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Commentary is an integral and important part of Dota 2, just like it is for any other sport.
Ever since professional sports became a thing, play-by-play commentators have accompanied the broadcast relaying the action to the audience. Sports matches today are broadcasted all over the world in dozens of languages. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was broadcasted in nearly 200 languages around the world.
Esports have been quick to catch up with casters, relaying the action in several languages to thousands worldwide. Dota 2 tournaments are always broadcasted in English, Russian, and Chinese, while broadcasts in Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, French, etc. are also common.
Over Dota 2's history, there have been some iconic calls that have engrained themselves in the vocabulary of Dota players. This list will feature the five most iconic calls in Dota 2 history.
Note: This list solely reflects the opinions of the author.
Some honorable mentions go to Tobiwan's "No one's ever done that, no one has ever done that in the history of Dota" after No Tidehunter's infamous Roshan bait against EG at Dreamhack Dota 2 Winter 2012.
LD's "Liquid are doing it. They are going to take it. LGD China is going home" at TI3 as Liquid pulled off a monumental upset against LGD.
Tobiwan again with "Where's the Aegis? He snatches it! Ah Fu! You thief in the night" as Ah Fu snatched the aegis from Virtus Pro's hands at TI7.
LD and Luminous' call accompanying "The Play," which included the iconic line "Patience from Zhou" during the match between Navi and Invictus Gaming at TI2.
Finally, Tobiwan's "There's your slam, there's the dunk, there's your play. Jerax, the savior of OG" during OG's legendary defense against LGD at TI8.
The 5 most Iconic Dota 2 caster calls
#5 - Kings of the North!!
The International 3's grand finals was considered by many to be the best series of Dota 2 ever played. Alliance and Navi fought each other in a grueling five-game series as Alliance won 3-2.
The emotions reached fever pitch in game five as Alliance drafted a split-pushing line-up that outplayed Navi to win. David "LD" Gorman and David "Luminous" Zhang were the casters for the game. Their perfect back and forth calls "They're gonna do it, The Kings of the North" and "Alliance wins!" will forever be remembered.
#4 - Ding! Ding! Ding!
At TI6, EG faced Alliance in a group stage match. In the first game of the series, EG was in control and had just team wiped Alliance. It attempted to finish the game by rushing the throne, but Alliance mounted a defense.
LD and Travis "Maut" Bueno cast this 67-minute game to perfection. LD's emotions got the better of him as he made the iconic call after Alliance killed the last hero of EG. His call was also added to the game as a voice line with one word wisely censored out.
#3 - It's a Disastah!
The $6 million Echo Slam is one of the greatest plays in Dota 2 history. EG became the first North American team to win Dota 2's biggest prize. Its winning moment came when Sahil "Universe" Arora, on Earthshaker, landed a five-man Echo Slam after Peter "PPD" Dager had Ice Blasted them.
The move immediately removed four of CDEC's heroes from the game and swung the game back in EG's favor. This was the 4th game of the TI5 Grand Finals in which EG was leading 2-1. Universe's play won the series for EG 3-1.
Tobiwan's iconic "We're heading for the Dunk! In from Universe, it's a disaster!" accompanied by deafening cheers from the American crowd will forever be one of Dota 2's most iconic moments.
#2 - Lakad Matatag! Normalin! Normalin!
The Philippines has one of the biggest Dota 2 player bases. As a result, several Dota tournaments are cast in Tagalog, its official language. The casting from Marlon "Lon" Marcelo and Aldrin "Dunoo" Pangan is one that broke Dota 2's language barrier.
In a game between Fnatic and Secret, Secret lost most of its base but mounted a comeback. It attempted to push into Fnatic's base and even managed to kill a couple of Fnatic's heroes. However, Universe made a desperate play by teleporting to Secret's base and trying to destroy its throne.
It worked, and Fnatic sensationally won the game. However, this game isn't remembered for Fnatic's play. Lon and Dunoo absolutely lost their minds during the game and gave the community 40 seconds of non-stop memes.
Alongside "Lakad Matatag! Normalin! Normalin!," they gave us gems like "Easiest Money of my life," "The next level play!," and "Echo Slamma Jamma!". Each of these lines was added to the game.
"Lakad Matatag!" was even quoted by Gabe Newell himself at TI8. OG even spammed the line relentlessly in its TI8 victory. In a way, Lakad Matatag! is the only caster call that affected the outcome of a TI.
#1 - Ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeb!
Most of the Dota 2 caster calls are intricate calls consisting of quotable phrases or sentences. Calls must relay the proper emotion behind the play it accompanies. One iconic call managed to accomplish that in just one word.
Originally known as 7ckngMad, Sebastian Debs changed his name to Ceb when he returned to OG's active Dota 2 roster. He became an integral part of OG's TI8 victory and gave fans what might be the most iconic moment in Dota 2 history.
In the grand finals of TI8 between OG and LGD, LGD took the lead 2-1 and was dominating game four. The game seemed to be LGD's to win, but Ceb pulled off an amazing comeback on Axe, an off-meta hero.
In a decisive team fight, OG lost three heroes, with only Ceb and Ana remaining alive. That is when Ceb landed a crucial three-man call allowing Ana to kill off three heroes and turn the game in OG's favor. Owen "ODPixel" Davies simply yelled Ceb for the duration of the play, making it one of the most iconic moments ever.
The line was added to the subsequent battle passes as a dynamic voice line. Unlocked at level 100, the "Ceb!" will get longer as players level up their battle pass, a first in Dota 2. Since then, Ceb has always been greeted by the long chant of his name by every crowd he has played in front of.
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