posted by EskayDota,
The kings of close games
The Swedish edition of Ninjas in Pyjamas were notorious for close games and big comebacks. It always seemed to be the way that their matches ended with either both ancients exposed, or with the losing team harbouring mega-creeps.
A YouTube search will show you endless games where NiP are pressuring the ancient, taking fight after fight, but always seem to end up on the losing side of some of the closest games imaginable.
Taking place in the lower bracket final of the Frankfurt Major European Qualifier, Alliance and NiP have it out in what went down as one of the more tense comebacks Dota had seen. It also provided the quintessential Alliance viewing experience. NiP threw bodies at the barracks, eventually taking mega-creeps.
An iconic loss
In the lower bracket of TI4, the famous DK* side faced up against LGD, a game they were expected to win. Sitting at a comfortable 25k gold lead in the first game, LGD were certainly down, but not out.
A series of teamfights were taken in favour of LGD, coupled with a few bad decisions from Team DK saw LGD back on track to even the game out. With an Alchemist on the team rapidly gaining control, DK couldn’t stabilise their performance, and provided the world with a comeback to stand the test of time.
DK would go on to win the series, but lose to Vici Gaming in the next round, and shortly disband after the competition.
Dagon Danger
Evil Geniuses had the run of a lifetime at TI6. Although they won games, the real winners were well and truly the spectators. Facing off against EHOME in the upper bracket semi-finals, EG were against mega-creeps after an already intensely close 71 minutes of Dota
Going down in history as one of the best games ever played, Peter 'ppd' Dager and team made a decision that had scarcely been seen. Opting to build dagons on multiple heroes, they turned the game around in one of the most exciting comebacks imaginable.
“I can safely say I’ve never seen anything like that” - Blitz
EG's TI dream
EG’s exciting run at TI6 didn’t even peak with their game against EHOME. It’d be tough to beat how exciting the last comeback was, but this series managed just that. In game 3 of the semi-finals of TI6 – the winner taking their place in the final – EG faced up against underdogs Digital Chaos*.
EG looked to secure their second TI final in succession, after winning TI5, and it all came down to this game. EG looked to be ahead, with Clinton 'Fear' Loomis on Terrorblade outfarming the rest. EG aimed to pressure the midlane and close out the game.
However, some excellent decision making from DC, some superb delaying tactics left EG pressuring mid and attempting to slowly siege the base. David 'Moo' Hull on Beastmaster, arguably the MVP of the game, was able to pressure the EG base during fights, and successfully took towers and barracks.
EG looked in control of the game. Moo’s decision making changed everything, and it meant everything in the careers of the DC players.
The longest game in the history of Dota
If you haven’t heard of this game, it’s about time you did. Back in 2015, Cloud9 G2A* played ScaryFaceZZZ* for three hours, and twenty minutes. It was, and still is, the longest game in professional Dota.
The game wasn’t the most exciting, and other games have been closer, but this game defined mental fortitude. Purely for the sheer weight of the victory for the winning team, after committing almost three and a half hours to playing only the second game in a series, it had to make it to our best comebacks of all time.
“The game that catapulted ODPixel’s career”
Playing with a barrack deficit from just under the 40 minute mark, and being pressured for just about the remaining 2 hours and 40 minutes of the game, this victory for the CIS side wasn’t just hard fought, but it was clawed at, battled and eventually earned.
With every buyback causing a 7 minute ceasefire, both teams wanted the win, but only one could come out on top.
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