UNICORNS OF LOVE GALLOP INTO THE LCS

Unicorns of Love don’t take themselves too seriously. “I think we had an idea of something like Rainbow Bunny Lovers,” says coach, Fabian ‘MasterOfSheepy’ Mallant, regarding the just-silly-enough name of his squad.

A team originally comprised of a group of five friends that happened to be exceptionally good at League of Legends, they’ve gone on to become known as one of the most creative, exciting teams to watch. Whether it was Tamás ‘Vizicsacsi’ Kiss’s Poppy or Tristan ‘PowerOfEvil’ Schrage’s Cassiopeia, their unorthodox picks and play style have earned them the attention of fans and rivals alike.

So, who the hell are these guys?

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Unicorns of Love's popularity isn’t just because of their name. As top laner Vizicsacsi puts it:

“I don’t think it’s as much about our name. It’s about what plays we’re making in our initial tournaments. For example, there was the Challenger Series playoffs where we pulled out some really nice champions like Cassiopeia mid and Swain top. It was the same for the Spring Promotion tournament. I meet a lot of people here in Hungary that are just rooting for us because we picked Poppy and such. These champions are becoming our trademarks. Whenever they’re picked, they’re associated with Unicorns of Love.”

These guys haven’t played a single game in the LCS, but they’re already fan favorites.

“At the start, we were just doing it for fun,” says AD carry Pontus ‘Vardags’ Dahblom. “We were five people that started playing the ladder for fun. We played really, really long together. About a year. We just played the ladder. It was a lot of fun, and we were playing really well. And eventually, we started doing small tournaments. It grew in time. Eventually, we got to where we are now.”

Much like the original wave of professional League of Legends teams, Unicorns of Love is a squad born out of community and friendship. And it shows in their picks - they like to have a good time. They love off-meta picks. They’re the team that ran Twisted Fate in the jungle to great success. That sense of fun is a great mentality to have going into the high-pressure scene of the LCS.

But the thing is, says Sheepy, “you actually have to win with it.” You have to know exactly when to grab those off-meta champions and in what situation. “Everyone can play Heimerdinger and lose. To make it work and win with it is the process. We don’t pick Poppy into Mundo because it’s troll. We do it because it’s strong and we are some of the only people that actively look out for that stuff.”

So far, it seems to be working. After their LCS qualification, they took second place at IEM San Jose, beating NA LCS champions Team SoloMid along the way, only dropping to Cloud9 in the finals.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

As they prepare to enter the European LCS, Unicorns of Love are looking to make a splash against the best teams in the region. And with their successful run at IEM San Jose, they look like a force to be reckoned with.

As for their big goal in the 2015 EU LCS season?

“Beating Alliance. That’s the goal,” laughs Sheepy. “For me, as coach, I want to have a nice environment in the gaming house and stay in the LCS. Everything else will come on its own. We just need to develop.”