In esports, it isn’t always about winning the best trophy that year or winning a tournament. LoL’s Worlds 2012 champions Taipei Assassins disbanded in 2016. You can find countless examples of CS:GO teams who were on top once and irrelevant now. Although it is easy to say staying on top is important, who managed that, and how? Let’s look at their stories briefly.

While these are the only five teams which have major impact over the most famous games, there are countless teams who manage such a successful streak on a more local level or a less-widespread game. T1, G2 Esports, Team Liquid, OG and DWG KIA are our picks for 2022, but their stories could change, or other teams could always create a better one.

T1

Starting their story in 2003, T1 is one of the oldest esports organizations in the world. There were older teams, but the organization which started as SK Telecom T1 was one of the best. Today, T1 has teams over different games, like VALORANT, Dota 2, Wild Rift and obviously, League of Legends.

In League of Legends, T1 is one of the most influential and popular teams in the game’s history. One could easily say that you can’t talk about LoL esports without mentioning the impact of SK Telecom T1, or T1 as of 2019. With their iconic player Faker, T1 ruled the game for almost 4 years between 2013 and 2017. All four years didn’t go super well because in 2014, they couldn’t attend Worlds, and in 2017 they couldn’t win it in the finals.

However, it’s not about winning it every year, it’s about consistency.

Since the day they were on top of League of Legends in 2013, T1 has been aiming for the best, being a relevant team and not letting their name die. After losing the finals in 2017, T1 went through a bad 2018 just to get to MSI and Worlds semifinals next year. After winning LCK in the 2020 Spring, they couldn’t go to Worlds once again, but guess what? T1 is back next year, playing semifinals at Worlds, getting the best team in the world to match point.

They haven’t won a Worlds since 2016, but the dynasty is still there to show and prove to us that it’s not about winning every single thing. It’s about being consistent. Invictus Gaming has been a ghost since Worlds 2018, FPX won Worlds 2019 and came back to Worlds 2021 as the best team but were eliminated in the group stage. T1? They had a roster with fresh youngsters and they got what they were looking for from Worlds. The team has a respectable journey for any sports, not just esports.

G2 Esports

Founded by ex-professional player ocelote as Gamers2, G2 has been one of the best European teams in League of Legends, and they are also a team who kept their success in other games as well. G2 has been one of the championship contenders ever since they set foot on LEC (EU LCS) with their own icon, Perkz. G2 is fighting in games like Rocket League, CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege and VALORANT.

One thing is common between these different teams from different games: their aim is to be the best in the world.

G2 Esports’ CS:GO division recently got so close to that title when they played a Major final against Natus Vincere. They were defeated 2-0, but NAVI is on a beast form right now, and being the best of the rest should be enough for G2 for now. The LoL division reached the MSI 2019 championship and played Worlds 2019 finals, but in 2021, they had a bad streak even after getting the best ADC of the West, Rekkles. They are going through a change now, and you can check out their new roster from our article.

Under ocelote’s management and vision, G2 will definitely keep the same ideas and mindset in the future. It is great to see a relatively young European team with such a culture. One more thing to add: G2 Esports is one of the few esports teams which has significant profits, getting important collaborations and sponsorships from different high-end companies like BMW or Ralph Lauren. Their business model is outstanding, considering many esports teams still struggle with raising money.

Team Liquid

Another big name: Team Liquid. They are also a multi-team organization with teams based in different parts of the world. Founded in 2000 after starting as a SC2 clan, TL has fought in Dota 2, StarCraft II, League of Legends, CS:GO and more like VALORANT. Although they are originally European, TL has their LoL and CS:GO team in the United States.

Team Liquid is one of the most successful CS:GO teams, winning countless tournaments, although not a Major. They are also one of the biggest names in LoL, however, it is relatively hard for North American teams to succeed globally in LoL esports unfortunately. Still, Team Liquid is regarded as one of NA’s flagships, together with TSM and Cloud9.

Most recently, Team Liquid’s VALORANT division has been exceptionally successful. Bringing in ScreaM and later, his brother Nivera, TL has managed to get to the top four of VALORANT’s most important tournament, Champions 2021. Not being afraid of making the changes whenever needed, if NA’s ever going to make it in Worlds at LoL, TL is definitely a candidate. However, it would be hard for them to achieve Cloud9’s record of playing in the semifinals.

Does that stop them? Team Liquid still invests heavily after years of international disappointment, bringing in Bjergsen while having Jensen on their roster. The team craves for success, and that’s what’s keeping them on top.

OG

A European team, sponsored by Red Bull mainly, OG quickly became one of the most feared teams of Dota 2. Although playing in fewer tournaments throughout the regular season, OG has made it a tradition to get to The International and perform. Their culture is simple: they aim for the highest, and they get it. OG is on the top of the list of teams who made the most money from tournaments, thanks to TI’s high prize pools.

They were the first team to win The International through open qualifiers and register consecutive TI wins. Even though they participated in only five tournaments this year, OG were able to get top 8 in The International once again.

The organization has teams in CS.GO and VALORANT, but their main interest is Dota 2 and we don’t know if that’s going to change in the future. Still, their work in Dota 2 is impressive, and they definitely deserve being here.

DAMWON Gaming

The last team on our list is DAMWON Gaming, or DWG KIA because of sponsorships. A relatively new esports team, I believe DWG KIA’s story in League of Legends is valuable enough to find a place here. Founded in 2017, the team has Fortnite, PUBG, R6S and VALORANT teams. Main thing about them? This Korean organization is the best team of League of Legends, even though they lost Worlds 2021.

DWG KIA’s story started when they made it to LCK in 2018. The team didn’t rush anything: having faith in their roster, using superstars of today like Nuguri and ShowMaker in LCK’s secondary league, DWG KIA went up the ladder slowly but surely. After a fourth place in LCK 2019 Spring, they made the jump at LCK 2019 Summer, finishing second in regular season and third in playoffs. Through Regional Finals, they took their first Worlds ticket in their first year.

If you watched LCK that year, you would know DAMWON Gaming was a threat. Nuguri was a lunatic who played Cleptomancy runes on any champion, ShowMaker was already a beast and Canyon as a jungler with great mechanics had a huge potential. They were eliminated by finalists G2 Esports in the quarterfinals, but it was a great start.

They won LCK 2020 Summer next year, and dominated Worlds to win their first one. It was established: DWG KIA was the best team in the world.

This article was about sustaining success and staying on top, and believe me when I say this, I think DWG’s story is just that. Even though they lost MSI 2021 and Worlds 2021, they played in finals at both of them, losing them 3-2. They dominated LCK, winning Spring after a 3-0 and Summer after a 3-1. Everything I said about T1 at the start, that could apply to DWG KIA.

What should they do? Don’t panic, and keep doing what you did in 2021. Use the legend you have on your hands, kkOma. DWG is a new team, but they have what it takes to become the new T1. They should accept that they can’t win everything, just like how T1 did. That’s all. And if you want to check out their plans for 2022, check out our article about DWG KIA.

If you love these teams and esports like we do, or you learned about them through this article, don’t forget to watch their games also and place your bets on Luckbox.

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