Unicorns of Love to replace Fnatic at Intel Extreme Masters San Jose
Due to Fnatic’s withdrawal from the event, we will see Unicorns of Love return to San Jose.
The two European teams attending Intel Extreme Masters San Jose were determined in a fan vote. It was Fnatic and Origen, the top two teams of the EU LCS who came out ahead of their competitors and secured a slot in San Jose. We regret to inform that Fnatic has withdrawn from the competition due to health issues of one of the players.
"Due to medical reasons we are unable to take our team to IEM this year." says Fnatic's statement "We're honoured that you voted for us, appreciate your understanding, and hope that you continue to support the team and tune in to IEM San Jose."
Replacing Fnatic will be Unicorns of Love who came in third in the European fan vote. Unicorns are no strangers to Intel Extreme Masters San Jose as they participated in it last year, coming in first in the voting. They took the tournament by storm with their unconventional picks, like the legendary Twisted Fate jungle, and by defeating Team SoloMid 2-0. They fell to Cloud9 in the finals but have shown the world they are a new team to reckon with.
We will not see the same Unicorns of Love as last year though, as the team underwent roster changes. Kikis left the team a while ago and PowerOfEvil was recently confirmed to have left as well to join Origen. While we do not know Unicorns' new full lineup yet, it will be interesting and exciting to see the revamped squad perform at their first LAN test.
We are happy to welcome Unicorns of Love once again at SAP Center and look forward to the plays they will bring. If you want to join us in person and watch Unicorns live, be sure to secure your ticket. You can also contribute to the Intel Extreme Masters San Jose prize pool thanks to Amazon's special offer on gaming gear which you can check out here.