Gaming
Gaming
Our 7 favourite esports moments
Packed with upsets, KOs and enough awards to put Meryl Streep to shame, this list will make you bow down in appreciation of esports.
So sprawling is the world of esports that it can be a real task to keep track of all the events going on, let alone remember the most show-stopping moments. But we've taken a wild swing at it anyway, recapping some of the biggest highlights in Red Bull esports from back-to-back perfects in Grand Finals to fairytale trophy wins. Seriously, this lot will set your thumbs aquiver.
1. Daigo vs Tokido showdown at Red Bull Kumite 2016
How better to kick off the Kumite era than with Tokido v Daigo?
© Capcom
Barely three months after the release of Street Fighter V, the inaugural Red Bull Kumite made its mark in emphatic fashion. Not messing about, the very first match in its history pitted Daigo vs Tokido, two OGs of the fighting game world. Naturally, the crowd were hyped at this match-up even before a joystick had been yanked, and they weren't left disappointed as a closely fought game ensued, with the Japanese titans even sharing a double KO. Relive the battle again here.
2. OG's underdog victory at The International 8
1 h 21 min
Against the Odds
Team OG defied the odds – witness their esports journey to Dota 2 glory at TI8.
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Documented in the thrilling documentary Against the Odds – watch it above – Team OG’s victory at TI8 was one for the ages. Never before had a team been so written off, so rock bottom, before going on to win the biggest prize in all of esports. Despite being hit by player departures, OG came through qualifying and went on to win the entire tournament and they did it in their own distinct style, drafting unorthodox line-ups and characters *they* wanted to play with and ripping up the meta completely. The ease with which they rolled to victory at the following year’s International, becoming the first Dota 2 crew to lift the Aegis of Champions twice in a row, was itself a fantastic moment in Dota history, but TI8 will always remain extra special.
3. Back-to-back perfects at the Grand Final in RBDB FighterZ World Final 2020
Just when fans thought 2020’s Red Bull Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Final couldn’t get more insane (what with the world’s best players, hype Parisian crowds and wildcard entries going deep into Day Two), along came a Grand Final to exceed all expectations, pairing training partners GO1 and Fenritti in one hell of a match. After being undone by a perfect in the first game, Fenritti responded in kind with a flurry of well-timed shots to knock his opponent’s character senseless and make it two perfects in a row. Overall favourite GO1 did eventually secure the title, but he won’t forget that final in a hurry. Neither will we.
4. Red Bull Racing Team win 12 Hours of Sebring
Let it be said that elite esports aren’t without their physical toil. Sure, there were no oil-splattered overalls or sweat-inducing balaclavas worn as the Red Bull Racing Esports Team steered themselves to glory at this year’s GTE Series, but they had to put in real effort and stay mentally switched on for 12 hours of breakneck racing, outwitting the opposition with clever pit stops and expert manoeuvres. Much like real life, reaching the podium of the iconic 12 Hours of Sebring is no mean feat in this fiercely growing esports scene. Expect even bigger things from this hardy crew in months to come.
5. Limit and Pieces going head-to-head in a raid at Red Bull's Gaming Sphere
Playing any version of online Warcraft isn't easy. To be a serious guild you need all your pieces to be pulling in the same direction. You can't afford too many 'Leeroy Jenkins' sorts in your outfit. Taking over the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London in July 2019, Limits and Pieces embarked on a non-stop live stream to see which team could be first to take down Queen Azshara on Mythic difficulty in the Eternal Palace raid zone. Easier said than done – it took no fewer than 14 days before Limit were able to crack it, winning the head-to-head battle in the Sphere against Pieces, who finished their day on 7/8.
6. Daigo's epic fightback at Red Bull Kumite 2018 Losers' Final
Daigo's Guile defends a sustained attack from Problem X's M. Bison
© Red Bull
Thanks to a never-say-die attitude even Rocky Balboa would be proud of, Daigo is almost more myth than man in the fighting game world. We all know about that iconic fightback at Evo, of course, but at Kumite 2018 ‘the Beast’ reminded fans of his Lazarus-like abilities when he launched a spectacular comeback vs Problem X in the Losers' Final – first with a flurry of breathless combos as he protected a morsel of health bar, and then, after being hit AGAIN and somehow surviving, blocked and countered his way to an eventual opening where his Guile knocked Problem X's Bison out cold. Though it wasn’t enough to win the tie (Problem X went on to reach the Grand Final, losing to Fujimura) it marked another great moment in the history of Kumite. Watch it here (9.55).
7. Red Bull Racing Esports winning 2019's F1 Championship
Going right down to the wire, there was no shortage of drama when London's Gfinity Arena hosted the final event of the 2019 F1 Championship season. Red Bull Racing's Frederik Rasmussen continued his rich form by winning on the Suzuka course and the second race at the Circuit of the Americas, and intended to yield his place in the final race at Brazil’s Interlagos to team-mate Nicolas Longue before team principal Christian Horner came through with the call to get Rasmussen back in the hot seat. Finishing 10th in tough conditions, it was a real balance of nerve and nouse from the Danish speedster as he helped the team wrap up the F1 Esports 2019 Pro Series team title and their share of the half a million dollar prize. You know you're doing something right as a team when Max Verstappen takes to Twitter to congratulate you. Game really does recognise game.
