Second to none: The greatest esports players of all time
The esports industry with its multiple genres, and various domestic tournaments within each game capture just about everyone’s attention in the gaming world. Whether fans are into the FPS scene or the MOBA craze, esports is known for its wide stage that allows different types of pro players to shine in their respective games.
These individuals are not only the best in their games, but they could also be considered the best in the industry. Learn more about these iconic esports players and why they’re considered legends.
Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)
The greatest League of Legends player ever, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, is unmatched in his achievements. It is hard not to pick him as the best player due to his unprecedented success with 10 LCK titles, two Mid-Season Invitational wins, and four World Championship titles.
His trophy case is superb, which rightfully earned him a place as League’s greatest-ever player. In League, Faker was known as ‘The Unkillable Demon King’ due to his off-the-charts skills. He could out-play almost every opponent and remained a strong leader from the mid-lane. Faker can also play any champion at the highest level.
Considering he is the best player in League history, he could also be considered the greatest in esports history. League of Legends is the most popular game in the esports industry, so Faker is an optimal choice for being one of the best players across many esports games.
Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein (Dota 2)
Finding his start in esports as a Heroes of Newerth (HoN) player, N0tail moved to Dota 2 in 2012. He played for Fnatic early on alongside fellow HoN legend Tal ‘Fly’ Aizik. During his early years, N0tail thrived as a position four support. He was superb at it, especially when he played heroes such as Io and Chen.
When their time at Fnatic ended, Fly and N0tail moved to Team Secret, which was an unsuccessful stint for them. However, they finally found a home when they created Monkey Business, a team better known today as OG.
With OG, they would win multiple Dota 2 Majors together, but never The International. Fly would then suddenly leave before the 2018 TI, but N0tail picked up the pieces and became the team captain. He would lead the team to back-to-back TI victories as the captain, beating Fly along the way.
N0tail is not just a fantastic player who played almost every position, he was also a true leader. He has stepped away from competitive play for a long while, but he remains the highest-earning esports player ever, with US$7,184,163.05 in prize money in his name.
Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev (Counter-Strike)
In terms of skill ceiling, it is hard to go against Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev in Counter-Strike. He was a rising star in the CIS region during the mid-2010s. He is equally skilled with rifles and the AWP, which makes him one of the most explosive players in esports history.
Whether it’s Global Offensive or Counter-Strike 2, s1mple has always been a fantastic player. His biggest achievement to this day is winning the 2021 PGL Stockholm Major with Natus Vincere. Of course, the Intel Grand Slam trophy was also won in 2021, cementing s1mple as arguably the greatest player not only in CS but in esports.
Lee ‘Flash’ Young-ho (StarCraft)
As one of the original esports games, StarCraft: Brood War was always seen as the pinnacle of individual skill in competitive gaming. Lee ‘Flash’ Young-ho is considered the greatest in StarCraft history because he had unmatched skill with his micromanagement of units and trophies.
His most successful year was 2010 when he reached the finals of eight major events and won five titles. He moved to StarCraft II in 2012, winning IEM Toronto in 2014, but he retired in 2015. With that kind of mechanical ability, it is hard to go against Flash as one of the best in esports history.
