Los Ratones grabbed their first win of the LEC split on Saturday by taking down Team Heretics in a best-of-one match. When the enemy Nexus exploded, team figurehead and leader Caedrel visibly broke down on camera in a raw display of emotion that caught viewers off guard.
The win officially ended their losing streak in the split that had put the high-profile roster under mounting pressure. Caedrel could be seen fighting back tears as the game closed out, his relief pouring through the screen after weeks of losses piled up in the standings.
LR came into the split with serious hype. The roster features former LEC mid laner Nemesis returning to top-level competition, legendary ADC Rekkles now playing support, and fan-favorite streamer Thebausffs in the top lane. Jungle rookie Velja and ADC Crownie round out the squad.
But the best-of-one format in LEC had been brutal. Every single loss stung harder because there’s no time to recover in a short split. One game can tank your entire season before you even realize what happened.
Some viewers tried to downplay the win by pointing out it came against Heretics, a team sitting toward the bottom of the table. Caedrel himself seemed to anticipate the criticism, immediately noting it was “only a BO1” and “only Heretics” as if to justify his emotional reaction.
But others pushed back hard on that framing. An LEC win is an LEC win, regardless of opponent. These are still the best teams in Europe. Getting that first mark in the win column matters when you’re staring down the barrel of an 0-11 split.
The moment revealed just how much weight the team had been carrying. Caedrel wasn’t playing up emotion for content or views. This was genuine relief after what must have been an intense few weeks of internal pressure and public scrutiny.
