Witchcraft announced their arrival at EMEA Masters Winter 2026 with a convincing victory over BAAM Esports. Nemesis was the standout performer, putting on a masterclass display in the mid lane and earning MVP of the series.
Nemesis Is on a Different Level
The moment Witchcraft stepped onto the EMEA Masters stage, one thing became immediately clear — Nemesis is simply too good for this competition. The Slovenian mid laner dismantled his opponents with ease, at one point nearly hitting a pentakill on AP Volibear before settling for a quadra kill. The Reddit community summed it up best: “Nemesis in EU Masters is not fair.”
The team itself seems to agree. The name Witchcraft is reportedly a nod to a famous Nemesis quote, and moments like these are exactly why. When Nemesis steps into EMEA Masters, the gap between him and his opponents is difficult to ignore.
Bwipo Had a Rough Series — And Was Honest About It
Not everything was perfect. Bwipo struggled in the top lane, getting solo killed twice including once at level three in the opening game. He was open about his performance after the series, acknowledging he played poorly and reviewing his own mistakes on stream shortly after. Despite the rough outing, Witchcraft still won comfortably, which speaks to how much firepower this roster carries.
The community reaction to Bwipo was largely positive off the back of his attitude. He kept morale high throughout the series and has already been putting in extra work — including one-on-one coaching sessions with Velja to help him develop as a player.
The Draft is Already Cleaner
One theme that came up repeatedly in community discussions was how much smoother the drafting looks without the constraints of Los Ratones. With Baus in the roster last year, drafts were heavily warped around his champion pool. Now YamatoCannon has full flexibility — Bwipo can play both carries and tanks, Nemesis covers a wide range of mid lane picks, and the bot lane of Crownie and Rekkles brings consistency.
The main draft concern flagged by the community is Rekkles’ support champion pool. His enchanters and ranged supports are exceptional, but melee engage supports remain a weakness — something that could matter if the meta shifts later in the tournament.
Caedrel and Baus Were Watching
The debut had a special audience. Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, the creator and former coach of Los Ratones, and Thebausffs, the former top laner who turned down his spot on Witchcraft to retire from pro play, both co-streamed the games. Baus even took the opportunity to do a live VOD review of Velja’s performance, joking that it was “a 2 hour VOD review for you Velja.” Despite stepping away from the project, both clearly remain invested in seeing their former teammates succeed.
What’s Next
Witchcraft’s goal is clear — finish top two at EMEA Masters Winter 2026 and qualify for the Esports World Cup. Their next challenge inside the group is expected to be G2 Nord, widely considered the only serious competition in their group.
If this team performs at their ceiling, a deep run looks very realistic. Today was just the beginning.
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