Cover-Credits:
2022 was a massive year for esports and we not only saw a number of high-profile LAN events take place, but new esports titles have also sprung up. CS:GO, League of Legends and Dota 2 continue to be the stalwarts of the esports scene like they have always been but Valorant and Call of Duty are becoming increasingly popular and might reach the same stature. Here are the top five teams that stood out this year and deserve your attention.
DRX - League of Legends
Heading into Worlds 2022, not many expected DRX to take home the world championship. After all, it was one of the toughest Worlds 2022 we have ever seen. Even during the group stages, Gen.G, Royal Never Give Up, EDward Gaming and other stalwarts in the scene had everyone’s attention but it was DRX that went on to win the world championship. The team beat EDward Gaming, Gen.G and T1 in three back-to-back matchups in the playoffs to become this year’s champions. Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon crushed it at the grand finals and helped DRX take home its most prestigious tournament win till date.
FaZe Clan - CS:GO
If 2021 was Na’Vi’s year, 2022 was FaZe Clan’s strongest year in CS:GO history. The team won three majors that had over $1 Million USD up for grabs in prize money and the team crushed the competition throughout 2022. It would have been the perfect year for FaZe Clan had it won BLAST Premier’s World finals but its wins at Masters Katowice, the Antwerp Major and IEM XVII are more than enough to cement it as 2022’s best CS:GO team.
LOUD - Valorant
If you have not been paying attention to South American Valorant, you need to right now! In 2021, we got a glimpse of what the region is capable of at the world championship. In 2022, Brazil finally had its crowning moment with LOUD taking home the world championship. The team dropped just one map in the playoffs stage and it beat OpTic Gaming at the upper bracket finals and the grand finals to take home the world championship.
Tundra Esports - Dota 2
Tundra Esports had one of the most dominant championship runs we have ever seen at The International. The Dota 2 team topped Group B to qualify for the playoffs where it dropped just one match against Team Secret in the Upper Bracket Final. With a 9-1 record at the playoffs stage, the London-based team claimed the throne as the world champion.
LA Thieves - Call of Duty
Los Angeles Thieves had a slow start to the 2022 competitive season with a top six finish at the CDL Stage 1 Major. But since the team’s victory at the Stage 4 Major in July LA Thieves dominated the Call of Duty esports scene and it went on to become this year’s Call of Duty League champion. The team beat tournament favorites Atlanta FaZe not once but twice at the playoffs stage to take home a massive chunk of the $2.5 Million Prize Pool.
