Photo: Riot Games

With 18 wins in 18 matches during the LCS summersplit, Fnatic are the big favorites in tonights semifinal vs Unicorns of Love. But UoLs AD­carry Pontus “Vardags” Dahlblom is not afraid of the opponents.

– If we can manage the earlygame we have a very good opportunity to win, he says to Aftonbladet Esport.

It came down to the wire, but after many hours of struggling Unicorns of Love managed to move on from the quarterfinals versus Giants Gaming. An important victory, both for the chance to qualify for worlds, but also for the team morale.

– It’s always a great feeling after an important win, the atmosphere in the team is sky high,and we’re looking forward to play the semifinals, Pontus ”Vardags” Dahlblom says.

The substitution, where Berk ”Gilius” Demir left the team to make room for the experienced jungler Cho ”H0R0” Jae­hwan, has so far worked out for the team.

– It makes a big difference for our playstyle, previously the team has been playing very “European”, relying on getting kills and individual plays. H0r0 has the classic Korean way of approaching the game, where focus is on the team play and objectives. He’s good at calming down the team, and language has not been a problem so far, in fact his English is really good, says Vardags.

”We can give Rekkles a tough fight”

Vardags has, together with his support player Zdravets ”Hyllisang” Galabov played in the botlane together since the team started playing together. This should make for a very synergized duo, something Vardags can confirm.

– As a botlane duo we are doing good, but we’re a bit inconsistent. Sometimes we feel like we can beat anyone, but sometimes we get in to situations where we feel weaker. Martin ”Rekkles” Larsson and Bora ”Yellowstar” Kim is a very strong duo, they have the individual skill and are more experienced than us. But if we can perform to the best of our ability I’m sure we can give them a tough fight, he says.

Despite Fnatic being the first team in LCS­history going undefeated for a whole split, Vardags and his teammates are confident.

– Their teamplay and teamfights are strong. They also have very good offensive ward- control, which gives them the ability to punish their opponents in ways a lot of other teams can’t. Of course they are a very strong team, but if we can work together we can give them a run for their money, as we did last year, Vardags says.

What will be the keys for a Unicorn victory?

– As long as we can make it through the earlygame we have very good chances. Sometimes our earlygame can be a bit shaky, which makes our decision making in the midgame weaker. Our picks and strategies depends a lot on what Fnatic is doing, maybe Tamas ”Vizicsacsi” Kiss will get the chance to bring his Poppy to the rift, that is really up to Fnatic. Another strength is that H0r0 is better than Reignover at adapting to new champions, Vardags says.

Regardless of whether they win or lose against Fnatic, UoL will be playing at Hovet in Stockholm for a spot at worlds. This means home­field advantage for Vardags, who lived in Stockholm until he moved to Berlin to compete in the LCS.

– I’m really looking forward to play in Stockholm, he says. Family and friends will be there watching, which might not affect my play, but it feels great having the support. It’s a bit special for all the Swedes with such an important tournament in Sweden. I’ll try to find the time to show the team Stockholm, eat some good food and maybe go to warm up at a local esport­s café.