Esports has been growing rapidly over the past few years, as the broadcasts have become more professional and accessible than ever. Teams that have been around since the inception of the sport are continuing to thrive in the current age, while newly created organizations are surprising everyone with their growth and making a name for themselves. Here are the best Esports Teams of 2021.
100 Thieves
100 Thieves took the Esports world by storm when former Call of Duty Pro Matthew Haag, better known as Nadeshot, founded the organization back in 2017. With teams playing in League of Legends, Call of Duty, Valorant, and Fortnite, the organization is on its way to becoming a powerful contender in the industry. What took other organizations years to build up, 100 Thieves has done in just a fraction of the time, attracting investors such as Drake and Scooter Braun. Just this year, they have secured sponsorship from Twisted Tea, acquired a gaming peripheral company known as Higround, and raised over $60 million in Series C funding.
Natus Vincere (NAVI)
Natus Vincere (Latin for "born to win"), is a Ukrainian Esports organization that was founded back in 2009. While they participate in a variety of games including PUBG and Dota 2, where they really stand out is in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Bringing home over five major titles in the game just this year including their first CS:GO Major win at PGL Major Stockholm. They also were named the Best Esports Team of the year at the 2021 Game Awards.
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Cloud 9
Cloud 9 was founded back in 2013 as a professional League of Legends team. Since then they have expanded to compete in a total of 10 different games. Over the years the organization has been said to accumulate over $33 million in winnings, with the organization estimated to have a value of $350 million. While their 2021 wasn't all that great, Cloud 9 is still the second-most valuable Esports organization, and they are looking to bring home more titles in 2022, starting with their first-place win at HCS Raleigh in Dec. 2021, securing the first major Halo Infinite trophy.
Team SoloMid FTX (TSM)
Team SoloMid aka TSM was founded back in 2009 as a League of Legends professional team. They have since formed teams to compete in other games, but have not forgotten about their roots, having won seven out of a total of sixteen splits in the League of Legends Championship Series. In 2021, TSM is the most valuable Esports team at over $410 million, while also entering a deal with the Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and officially changing their name to Team SoloMid FTX.
FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan, founded in 2010, has become a household name in the world of Esports and competes in 10 different games competitively. This year was a breakout year for the organization, with their Call of Duty Franchise team, the Atlanta Faze, becoming the champions of the Call of Duty League in the 2021 Season. This led to the organization securing some very high-level collaborations outside of the industry, such as Mcdonald's and DC Comics. In June of 2021, FaZe Clan also became the first Esports team to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The team also announced this year that their company would be going public and would be listed on the NASDAQ with a valuation of $1 billion.
So there you have it, those are the Best Esports Teams of 2021. While all of these teams may not have had standout performances in 2021, they still managed to work their way to the forefront of the industry and stand out as one of the best.
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My name is Mason Moses. I am an entertainment aficionado, who spends more time consuming it than I would like to admit. I've been playing video games for the past 15 years and every time I turn one on, it feels like the very first time. Since I liked games so much, I decided that I would write about them.