NAVI took down Los Ratones in their LEC 2026 Versus Stage Week 3 matchup after LR’s carefully planned early game strategy collapsed in the opening seconds.
The game fell apart for Los Ratones before minions even spawned. LR drafted Caitlyn and Karma bot lane with the intention of pushing hard and supporting an early jungle invade. But Crownie’s Caitlyn lost crucial trades against NAVI’s Jhin and Bard at level one. The health loss forced an immediate recall.
That single trade ruined everything. Without bot priority, LR’s Pantheon jungle couldn’t execute the planned invade safely. NAVI jungler Rhilech on Xin Zhao quickly detected missing camps and warned his team. NAVI’s bot lane backed off potential gank timings while Rhilech applied counter-pressure.
Velja’s Pantheon never recovered. His camp timers desynced. He lost a crucial smite contest. Most critically, he barely used his ultimate all game despite Pantheon’s entire value proposition being cross-map pressure. No gank attempts materialized even when enemy summoner spells were down.
Top lane became another disaster for Los Ratones. Baus on K’Sante attempted proxy farming behind enemy towers twice. He died both times, gifting 600 gold to NAVI. The repeated deaths created teleport disadvantages that cascaded into dragon fights.
NAVI converted their early lead into systematic objective control. They grouped faster for dragons while LR struggled to coordinate. When NAVI secured their third dragon and threatened soul, LR was forced into a desperate contest. Baus entered the dragon pit early, lost most of his health before his team arrived, and LR collapsed in the ensuing teamfight.
When your early game script gets deleted
The draft compounded LR’s problems. Nemesis played Aurelion Sol mid, a scaling champion that needed time and space. But with jungle tempo gone and top lane feeding, the game moved too fast. LR needed mid-game setup for their composition but never made it there.
NAVI’s execution was clean from start to finish. Poby’s Ryze capitalized on advantages. The bot lane of Jhin and Bard disrupted early timings while staying safe. Rhilech controlled neutral objectives and maintained vision pressure. NAVI closed out the game without giving Los Ratones any window to mount a comeback.
