The NLC Summer 2025 Grand Final was eventful. We had Leagues Disrupt, Rekkles’ return to Sweden after a decade, and Baus on K’Sante.
Los Ratones may be the most successful "stream team" there is, as they add one more trophy to their cabinet. They dominated the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) 2025 Summer season and lifted the trophy after a clean sweep in the grand final.
Los Ratones in the NLC 2025 Summer
This team needs no introduction at this point. If you have been active in the LoL Esports community, or even just League of Legends, there's a chance you've heard of them. You may even be a fan, or a "rat," yourself!
In the group stage of NLC 2025 Summer, LR dominated the round robin. They were in a group with Verdant, who they would eventually face in the grand final. LR finished first in the group at 4-0, while Verdant was second with a 3-1 record. Their only loss was against LR.
LR would drop only one game in the playoffs. This was against NORD Esports, who notably had Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski as their jungler. Nonetheless, the Rats would still take that series against them and advance to the upper bracket final. Here, they met Rich Gang Esports, who also finished their group stage run undefeated. LR would give them their first series loss, and Verdant would follow up soon after.
Thus, Verdant remained the only team standing in Los Ratones' way of another trophy.
Leagues Disrupt, Rekkles' return to Sweden
With the added attention to the league in recent seasons, the NLC grand finals have become more of a spectacle. It was held in the Hovet Arena in Sweden, which is significant to LR support, Carl Martin Erik "Rekkles" Larsson.
Ten years ago, almost to the day, the 2015 EULCS Summer Finals happened in the same arena. In game 3 of the best-of-five grand final against Origen, then-Fnatic AD Carry Rekkles earned a pentakill that turned the game around.
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This grand final also launched Leagues Disrupt, described as an "ambitious live event showcasing the NLC Summer Split Final, combining elite gameplay with entertainment, creators, and fan engagement at a scale never seen before."
“The Leagues Disrupt will bring a groundbreaking esports celebration to the Nordics, giving fans the chance to gather, support their favourite teams and experience the NLC finals as a community.”
Leagues Disrupt featured a special half-time performance from K-pop girl group PRIMROSE, who have a dedicated fanbase in Sweden.
LR's golden road, Baus on K'Sante
Rekkles, with fellow Swedish top-laner Simon "Baus" Hofverberg and the rest of Los Ratones, walked out to thousands of fans. Despite their strong performances in official matches, the team had weeks of discordant scrims prior.
It seems that the team figured out their kinks, though. To the relief of coach Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, LR looked strong on stage.
The first two games were classic Los Ratones. By the third game, as LR were up 2-0, they locked in K'Sante for Baus. This came as a surprise for many, and Caedrel revealed that, in an attempt to widen the top-laner's champion pool, he made him practice K'Sante. Meanwhile, streamer NoArmWhatley was unfazed, relieved even. According to him, he had to keep Baus' K'Sante practice a secret for a while, and that Baus had been picking K'Sante non-stop... in Arena.
Questionable as the practice may have been, Baus and the rest of Los Ratones continued dominating Verdant. After no time at all, they lifted the trophy and were officially back-to-back-to-back NLC champions. Their next stop is EMEA Masters Summer 2025, where they will look to finish their "golden road."
LR AD Carry Juš "Crownie" Marušič was awarded the NLC Summer 2025 Finals MVP award.
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