoL esports broadcast for the first time, his inclusion was met with derision from EU pros, notable Promisq, somebody with plenty of toxicity allegations of his own, and Upset, in a now-deleted tweet. Baus pretty clearly had some detractors in the competitive scene, collateral damage of these good deaths aplenty. And yet, having watched that broadcast then, and again now, Baus is the highlight of the broadcast.

He’s informative, funny, and a little unhinged – but that’s just good TV. People might have complaints about Baus on the rift, but on a stream, he’s fantastic.

I’m not endorsing whatever games led Baus to be hit with an official LoL Esports warning to LR for his behavior in solo queue, but I am saying that the playstyle that led to it is, frankly, really entertaining. I’m far from the only one who finds Baus’ style this engrossing, but why is that? To be clear, I don’t think Baus’ behavior crosses the line into anything that requires more mediation that Riot’s supposed warning. He’s known to run up impressive death scores and suspended accounts, but that’s not a fatal flaw.

What makes Baus special?

So, why is Baus so interesting to the community? Sure he’s entertaining, but I think there’s something beyond that that interests LoL players. I think it comes down, in part, to the fact that, to one extent or another, most people who play video games know a Baus.

There are countless, genuinely countless, memes about Battle Royale games, the subject of which is “that one buddy who pushes a team alone”. It’s a universal, and hilarious aspect of many team games, and as odd as it may seem, I think this highly-memed moment helps explain part of why Baus’ playstyle is so fascinating. One team member who feels like a rapid dog whose leash has snapped, a loveable liability who seems to be able get themselves into a comically perilous scenario the second the rest of their team has their back turned. Odds are, you know that person in your gaming group. If you don’t, you’re probably that person.

Baus is a loose cannon, and for all its potential downsides, watching a team play around somebody like Baus is hilarious, and endearingly relatable to a lot of fans and gamers. At the same time, there’s been a long-standing narrative around Baus and his playstyle that it’s perfect for the chaos of solo queue, but couldn’t translate to the much more organized and well-oiled macro play, particularly in regards to his regular focus on proxying, and more eccentric sidelane play, of the competitive scene.

LR dominate, Baus shines

There is, of course, the obvious caveat that this is Tier 3 play, Los Ratones have just started their EMEA Masters journey. Baus isn’t dominating a Tier 1 region, far from it, but that’s not what I’m trying to celebrate here. Baus is continuing to carve his niche, and watching him play scratches the same itch as his streams. There’s a moment, in LR’s NLC finals against Nord, when a desperate Nord stacks on Baus and tries to dive him. At the last moment, Velja’s Ivern roots the lead Nord member and Baus, who has been running for his life, turns around.

Watching it live, you’ve got the same: “There’s no way he takes that Ivern Q, right? Right?

And, in perfect Baus-ian fashion, he takes the Ivern dash, dashes directly into melee range of Nord’s entire lineup, and wreaks havoc as LR collapse in onto Nord and the game is sealed. It’s a quintessential Baus moment, and it’s on a finals stage. If it doesn’t work in competitive, somebody should let Nord know.

Baus’ playstyle remains uncompromised, and it’s working. Baus is up just under 2 waves at 15 minutes, he’s racked up an impressive inaugural split going 16-2 and winning NLC, all while still packing in some pretty characteristic plays, clutches, and deaths. Sure, Baus has 5 games on Sion, but he’s still pushing the envelope with Quinn, Vi, and more picks that show that there’s a lot more here than just an inting Sion player returned from the grave. Baus is at the forefront of one of the most refreshing projects in LoL Esports in years, and in many ways, is the mascot of that effort. Any illusion that we knew the limits of Baus, his playstyle, and his ceiling, is gone, and instead get to see just how far he can go with what got him to the dance, so to speak.

TheBausFFS is dead, long live LR Baus.