Tomorrow, the Summer Split of the European LCS gets underway, and yet another Swedish support player will make his competitive debut on the big stage.
Oskar “G0DFRED” Lundström was recently picked up by Giants! Gaming, and with the last split in mind he says they will enter the summer as underdogs.
– It’s understandable that people look at us that way, but I think that will suit us, he tells Aftonbladet Esport.

Less than two weeks ago, Hampus ”promisq” Abrahamsson was announced as the new support player in Elements. Now he’ll get to meet another mostly unknown countryman in the bot lane as Giants! Gaming recently recruited 19-year old Oskar ”G0DFRED” Lundström to their lineup.

As Abrahamsson, G0DFRED was mostly unknown on the competitive scene before the signing, but was chosen from a short list of supports and quickly added to the lineup.
– Everything has gone really fast, so I still haven’t quite realized I’ll be playing in the LCS tomorrow. But it feels incredibly fun. They contacted me and said they were interested in trying me out. I played a number of scrims with them from home, for around two weeks, then I arrived in Berlin on Monday so everything has been really quick, he tells Aftonbladet Esport.

Promisq was picked straight from the Solo Queue, how did Giants find out about you?
– They had asked around which supports might be interesting for them and my name was mentioned by some good players, which I’m still surprised and flattered by. But that gave me a chance of proving myself in scrims.

”Working as hard as I can to be ready”

Having played with Giants! Gaming for two weeks now, he’s getting into the LCS groove as the season is right around the corner.
– It feels good, I’m getting more and more used to how we play as a team. At the same time, as a rookie I have a lot to learn so I’m working as hard as I can to be as ready as I can be before Thursday.
– In the LCS you really have to think about everything before you do anything aggressive. The likelihood of getting really punished by a misstep is many times higher here.

Entering an all-Spanish lineup could cause some communication problems, but so far Lundström hasn’t noticed any issues. And him and ADC Adrián ”Adryh” Pérez are working hard to perfect their teamplay.
– The communication is not a problem, everyone in the team can speak english more or less. And you talk a lot in game terms which makes it even easier to understand each other.
– Besides the two weeks we’ve been scrimming with the team, me and Adryh have been playing a lot together. We’re improving our synergy every day and I’m already certain we’re at a high level and will be able to compete against the other LCS botlanes.

”I’ll definitely have some tingles in my stomach”

Since you’re mostly unknown to the community, tell us a bit about your style as a support?
– I look at myself as an aggressive player. I like to take the initiative and make plays, so champions like Thresh, Nautilus and Morgana suit me well. I like to push advantages that you get in the games.

Tomorrow (Thursday May 28th) you’ll be on the LCS stage for the first time ever. What goes through your head when you think about that?
– It’s a scenario I’ve never been in before, but I think it’ll be cool as soon as I sit down by the computer. Then I’ll just do what I’ve done so many times before, play League of Legends as best I can. So I don’t think nerves will be a problem.
– I’ll definitely have some tingles in my stomach though, it will be an incredibly exciting experience and I’m very psyched about it.

”Hope we’ll work like the Swedish national team”

Last season, Giants! Gaming had to play deciding games against MeetYourMakers to keep their place in the LCS. Going into the Summer Split, they’ve been named one of the more likely candidates in the bottom of the league. According to G0DFRED that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
– We’re considered the underdogs which is understandable, but I think it suits us. I hope we’ll work like the Swedish national team in football, that they play better as underdogs. I hope and believe we’ll perform well, but it’s hard to say before we start playing. A lot of people say that we’re gonna end up last, so anything above that they would probably consider a success, haha.

What are your personal expectations on the season?
– That I’ll do my very best to prove to myself and other that I can compete as an LCS support and evolve as a professional League of Legends player.

”I think we’ll put on a good show against Origen”

Giants are facing Origen in the Summer Split premiere, Enrique ”xPeke” Cedeño Martínez team who recently qualified for the LCS. And G0DFRED has high expectations on his first ever encounter with the LoL superstars.
– It will be an exciting game, and I think and hope we’ll put on a good show. And despite the results, we’ll just work form there and keep evolving as a team and individually.