Witchcraft's path to the 2026 EMEA Masters Winter did not follow the traditional qualification route.
As Los Ratones was one of the two best-performing ERL teams of 2025 alongside KCB, they were invited to compete in LEC Versus rather than playing the Winter Split of their regional league. Because they skipped that split, they were not part of the standard EMEA Masters qualification pathway. In an exclusive statement, Riot Games explained that they granted both LR and KCB direct invitations to the EMEA Masters Group Stage, citing their 2025 performances and the updated competitive framework around the Esports World Cup Qualifiers.
Shortly after, "Los Ratones announced the end of their project, and Witchcraft was formed with four of the five former LR players. LR agreed to have their EMEA Masters invitation transferred to Witchcraft, whose roster represents the clear sporting successor to LR," Riot confirmed. "After review, Riot approved this request and transferred the invitation accordingly."
Co-streamer Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, who owns the Los Ratones brand, clarified on stream that Witchcraft is not his project and confirmed that his only involvement was approving the spot transfer when the players and Riot approached him about it.
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