eSports has evolved in a variety of ways throughout the years. It has enabled us to play with our friends and boast modestly when we score the game-winning kill, but it has also allowed us to watch the greatest players in the world teach us how to play. We'll take a look back at the top ten eSports moments from the past two decades.
Jump to:
- 1. DOTA 2 – The Fountain Hook, The International 3
- 2. League of Legends – Back Dooring, XPeke
- 3. CS:GO – Team Liquid vs, FaZe, Overtime at StarSeries i-League Season 4
- 4. DOTA 2 – $6 Million Dollar Slam, The International 5
- 5. League of Legends – Miracle Run, Fnatic
- 6. Overwatch – Fl0w3R, South Korea vs. the USA
- 7. League of Legends - Opening Ceremony, Worlds 2014
1. DOTA 2 – The Fountain Hook, The International 3
DOTA is one of those games where you either like every element of it or appreciate it but despise the way the meta works (though some people despise it entirely). If you've ever played DOTA 2, you'll be familiar with the fountain hook, and it's no wonder that it's one of our favorite eSports moments from the past two decades.
While there are many methods to avoid the fountain hook, such as avoiding it in the first place, there's a good chance you'll get too engrossed in the action to respond in time - as any DOTA 2 veteran will recall.
Dendi not only pulled off the fountain hook at TI3, but he did it seven times, all against the same team, on the same map, all inside a 30-minute time period. TongFu couldn't stop it from occurring in the end, and Na'Vi ended up winning the match.
2. League of Legends – Back Dooring, XPeke
Back dooring in League is allowing the other team to leave their base while you and your teammates enter it to attempt to win the game.
XPeke is on Kassadin at IEM Season 7 Katowice. We assumed that at this time, everyone had picked up on the XPeke rules: don't let Kassadin unbanned during a match since he will demolish everything and everything!
In the group stage, FN.RC (Fnatic) was playing SK, and before the 50-minute mark, SK had knocked on Fnatic's door, demolished two inhibitors, and then withdrew back to their half. Fnatic then raced towards SK's base in an attempt to win the game, demolishing all of the Nexus towers in the process.
Fnatic fled after realizing they couldn't finish the game, with SK pursuing them. Kassadin teleported inside SK's stronghold, only to be chased down by an Olaf. The Nexus is destroyed before SK can return to base. Keep an eye on the mini-left map's hand corner.
3. CS:GO – Team Liquid vs, FaZe, Overtime at StarSeries i-League Season 4
At StarSeries, Team Liquid and FaZe took overtime to a new level. After both sides agreed that they would not allow the other any breathing space, they determined that the contest should be extended to include a whole new map.
Liquid 14-15 FaZe is the setting. Inferno. Near the arch, there is a bomb site. For FaZe, getting inside the location, defeating the opposing players, and defusing the device felt nearly normal. Liquid, on the other hand, chose not to play the objective and instead won via elimination, forcing the match into overtime.
The excitement didn't end there; during OT3, the bomb was only seconds away from being defused when rain chose to peek his head around the corner and line it up against nitro, causing it to go to OT4. Finally, during OT4, FaZe decided that enough was enough and won with a final score of 28-26. What's more amazing is that it was the second map in a Bo3 series?
4. DOTA 2 – $6 Million Dollar Slam, The International 5
Wards. That is all there is to it. The International 3 is being replaced by The International 5. This isn't only a fantastic eSports moment; it's also a great piece of eSports history. It's the TI5 Grand Finals, with Evil Geniuses (EG) facing CDEC in a Bo5 match that EG leads 2-1.
To begin, the competition had already progressed to the point where both sides were well-established and had a respectable economy. One of EG was discovered by CDEC. Sumai was wandering about their jungle when he was stun locked, burnt a couple of abilities, and finally murdered. Now that EG was down to one guy, CDEC felt the best course of action was to go kill Roshan. Not to be outdone, EG decided that it was all or nothing and chose to challenge Roshan.
The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Earthshaker utilized his echo slam, and with the addition of an ice blast, EG were all but wiped out, with just one CDEC member surviving with quarter health.
5. League of Legends – Miracle Run, Fnatic
At the 2017 Worlds, you'd be excused for believing Fnatic's season was finished. They were 0-4 in the Group Stage, and the squad had previously admitted that they didn't agree with each other and that there were problems behind closed doors.
Fnatic was on the verge of collapsing, but they were treading carefully. They subsequently won their first match against the Immortals, but they weren't quite out of the woods. Their following match, against the Marines, followed a similar pattern: they won the early, the middle, and the game. They kept going in that direction until the groupings were 4 – 4. Fnatic went up against Royal Never Give Up in the opening round and was defeated 3 – 1.
6. Overwatch – Fl0w3R, South Korea vs. the USA
Fl0w3r is capable of playing almost every hero, but this one sticks out the most. The 2017 Overwatch World Cup pits South Korea against the United States. This is the moment when you'll want to demonstrate to the rest of the world that you're a formidable fighting force.
It's difficult to identify a particular moment, however, if we look at Hanamura, South Korea walks through the double doors, leaving Fl0weR alone at the vantage point, avoiding the whole opposing team while picking them off one by one.
7. League of Legends - Opening Ceremony, Worlds 2014
Not all memorable moments revolve around particular teams or spectacular plays; sometimes it's what goes on behind the scenes at live events, the preparation required, and the hard work that goes into every element of the competition that counts.
We'd previously seen a stunningly cinematic video for Riot's Worlds, which included Imagine Dragons' "Warriors." What made Worlds even better was the live collaboration with Imagine Dragons, who performed Warriors with a live orchestra on stage.
While there were no major plays, it sent a clear statement to the world that eSports is expanding in a variety of ways, from sold-out stadiums to collaborations with mainstream artists and groups. If you want to watch Imagine Dragons, go until 3:49.
