[EMEA] Rama, MeOw, Biso, Filip47, xCasta Retire
- BSEN
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
The 2026 season has kicked off with the first Monthly Final just around the corner, but we’re starting the year on a somber note with a slew of retirements. Polish legends Rama and MeOw, Italian newcomer Biso, and decorated coach Filip47 have all retired in the aftermath of the first Monthly Qualifier. Additionally, Ukrainian organization Inner Circle has departed the scene, citing concerns with the ecosystem as a reason for their departure.
A Quals Disaster for MMR
Late into the offseason, Polish players Ramazan “Rama” Kairbekov and Piotr “MeOw” Urzedowski, the latter of which a World Champion, made the decision to drop fellow Polish player Kapi, who coached Team Elektros at LCQ, in favor of Rama’s long time teammate Mebius. Since debuting in 2023 with Rama on VN Esporting, Mebius has been a staple in the competitive scene and recently ran it back with his 2023 roster, competing under Inner Circle with Rama and Nob? in 2025 where they fell in the group stage at LCQ.
On paper this seemed like an upgrade to many, but rumors circulating in the off-season about Mebius’ reputation planted seeds of doubts ahead of qualifiers in a fiercely competitive EMEA region. MMR barely staved off defeat in their first match, preventing a reverse sweep against Valued Guys in the first round of qualifiers. They fell 1-3 to Serbia trio CMM in the second round of the upper bracket and looked like a shell of the trio’s former glory. In a five-set back and forth affair, MMR were eliminated from the February Monthly Qualifiers in the second round of the lower bracket at the hands of Zenith Esports with what many are calling a “generational throw” from Mebius on double match point, who made a questionable decision on Mortis in the final seconds of the series.
After this unfortunate result, Rama took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce his retirement from competitive play.
“Happy to announce that I retire. Thank you and Farewell 💯 My goats @BS_MeOw @LeightoxBS”
Leightox later took to making a post himself, crediting Rama as one of the pioneers of Polish Brawl Stars, influencing the local competitive scene and starting the careers of the Polish trio that would go on to become the 2023 World Champions. BSEN has also confirmed through internal sources that one of those 2023 World Champions, MeOw, has retired as well, a decision that has been rumored for months now. He is highly unlikely to compete in the future.
Lost Talent
In the aftermath of a breakout season on NOVO Esports, Italian player “Biso” was left behind as the off-season approached. His former teammates Marco and Subeme were called up to join iKaoss on Team Heretics, and Biso was left searching for a team. Eventually, he settled on former NXT player Rup and French talent Yoko as his teammates for the 2026 season. Their results in scrims proved mixed but promising with wins over big teams like HMBLE in the off-season. However, when qualifiers arrived, the F/A roster “Real Madrid” fell apart on gameday. They were swiftly dismantled by the new NOVO Esports roster consisting of the core of 2025’s Papara Supermassive team, winning just one game. The roster lost all confidence ahead of their run in the lower bracket, suffering an embarrassing loss to “WW,” a roster of long retired players returning to play quals for fun, consisting of Cube, Mr_ArthuR, and alekzz. Real Madrid won a single game against WW and crumbled before their season could properly begin.
Yesterday, February 10th, Spanish player Rup announced his free agency for the rest of the 2026 season citing Biso’s retirement. This marks a huge loss for the EMEA scene as one of the region’s newest stars hangs up the mantle a year from his first appearance at the World Finals. Left behind from his trio in 2025, Biso will remain immortalized as one of Italy’s biggest what ifs, a country that has always produced strong talent for the scene.
It’s Not Just Players
In addition to the players above, two legendary staff members have also confirmed their retirement in the off-season: Filip47 and xCasta.
Filip "Filip" Simev announced his departure yesterday, February 10th, saying he would be “stepping away from coaching for some time.” Best known for his “Brawl Stars Bible” of coaching notes during his time with BC* Gaming’s 2023 Chinese roster at that year’s World Finals, Filip has established himself as one of the best coaches in both EMEA and the world. Filip spent much of his career alongside Rama, first competing with Craze Clan/Chasmac Gaming EU in the 2022 World Finals. After falling just short of the 2023 World Finals alongside Rama again on VN Esporting, he helped BC* Gaming draft and almost carried China to their first international wins. 2024 was a great year for Filip on Pioneers, qualifying to the World Finals and placing 5th-8th place despite a questionable yet iconic Kit pick on Bridge Too Far. 2025 reunited him with Rama and the VN Esporting squad on Inner Circle, which would prove to be his last dance in coaching for now. The jacked legend of North Macedonia has departed from active competition with grace alongside his long-time teammate.
Héctor "xCasta" Castaño announced his retirement on January 23rd ahead of the beginning of the 2026 season, deciding to pursue other commitments and focus on other aspects of his life. Like Filip, xCasta competed alongside the now Toxic Lotus core on BC* Gaming for the 2023 World Finals, the start of his rich career as an analyst. He joined legendary Italian organization Reply Totem for the 2024 season following OscarDC’s transfer to SK Gaming alongside Joker. TTM were a fierce contender throughout the year and breezed through LCQ, placing the highest at Worlds in the organization's history during 2024 with a semifinals exit to Crazy Raccoon. xCasta continued with TTM in 2025 and despite more regular season challenges, they made the run through LCQ to the 2025 World Finals, falling against SK in the quarterfinals. Coming to the end of his term with Reply Totem, xCasta announced at the end of 2025 that he was a free agent and allowed to listen to offers, intending to move from an analyst role to a head coach position. Most of his offers fell apart, and he returned to free agency as an analyst. Ultimately, he did not find a team for the 2026 season in either staffing role, resulting in his departure from active competition.
We at BSEN wish Rama, MeOw, Biso, xCasta, and Filip all the best in their future endeavors and thank them for their contributions to the Brawl Stars Championship over the years.