Team Liquid's victory at 1win Essence II gives them valuable momentum as they attempt to claim the organisation's third Aegis of Champions at TI 2026.
Western European Dota 2 powerhouse 
Team Liquid soundly swept regional rivals 
Team Falcons, 3-0, to claim the championship of 1win Essence II, the last tournament before the 2025-2026 competitive season reaches its climax at The International (TI) 2026 next week.
While it was only an online tournament, 1win Essence II offered a valuable final look at how TI 2026 may shake out. Nine of the 10 teams that competed in the event will notably be playing in TI, namely the grand finalists in Liquid and Falcons as well as 
BetBoom Team, 
1w Team, 
LGD Gaming, 
Vici Gaming, 
Nigma Galaxy,
OG, and 
GamerLegion.
Liquid seems to be peaking in form just in time, as they claimed the 1win Essence II title by defeating the reigning TI champions. For their efforts, Liquid claimed the grand prize of US$100,000 out of 1win Essence II's US$200,000 prize pool. This also marks the team's second tournament victory this season after BLAST Slam VI back in February.
Liquid now look ahead to TI 2026 with momentum on their side. The organisation will be aiming to win its third Aegis of Champions, with 
Micke “miCKe” Vu, 
Michał “Nisha” Jankowski, and Samuel “Boxi” Svahn notably looking to join the exclusive club of two-time TI champions. Meanwhile, 
Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard and 
Erik “tOfu” Engel are aiming to finally capture the world title after back-to-back second place finishes in TI 2023 and TI 2024.
Liquid and Falcons dominate 1win Essence II ahead of grand finals clash
Both Liquid and Falcons enjoyed strong starts in 1win Essence II, with the two squads finishing the tournament's round-robin Group Stage as the top seeds of their respective groups. Liquid had the best record of the entire Group Stage and topped Group A with a 7-1 standing, with their only loss coming from a 1-1 draw with 
MOUZ. Meanwhile, Falcons claimed the top seed of Group B with a 6-2 record, outclassing nearly all of their opponents but falling to a surprising 2-0 sweep versus OG.
As the top seeds of the Group Stage, both Liquid and Falcons earned upper bracket berths in the Playoffs. The upper bracket semifinals saw Liquid defeat Vici Gaming in three games while Falcons swept BetBoom, setting up the first meeting between the eventual grand finalists in the upper bracket finals.
While many expected a tightly-contested series, Falcons looked a level above Liquid in the upper bracket finals as they swept the match and became the first team to advance to the grand finals. However, Liquid were quick to earn a rematch with Falcons in the championship round by sweeping 1win in the lower bracket finals.
Liquid sweep Falcons to be crowned champions of 1win Essence II
Falcons were the heavy favourites in the grand finals, having soundly swept Liquid in their first meeting at the upper bracket finals. However, Liquid seems to have learned much from that previous loss as they would turn the tables on the reigning TI champions to claim the 1win Essence II title.
The grand finals opened with a signature tri-core draft from Falcons featuring 
Oliver “Skiter” Lepko on Ursa, 
Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak on an unorthodox mid Centaur Warrunner, and 
Ammar “ATF” Assaf on Razor. Meanwhile, Liquid went for a highly-mobile lineup with plenty of burst damage with miCKe on Sven, Nisha on Puck, Ace on Timbersaw, Boxi on Spirit Breaker, and tOfu on Mirana.
Game one was a rollercoaster, as Falcons dominated the early teamfights thanks to ATF's Razor naturally countering miCKe's Sven. However, a masterful performance from Nisha kept Liquid within striking distance as the game wore on late. With the clashes becoming more chaotic in the late game, Liquid's highly-mobile draft allowed them to outplay Falcons and score Mega Creeps.
Despite their huge barracks disadvantage, Falcons still managed to put up a stout defense and nearly equalise the barracks count. But Liquid's economic advantage proved too much to overcome as they eventually destroyed Falcons' Ancient just before the 68-minute mark to win the opening game of the grand finals.
Nisha led the way for Liquid in game one with 13 kills and 22 assists on three deaths. TOfu also managed to scale his hero into a fourth core for his team and finished with 12 kills and 25 assists against nine deaths.
In game two, Falcons once again picked Centaur Warrunner for Malr1ne, this time tasking him to create space for a greedy lineup that featured skiter on Lone Druid and ATF on Necrophos. Liquid countered their opponents' slow lineup with a high-tempo draft featuring miCKe on Windranger, Nisha on Ember Spirit, Ace on Lycan, Boxi on Tusk, and tOfu on Mirana once again.
Liquid stomped Falcons in the laning stage, notably scoring three kills on ATF's Necrophos within the first 10 minutes of the game. Liquid then made good use of their strong start by grouping up early before their opponents' draft could even come online, forcing Falcons to call ‘GG’ after just 26 minutes of action.
MiCKe put up a perfect 13-kill, nine-assist performance on Windranger to fuel Liquid's lopsided 27-9 kill lead and lead his team to a commanding 2-0 series lead. Ace also pitched in with six kills and 16 assists on just one death.
Game three saw Falcons ditch the mid Centaur Warrunner pick, instead giving Malr1ne a more traditional mid hero in Pangolier. However, they still remained confident in ATF's Necrophos and rounded out their tanky tri-core with Lifestealer for skiter. Meanwhile, Liquid drafted another highly-mobile lineup with miCKe on Windranger once more, Nisha on Storm Spirit, Ace on Centaur Warrunner, Boxi on Skywrath Mage, and tOfu on Tusk.
ATF adamantly showcased his prowess on Necrophos by leading a strong start in the laning stage for Falcons, all while talking trash on all-chat. But just like in game one, a masterful performance by Nisha allowed Liquid to stay within striking distance and position themselves for a comeback in the late game. Liquid outplayed Falcons in the crucial late game clashes to do just that, reclaiming the gold lead around the 50-minute mark and eventually forcing their opponents to concede the 3-0 series sweep after 63 minutes of action.
Nisha put on a show with 19 kills and 17 assists on three deaths to secure the title for Liquid, with miCKe also pitching in with 10 kills and 18 assists on five deaths. Meanwhile, ATF recorded a valiant 12 kills and 10 assists on three deaths in the loss.
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