Leffen on 2XKO: “It’s one of the few games that truly rewards the time you put in, and that’s why I love it.”

At DreamHack Atlanta 2025, anything could happen. On the big stage, William “Leffen” Hjelte was determined to conquer the tournament and take home the 2XKO trophy. In a tense showdown against one of the scene’s biggest names, SonicFox, Leffen left everything on the stage. The atmosphere was electric, the energy, the emotion, the roar of the crowd, no one could deny the power of the moment.

After his hard-fought victory, Leffen sat down with esports.gg to reflect on the game: its balance, team compositions, his own mistakes, and what comes next.

The atmosphere at DreamHack Atlanta 2025 was incredible, with numerous fans gathered to witness the grand finals of the 2XKO tournament featuring two icons of fighting games.

On one side was Dominique "SonicFox" McLean, an eight-time EVO champion, who has won the Mortal Kombat X championship twice and secured the Mortal Kombat 1 championship in both 2024 and 2025, among many other achievements.

On the other side stands William “Leffen” Hjelte, the Swedish competitor and two-time EVO Champion, having claimed titles in Super Smash Bros. Melee (2018) and Guilty Gear -STRIVE- (2023).

DreamHack Atlanta 2025 joins the First Impact circuit, a lineup of 22 community-driven 2XKO events, as one of the earliest tournaments to host 2XKO competition, following Evo France: 2 NICE KO by The MixUp, DIY: Bonus Track, and First Attack.

"It was very stressful," Leffen told esports.gg right after his close victory over SonicFox. "It's very relieving to finish such a close set. I just had a really good time competing in 2XKO."

Riding the momentum of an incredible Upper Bracket run, Leffen took down Jo’siah “Hikari” Miller and SonicFox, then faced SonicFox once more in the Grand Finals. After the American player achieved a bracket reset, Leffen fought back to win the set 3–2, concluding the event undefeated and earning a prize of $2,000.

“I’ve always enjoyed tag games and team fighters, but what really surprises me is how well Riot Games supports the community. They genuinely care about the competitive scene," he added. "A lot of past fighting games were designed to appeal to casual players who don’t stick around for long, but 2XKO feels different. It’s one of the few games where I truly feel that if you put in the time, you’ll be rewarded, and that’s the kind of game I love.”

Leffen came prepared for an intense showmatch against SonicFox, saying, “I know we’re going to have a lot of really close sets in this game, so I was ready for it.”

For Leffen, 2XKO is a very different game compared to Guilty Gear -STRIVE-, one of his biggest hits. "I think the biggest thing for me is the movement. The movement just feels so much better. You can really move around the screen. I’ve always liked fast-paced games where you can feel out your opponent."

When 2XKO's early access was released on Oct. 7, many fans debated whether it would be an easy game for someone who had never played fighting games before. However, Leffen believes it is quite accessible. "A lot of people have been saying that it would be too hard, but I've shown it to many new players, and they've always had a good time," Leffen said. "Since you can play with your friends, that also helps!"

During the whole tournament, Leffen went for a Teemo-Yasuo comp. With the recent Jinx nerf, the Swedish player believed Teemo was the perfect replacement for the tournament. "I try to play three or four characters because the game will have a lot of updates and nerfs coming. With everyone being buffed or nerfed, having four comfort picks is the best. I started with Ekko-Yasuo and then Jinx. But then, Jinx got nerfed at the same time Teemo came out, so it was very natural for me to replace her in my comp."

Being a recent game, there is still a lot of room for improvement. "The first versions are never perfectly balanced," Leffen explained. "I think people underestimate how close the roster is. With a couple of changes, we could be in a really good spot, and that's what I expect the developers to do."

In preparation for upcoming events, Leffen feels there’s room to refine his strategy. “I was playing too defensively and became too predictable. I use characters that excel at keeping distance, but I was too obvious in my approach. In the final moments, I needed to show that I’m willing to go head-to-head as well.”

Leffen believes it’s crucial to be ready for any situation. His goal now is to keep experimenting with a variety of team compositions. If you're a big Leffen fan, he will be next week with Steve "Supernoon" Carbajal in the R.I.S.C. 2025 2XKO tournament. Keep track of Leffen's social media to know which 2XKO tournaments he is heading to next.

That's all for now. Stick around for more FGC games, updates, and interviews on esports.gg.