Team Liquid pulled off one of the biggest signings of the Dota 2 year by welcoming Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard and Erik “tOfu” Engel, the long-standing duo of the former Gaimin Gladiators roster.

This move follows Insania’s retirement and SabeRLighT’s benching, marking a new chapter for the legendary esports organization. However, unlike their previous years together, it seems like Ace and tOfu will no longer share a lane this time – Ace will pair up with Boxi in the offlane, while tOfu transitions to the position five role.

The Team Liquid roster for the upcoming season will include:

• Michael “miCKe” Vu
• Michał “Nisha” Jankowski
• Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard
• Samuel “Boxi” Svahn
• Erik “tOfu” Engel

Two players always on the same wavelength, now flowing as Liquid.

Welcome @AceDota & @tOfuDota2 🌊 pic.twitter.com/GpTSWi44xI

— Team Liquid Dota (@teamliquiddota) October 9, 2025

Partners in Crime

Ace and tOfu have been playing side by side since January 2021, when they first joined the European stack Hellbear Smashers. The duo later moved on to Team Tickles before being picked up by Gaimin Gladiators, where they achieved the most success.

Under the Gaimin banner, the duo helped the team go on one of the most dominant runs in Dota 2’s history, winning three Majors and two DreamLeague seasons in the same year. Ace and tOfu were like two peas in a pod, having unmatched synergy and consistency.

Despite their successful run, the Gaimin Gladiators’ story always ended just short of perfection. The team finished second at back-to-back Internationals, getting swept by Team Spirit in 2023 and Team Liquid in 2024 – the very team they’ll be joining.

New Challenges Ahead

The main talking point will be tOfu’s shift to position five, but it’s not far from his natural tendencies. The 29-year-old is known for being one of the least greedy supports in the scene, often being considered a “position 4.5” player.

This selfless approach should allow for an easy transition to the complex support role, where he’ll look to enable his star players, miCKe and Nisha. Expect him to make a lot of rotations to secure Power Runes for the latter.

Ace, meanwhile, is recognized as one of the most stable offlaners in the world. Now, paired with Boxi, Liquid’s offlane could become one of the scariest duos in the world. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ace continuing his play style of buying aura items that enable his teammates.

Experience Across the Board

With this new roster, Team Liquid’s squad for the 2026 season looks absolutely stacked. Each player on the team has multiple S-Tier titles under their belt. There really is no other team with this much pedigree except for the likes of Team Spirit.

The best part about this roster is the lack of ego. All players are known for their relaxed and calm attitudes, so we’re unlikely to see personalities clashing or anyone tilting.

High expectations are set for this group of players, as they’ll look to bring home a third Aegis for the Team Liquid organization.