A truly great move can change not just the outcome of one round or map, but even that of an entire tournament. Sometimes one 200 IQ play is all it takes to shake things up – and here are some of the best examples of just that!
Dafran’s Rooftop Grav – Overwatch
Overwatch’s wide hero selection allows for a lot of stylish esports moves but few are better than Daniel "dafran" Francesca’s 2019 Zarya ult. Her Grav skill locks enemies in place and prevents them from moving away from attacks – it’s the perfect skill to combine with high damage ults from other heroes.
Dafran managed to boost over a rooftop in a perfectly executed move (and in a spot even the casters didn’t know allowed for this) and managed to Grav most of the enemy team in place, while the rest of his team moved in to decimate their opponents – Paris Eternal. A true 200 IQ play.
xPeke’s Port-to-Win – League of Legends
During IEM Katowice 2013, League of Legends player Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martínez used the meta at the time (and his own skills) to execute one of the most stylish esports moves LoL had ever seen. The match was Fnatic versus SK Gaming – but xPeke’s 200 IQ move kicked things up another notch. Fnatic were losing, so xPeke took a risk – he used his Kassadin to port straight to the enemy base Nexus where he happily hacked away while one of the enemy team players tried to chase him.
Because of his porting ability, he was able to get away each time, despite being on incredibly low health. This stylish esports move is still known as one of the most impressive moments in LoL history.
Dosia’s Grenade – CS:GO
200 IQ plays aren’t always about winning the fight – sometimes they are about winning the war. Such was the case with Mikhail "Dosia" Stolyarov. Immortals were playing vs Gambit at the PGL Major Kraków 2017, and Gambit were lagging far behind. Dosia had the perfect idea to ruin the enemy team’s economy. At the last moment of during round they were guaranteed to lose, he threw a damage grenade on not one but two enemies – decimating their health far enough that the explosion of their own bomb killed them.
This meant they had to re-buy weapons the next round, ruining their plans and forcing them into using lower-tier equipment. This stylish esports move ended up letting them win the next rounds, the game, and ultimately – the entire Major.
This earned Dosia a commemorative graffiti on Inferno, a monument to his Big Brain Moment.
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