Note: This is a guest piece by Jack Davis from ISF Content Media
The esports scene has shown massive progression in recent years, as more and more professional gamers come to the fore and demonstrate their skills to the adoring fans who continue to grow in numbers year on year. The overall development has been massive.
Normal, non-competitive gaming is still very much a mainstay in the gaming community, but competitive gaming has really garnered up huge interest in recent years as heroes are made in the esports scene. Even the betting industry has cottoned on to its growth, with 888sport offering odds of 7/2 for LEC to come out on top in September in the League of Legends World Championship. LPL at 6/5 will be many people’s pick for it, though, you’d think.
The fact that esports betting is growing, alongside the abundance of television and media coverage it receives, goes to show that the future of esports is very much a bright one. Dota 2, in particular, is hugely popular with some truly sensational talent coming through over the years.
With that in mind, we thought we’d take this opportunity to show our appreciation to some of the greatest Dota 2 players of all-time, and further highlight just how much progress esports has made.
Danil “Dendi” Ishutin
A Dota 2 player who many fans hold close to their hearts, Danil “Dendi” Ishutin is not only one of the nicest players on the scene, but he’s an excellent Dota 2 player too. His best moments have probably come under the leadership of Puppey and Artstyle, where Na’Vi achieved the impossible and reached three TI finals for three consecutive TIs. That still hasn’t been beaten. Simply put, this space-creating mid is one of the original legends of the game. He simply had to make the list.
Clinton “Fear” Loomis
With estimated earnings of around $2.5million, Clinton “Fear” Loomis is easily the Godfather of NA Dota simply because of everything he has achieved. A mentor to many of the younger players on the scene today, Fear had numerous setbacks before eventually reaching the top of the pile with a truly memorable win with EG at TI5. Despite no longer featuring for a T1 team, Fear’s legacy will forever live on. He is a true inspiration to players who aren’t quite at the highest level yet, knowing that one day they can still get there, just like Fear did.
Peter “ppd” Dager
When it comes to Dota 2 legends, it’s hard to ignore Peter “ppd” Dager. With estimated earnings of around $2.8million, ppd is one the greatest captains to have ever graced the Dota scene. Not only was ppd superb at the game, but he was an inspirational leader with excellent social skills, a strong mentality, a clever and strategic understanding of the game, alongside his overall ability of knowing exactly what to do, even in the toughest of situations. Any aspiring captains out there should certainly watch Peter “ppd” Dager up close.
Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi
With over $4million in the bank, Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi has clearly had a successful time. A likeable, down to earth man, Kuro is actually the highest earning Dota 2 player of all-time, he has the highest win rates and is extremely consistent, plus – throughout his long and illustrious career – Kuro has played every single hero in Dota competitively too. Easily one of the best players to have ever played the game, Kuro is a legend. It’s that simple.
We couldn’t include everyone, so special mentions to Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi and Gustav “s4” Magnusson, too.
Disclaimer: This article is in cooperation with ISF Content Media