Witchcraft’s run at EMEA Masters Winter 2026 has come to an end. A 1-2 defeat to G2 Nord in the Playoffs qualifying match ends the team’s campaign and with it, any hope of reaching the Esports World Cup 2026. The project that began with so much excitement lasted just one week of competitive play.
Nemesis Couldn’t Do It Alone
For the third time in as many series, Nemesis was the best player on the Witchcraft roster by a significant margin — and it still wasn’t enough. The community reaction was immediate and unanimous: “Free Nemesis.”
Throughout the series Nemesis called for his team to protect him, warned of incoming engages, and tried to create plays on his own. It rarely worked. In one particularly painful moment he called that the enemy was about to engage on him — three seconds later they did, and nobody on his team responded. The Reddit community summed it up perfectly: “Nobody is covering for Nemesis for three whole games.”
The Bwipo Question
The most discussed topic following the elimination is Bwipo’s impact on the team — and the conversation is not flattering. His aggressive playstyle, constant self-criticism in comms, and tendency to overcommit to fights created friction that appeared to affect the entire roster’s decision-making.
Community members who listened to the team’s live comms noted that Bwipo dominated communication throughout every game — repeating “my bad” and “sorry” so frequently that it became a distraction rather than accountability. One observer put it bluntly: he came, said “my b” a thousand times, and left.
Perhaps the most damaging criticism is tactical. Multiple fans noted that Bwipo’s aggressive presence appeared to shift the team’s entire approach — where previously Velja would peel for Nemesis, the team instead followed Bwipo into fights, leaving their primary carry exposed repeatedly. Crownie and Nemesis, the two players most in need of protection, were consistently left to fend for themselves in key team fights.
Baus Was the Glue
The elimination has sparked a genuine reassessment of Thebausffs’ role in the original Los Ratones roster. At the time of his departure, the narrative was that removing Baus would free up the draft and give the team more flexibility. One week of Witchcraft has complicated that narrative significantly.
Baus absorbed pressure, warped opposing drafts, and was a team fight demon when it mattered. Bwipo, despite his superior individual pedigree and international experience, hasn’t delivered the same impact. As one community member noted: “Baus is useful when he ints. Bwipo just ints and says sorry.”
Caedrel and Baus both co-streamed the elimination match. By all accounts, watching from the sidelines was the more comfortable position.
A Short-Term Project Reaches Its Natural End
It is worth remembering that Witchcraft was always a short-term project. The goal was EMEA Masters, an EWC qualification spot, and one final competitive run for a group of players who clearly still have the desire to compete at a high level. That goal was not achieved.
Nemesis, Crownie, Rekkles, Velja, and Bwipo now go their separate ways. What comes next for each of them remains unknown. For Nemesis especially, the community sentiment is clear — he deserves better than what this team gave him.
The Witchcraft story is over. It just didn’t have the ending anyone hoped for.
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