Top 10 epsorts pop-offs

In esports, sometimes our emotions get the best of us and an important match with our favorite team can be like a roller coaster. But what is it like for the players sitting on the stage and feeling the pressure on their shoulders?

When they manage to win, it’s a weight off their shoulders, and sometimes you can feel it especially strongly. Whether it’s in Street Fighter, CS:GO, League of Legends, or even Rainbow Six: Siege, when players jump off their chairs or rip off their shirts, you know what victory means to them. We present you the best pop-offs in esports!

10. Canadian

Our list starts with the pop-off of the supposedly oldest player in Rainbow Six Siege, at least that’s how he titles himself: Canadian. In a match between Space Station Gaming and TSM at the 2020 Six Invitational, a 1v3 situation arose in the group stage of the event. Canadian had to find a way out of the predicament, and he did so despite not exactly having the best weapon in hand as Pulse. He somehow managed to get a triple kill against his three opponents and was able to take care of the defuser after that. After the match, he hit TSM with some harsh words, but some people are just choleric, unfortunately.

9. PepperBeef2Spicy

Continuing with a wonderful moment from Tekken pro PepperBeef2Spicy at Summer Jam 7! He went up against the champion from North America, Lil Majin, in a Best of Three Series and it went down to the final round. There were a lot of exciting moments in the game, but in the end the young player was able to defeat the champion. He didn’t miss the chance to celebrate and only realized in the second moment that maybe he should show some respect to his opponent. So he briefly restrained his joy about the win and shook hands with Lil Majin, who, to be fair, also grudged his opponent the victory. Afterwards, PepperBeef celebrated his victory with a Leo Win pose!

 

8. CadiaN

You might remember this situation where cadiaN managed an impossible clutch! Clutches are among the most impressive plays in Counter-Strike. But at the same time, they’re damn hard to pull off, especially when you’re playing against the best in the world. Then, when you’re also on the T-side and only have a P250 as a weapon, sometimes miracles just have to happen. cadiaN was able to keep his cool and provided one of the best moments of his CS career! After the win, you can not only see but almost feel the pure joy of the team through the shaking camera. His willpower made for one of the best clutches in Counter-Strike history!

7. Viscant

In the next spot we have a moment that almost hits below the belt and it comes from another Fighting Game player, Viscant. In the Fighting Game community, the first ten fights are very important and they are sometimes used to settle scores. If you can also win and really show off your opponent, it usually becomes personal. When Viscant faced off against controversial player LowTi3rGod at Wednesday Night Fights 2014, the situation was already pretty charged. What sounds like a harsh insult is, of course, not meant seriously and is simply part of the game. This created one of the most iconic moments in Fighting Games history, but it’s not entirely PG.

6. Hungrybox

If there’s anyone at Fighting Games who can’t be missed here, it’s the legendary Hungrybox, known for enthusiastically celebrating the games they win! Sometimes the horses have run away with him and he could only be stopped by an injury. After a long fight Hungrybox won the final of Smash and Splash 3 against Armada and after the win he freaked out so hard that he hurt himself and had to go to the doctor! First he hit a monitor with his clenched fist and then kicked another part. After the tournament, he tweeted that the foot wasn’t broken, but he still had to wear a brace. But even though he was injured, Hungrybox still managed to win the entire tournament and then managed to give an impassioned speech!

 

5. Stewie2K

It’s clear that Stewie2K has already provided some memorable moments in CS:GO. But maybe you didn’t know that he was so happy about this win that he climbed on the table. The whole thing happened at ESL One Cologne 2019 and was also one of the greatest moments in NA’s CS history. That was when Team Liquid did the impossible and won their fourth ESL or DreamHack event in 10 tournaments. This was the biggest achievement for the region since the Win at the Boston Major and then it’s no wonder to feel a bit happy after the victory.

4. Tokidos

Tokidos Akuma has always been scary, but the Japanese Fighting Game phenom took his psychological warfare to the next level at SoCal Regionals in 2010. Just to understand, when performing Raging Demon Super with Akuma, the character turns away from the camera and the kanji 10 appears on the back, which stands for immortality, among other things. After Tokido managed to defeat Claky D, he wanted to rub it in his face a little more. Tokido stood between the projector and the screen and mimicked Akuma’s Raging Demon victory pose. The whole thing happened so long ago that he may have even set the whole trend with it, but still, there’s one more moment in the Fighting Game universe that can top it.

3. K-Brad

A moment that’s even more iconic than Tokido’s winning pose is the rivalry between K-Brad and Wolfkrone, where players also like to give their counterparts little lectures about themselves. The most beautiful popoffs happen when the players have a history together and it happens at a show where you see the audience’s reaction, and this moment just had it all. He was beautifully irreverent and that’s what the Fighting Game community loves. After getting an easy win, K-Brad got comfortable and gave his opponent some free advice. There’s nothing better than listening to stupid remarks from your opponent after a loss.

2. n0thing

The next pop-off comes from the ex-player n0thing. It reminds of the role models from traditional sports and could raise hopes all over North America at that time! At ESL One Cologne 2017, Cloud9 had made it to the semifinals where they met the super team of NaVi and were just one round away from the win. At that moment, n0thing pulled off an incredible clutch and he had to process that himself first. He got up with an ice-cold face and tore off his shirt, which he didn’t put back on for the handshake with NaVi. That would have been a yellow card in soccer, but fortunately, there is no punishment for that in esports.

1. Mad Lions

The pop-off that lands in our first place is actually a whole series of pop-offs from Mad Lions. The organization’s League of Legends team quickly became one of the most popular and exciting teams in the bracket. They won the Spring and Summer Playoffs in 2021, but the organization is also known mostly for its tradition of connecting with its fans through witty promotions. Especially in the days of Corona, they had come up with some nice moves to celebrate their win and even unpacked a guitar. Hopefully they won’t run out of creativity in the future and maybe we’ll see some extra crazy pop-off this season.