[divider]Faker’s Duel from League of Legends[/divider]
The Michael Jordan of League. The Lionel Messi of League. The Final Boss. The Unkillable Demon King. God.
Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-Hyeok has wracked up nicknames as fast as he wracked up championship titles. Widely recognised as the best player to ever touch League of Legends, Faker’s name needs no introduction in the e-sports world. He has consistently and constantly proved himself one of the best, and this was the play that propelled him to superstardom.
Faker and his opponent were both using Ryu, and despite being down to 20% health, he calmly turned the tides on his full health opponent, cementing his status as one of the best.
[divider]No Tidehunter’s Bait from DOTA 2[/divider]
“No one has ever done that! No one has ever done that in the history of DOTA!”
The now immortal lines were said by Toby ‘TobiWan’ Dawson, in response to No Tidehunter’s innovative trap in the grand finals of Dreamhack Winter 2012. DOTA 2 was barely a year old, fresh off its second iteration of The International (TI).
Related: The International 2018
Although one of the greatest ever play was pulled off at TI2, this takes the cake for the simple ingenuity that characterised their play throughout the year. For a team that would eventually become the TI3 champions, ‘The Bait’ truly signalled that their knowledge and understanding of the game was far beyond any other.
[divider]Honourable Mentions[/divider]
Of course, e-sports is truly becoming a phenomenon. Just like with any other form of entertainment, the supporting cast play a huge role in the production, all to deliver a polished product for the consumer. Here are some of honourable mentions to the unsung heroes.
Leeeeeeerrrrooooy Jeeeeenkiinss!! from World of Warcraft
xPeke’s Ballsy Backdoor from League of Legends
Larva’s Footplay from Starcraft: Remastered
https://youtu.be/hSJM9qF0txw&t=30s
Korean Casters at DOTA 2‘s The International 3
ODPixel’s Rap God Commentary from DOTA 2