ClassicDota

TI3 finals, game 5.

Arguably, the best final of all Internationals thus far. Na'Vi and Alliance, two fan favourites, clash in the crucial game 5 of the Grand Finals, fighting over $1.4m prize money. It's an incredible display of skill, teamwork and plays. A must watch for everyone even only remotely interested in DotA 2 esports.

"HE MAKES THE CALL OF HIS LIFETIME!"
- ODPixel

TI8 was full of amazing games! This game was the peak though, with an amazing performance from Topson as Invoker, along with Ana, Ceb and JerAx playing out of their minds. Not to forget the incredible display by Chalice and fy on LGD's side, who show amazing support roles throughout.
This game is up and down and could go either way at any point, hinging on critical buybacks.

ODPixel delivering one of his best hypecasts (makes you feel like TobiWan is channeling through him), backed up by the insights of Fogged and the welcome surprise of a returning Merlini, the stars just aligned for this game, and this series.

"Patience from Zhou"!

It's the game where "The Play" happened. With all other western teams being eliminated early on in the tournament, fans united in their support for Na'Vi. An essential 5v5 team fight was later coined "The Play", showcasing the skill, teamplay and exhilaration fans were able to witness during this match. Watch the highlight for the crowd's reaction to the fight!

What. An. Incredible. Game!!!

Prepare yourself, because the next hour and fifteen minutes you won't be able to leave your seat! It's a constant back and forth between these world class teams with the advantage switching every other moment! Not a dull moment during the whole match - It's how DotA is supposed to be played and worthy of being a Grand Finals match.

An instant classic.

"Kills mean nothing, gold means nothing, experience means nothing - throne means everything."

A long, exhausting game for C9, having to watch out for Io's teleport and an incredible Admiral Bulldog who shows his skill with Nature's Prophet. It's Rat Dota at its finest in a clash that is finals worthy!

Incredible - really I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E - teamfights from early on, a stalemate in mid gaming and a fantastic end! Slammin' Lanm!

BuLba Clockwerk. USA! USA!

In one of the most memorable games of TI3 between Chinese heavyweight LGD and US-favourite Team Liquid, BuLba plays Clockwork and it's incredible!
The constant "USA!"-shouts leave no doubt who the majority of the crowd supports, but the actual game is pretty even until the very end. Still, there's no doubt who the MVP of the game is and the fans know it as well. A great game overall and a fantastic one for TL fans!

Na'Vi showing an amazing Pudge/Chen combo. Two words: Fountain hook!

In The International 2013 the team from Ukraine showed once again, that they are not afraid to try never seen before, risky yet hilarious strategies. The game mechanic allowing the entertaining abuse was fixed shortly after. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show!

The Cinderella story of Ad Finem approaches its climax in the Grand Finals of the Boston Major. An extremely back and forth game with epic plays, rapiers, team fights - everything you want from an 80 minute brawl!

Ad Finem fight their way through the Boston Major qualifiers, taking out teams like Digital Chaos and LGD ForeverYoung until finally facing powerhouse OG. Ad Finem's domination of other experienced teams through new strategies and genuine enthusiasm for the game, causes analysts and fans alike to place their bets on them. However, after the first two games, an OG victory seems inevitable. Ad Finem had attempted to play their signature hyper-aggressive style twice, and had been calmly rebuffed by OGs stalwart squad. OG seemed to have simply figured them out.
Then came Game 3. Ad Finem entered the booths with twinkles in their eyes and threw out some casual chat banter before feeding first blood. It appeared that OG was in control once again. However what followed was one of the most back and forth games in DotA history. Plays were made and legends were born as OG went from certain victory to certain defeat and back again, while Ad Finem, with their tournament lives on the line, would not let up no matter what. Culminating in an amazing finish, this game deserves to rank up there with the best of them!

"No one has ever done that! NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT IN THE HISTORY OF DOTA!"

This game differs quite a bit from others in that the memorable moment is right at the beginning, instead of the end of the game. It's not a game changer by any means, but still so fantastic that the crowd goes wild.
Following is a great match of early DotA, with fantastic team fights, pushes and jukes.

The original English link is a twitch cut of medium quality. If you care, open both the original video and a Mirror of better quality where you mute the audio. Sync the two videos for good quality video and TobiWan's + GoDz commentary.

The most strategical Dota game ever played.

The draft of this game: Cloud9 shows up with Meepo and a whole lineup built around him, a strong early game composition. Vici Gaming counters that with an insane amount of AoE damage. Both teams are trying to get the upper hand in a wonderful, surprising match with a truly unexpected ending. A great watch!

Vici Gaming's strong team fight composition is up against a mobile line up by Team Secret.

While both teams differ greatly in approach to the game, you'd have a hard time placing bets at any point in time. It's an entertaining, exhilarating match full of surprises during the first 45 minutes. The last 30 minutes are the ones that make this game though: Sneaky rax, a catch-me-if-you-can chen, Rosh... fisticuffs? ..., a literally lost rapier, mega creeps - it's fun all around and reaches its climax in a fantastic, satisfying ending!

TI8 Grand Finals, Game 5

This game is the capstone to an absolutely insane series, and it is a perfect microcosm of the entire series in one final game. This game is just OG playing OG Dota, and Ana playing out of his mind. This game swing back and forth and has amazing plays from both sides, capping off the most insane grand finals we've had since TI3.

The 0-20 Maelk Game.

Origin of the "Maelk Award", which you should google *after* watching the game, if you don't know the term yet. An incredibly entertaining match that keeps on giving. Really worth the watch!

The no bans strategy.

Zenith is up against Invictus Gaming in game #2 after losing the first one. Having a stand-in player (Meracle) they are not in the best position to begin with. Surprisingly enough iceiceice decides not to ban any heroes, leaving iG with a big pool to choose from and having to face a strong split push lineup.
This is one of the games where it is recommended to watch the draft, even if you skip it usually since it's quite fascinating.