From the players, talent, cosplayers, and even the crowd, here are Wade White’s favourite moments from the main event of ESL One Birmingham 2024, in no particular order.
1. Epic match between Xtreme and G2 x iG
In just the second series of playoffs day two, Xtreme Gaming took on G2 x iG in a nail-biting 80-minute game.
With Xtreme on the back foot and slowly coming back, G2.iG made a crazy play to to stun lock Roshan and deny him from moving to the bottom pit and deny Xtreme from claiming the aegis.
2. BetBoom beat Tundra to reach the final
In the Upper Bracket, BetBoom Team faced Tundra Esports for the first spot in the Grand Finals. Whilst BetBoom won game one, it was still a back and forth game but the same could not be said for game two.
BetBoom ran straight through Tundra, getting 10 kills on the board before Tundra finally answered back at the 15 minute mark. BetBoom claimed the first spot in the Grand Finals, finishing the game in 35 minutes, with the scoreline sitting at 35-5.
3. Quality cosplay
During the time between games, there was also a celebration to showcase the amazing cosplay at the event.
We had the chance to speak to cosplayer Karoinna about it – watch this space for our interview with her coming soon.
4. All chat between Falcons and OG
Team Falcons vs OG Esports could have an entire article dedicated to just the three games those teams played against each other, with OG clearly being the fan favourite thanks to Ari playing on home ground.
Both teams engaged in some friendly banter through the games all chat system, some accidental aegis denials, and a game three with OG holding on as long as they could before Falcons took the win.
5. The match itself between OG and Falcons
It was a great match between OG and Falcons.
After losing the first game, OG responded in a dominant showing, completely controlling the pace of the game and even denying Malr1ne from using his ultimate moments before disaster.
The final moments of game three played out in spectacular fashion too, with OG forcing multiple heroes from Falcons into the fountain and Falcons using multiple buyback to secure the victory from OG as they fought to the bitter end.
6. The grand final opening ceremony
Moving into the final day, Team Falcons met BetBoom Team who were waiting from the Upper Bracket.
There was a ceremony to start, with an orchestral performance on stage.
7. The grand final itself
Falcons took the first game of the Grand Finals, but BetBoom quickly answered back in the early minutes of the second game.
However, BetBoom seemed to be getting a bit too comfortable as Falcons found the opening to make multiple comebacks.
8. Ari!
Going into game three, there was a surprise appearance from Ari on the Analyst Panel, and the crowd was very pleased.
In fact, they were cheering the tournament’s only UK player throughout the entire event.
9. Falcons take the win
Late on, Team Falcons had complete control of the series, winning game three in a dominant fashion, securing a spot at the Esports World Cup and Falcons becoming the champions of ESL One Birmingham 2024, with some last minute all chats between the teams to boot.
10. Moments that make you proud to be British
If there is one thing the British know, it’s how to have a good piss up – and the crowd at Birmingham was no different.
So last but by no means least, here are some of the many beer-chugging moments we put together:
And even the jungle creeps themselves were getting involved with the action!
See more ESL One Birmingham 2024 content on Esports News UK here
Wade ‘AggresiveDuck’ White is a tournament and event organiser for Super Smash Brothers Ultimate in London and Essex, with events reaching as many as 250+ attendees.
Wade originally started in esports by entering in amateur Dota 2 leagues before moving into the FGC scene with Smash Ultimate in 2018, competing in offline events in the UK and Europe.
