William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte is the 2XKO winner at DreamHack Atlanta 2025, cementing himself as one of the best players in the early days of the scene.
The Grand Finals were one of the most intense moments of DreamHack this past weekend, with Leffen facing off against FGC icon Dominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean.
As the 2XKO scene continues to grow, the top players are forming. Some of these early contenders flew to Atlanta for one of the biggest official 2XKO tournaments to date. The goal? Not just $5,000, but the chance to be seen as the best at Riot’s new 2v2 platform fighter.
Leffen Wins 2XKO Tournament at DreamHack Atlanta 2025
Leffen and SonicFox easily moved through the tournament, including almost-perfect Top 8 runs. SonicFox is an Evo champion who is known for dominating in Mortal Kombat and basically any fighting game they touch. Meanwhile, Leffen is a Super Smash Bros. Melee and Guilty Gear competitor that’s been grinding 2XKO like crazy.
The Upper Bracket saw the two clash for the first time in the Top 8, with Leffen beating SonicFox 3-1. This dropped Sonic to the Lower Bracket Final, but they easily took down Jo’siah ‘Hikari’Miller to meet Leffen once more in the Grand Finals.
The second battle also went in Leffen’s favor, resulting in a 3-2 result. The blend of hilarious commentary and intense gameplay made this set special for the FGC. This matchup has become one of the most hype in the fighting game esports scene.
For many in the community, it feels like Leffen is back to his strongest form. It also feels like a transformation of sorts; Leffen was known as the God Killer in Melee, but his talent was often overshadowed by his part in the toxicity and drama in the community.
“Just won in 2XKO and all I wanna do is keep playing to keep getting better so I can play to my potential,” Leffen tweeted after his win. “Been since Melee since I felt this hunger.”
Despite the intense match and continued rivalry, Leffen and SonicFox have remained friendly after the event. In response to SonicFox’s commentary on the game’s hopeful future balance changes, Leffen wrote ‘same.’
Leffen currently plays Teemo and Yasuo after Jinx’s recent nerf. However, things could change with the next balance update. The game is still young and the roster is still growing – and so is its esports scene.
