TH0R on leaving Iceland: "I'm ready to push forward to become a pro"

Fisher College's campaign at Fragadelphia x LVL UP EXPO Vegas finished on April 27th after a 2-0 loss to BLUEJAYS in the quarterfinals. While they couldn't upset BLUEJAYS, the event was, all in all, a good experience for them as their Icelandic AWPer Þorsteinn "TH0R" Friðfinnsson got to finally play with his teammates in person.

Dust2.us' Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore interviewed TH0R prior to their elimination to BLUEJAYS and asked him how does it feels not playing with up to 200 ping, what made him join Fisher, and what he thinks about the early success they're enjoying.

The full interview can be found below on YouTube, with key snippets underneath.

This is the first time you've been able to play with your Fisher teammates in person and not with 100-200 ping from Iceland. What's it been like finally having a chance to play with the guys on LAN with regular, consistent ping?

It's awesome. I've been playing with 150 ping or something from Iceland. So, getting to come here, meet the guys, it's very fun. It's also nice not to be killing someone three seconds after. I feel very good, I like the guys, I love playing here. It's a cool event, I love America, so I'm loving it.

You came into this Fisher lineup, and it's pretty much only been success after success since you joined in place of tatm, making semifinals in the Dust2.us Eagle Masters, now making top eight at FRAG, and making ECL, I believe you joined in Advanced playoffs. How's that been for you to immediately come into this new environment, this new pan-European roster, and just find success?

It's awesome, it's way better than I expected. They asked me to come play early with them, to come here to Vegas. The guys are really good, and I've implemented a lot of things I've learned over the years.

I'm on the AWP now, and I've implemented a lot of my ideas into the game, and we're all just clicking well together. I have good chemistry, and we like each other a lot, so it's working out.

Speaking on your decision to join Fisher, to what degree of influence was it that the roster was majority European? Do you think you would have joined Fisher if it was like, let's say, three Americans and one European? Or was that European identity really integral for you making the decision to join Fisher?

No, it was more about the skill level of the players. It didn't really matter to me if they were American or European or whatever. It was more about like I knew how good they were. I was watching their games, and I know a lot of them from playing them in national tournaments or in the EU.

So, I knew how good they were and that influenced my decision a lot more than some nationality.

And why did you decide to go to college in America? What made you make that decision to, you know, hop the pond?

I just felt like I've been playing in Iceland for many years in the scene there, and I've been winning every tournament over the last five to six years. So, I just felt ready to go to America and also go to college, it's been a dream of mine to go to America, and live in America, and be in a college there.

Also, I feel like I'm ready to push forward to become a pro.