Team Liquid pulled off two close victories, including 3-2 over 1win in the grand final, to win the Dota Elite League Season 2 championship Sunday in Lima, Peru.
Liquid captured the $240,000 first prize by winning its rematch with 1win, who swept Liquid 2-0 in the upper-bracket final on Saturday.
Booted down to the lower bracket in the double-elimination tournament, Liquid knocked off BOOM Esports 2-1 earlier Sunday to earn their return shot at 1win.
1win settled for $120,000 as the runner-up.
In the grand final, Liquid kept jumping into the lead, only to have 1win level the match.
Playing on red, Liquid took the first map in 23 minutes, but 1win claimed the second map in 26 minutes while on green. The teams battled for 54 minutes on the third map before Liquid won on green. Then 1win, back on green, won the fourth map in 34 minutes.
On the deciding fifth map, Liquid was back on red, and they survived another marathon to win in 49 minutes.
Michal “Nisha” Jankowski of Poland paced Liquid with a kills/deaths/assists line of 6.0/2.6/13.0. Nikita “Munkushi~” Chepurnykh of Russia led 1win at 7.4/4.0/8.4.
In the earlier match, Liquid again jumped to the lead with a 42-minute win on red. BOOM Esports responded with a win in 30 minutes, also on red. On an even quicker third map, Liquid clinched in 24 minutes, this time on green.
Nisha again led the winners with a K/D/A of 6.7/3.3/9.0. David “JimPark” Nicho Flores carried BOOM Esports’ all-Peruvian lineup at 8.0/1.3/7.3.
Dota Elite League Season 2 standings/prize pool
1. $240,000 — Team Liquid
2. $120,000 — 1win
3. $72,000 — Boom Esports
4. $56,000 — Execration
5-6. $52,000 — nouns, OG
7-8. $32,000 — beastcoast, Shopify Rebellion
9-11. $24,000 — HEROIC, Yellow Submarine, Cuyes Esports
12-14. $16,000 — Evil Rabbit, MOUZ, Apex Genesis
15-16. $12,000 — FUSION, Infinity
–Field Level Media