We’re now in the thick of SMITE 2’s Alpha and its first major esports tournament is already underway with the Founder's Series. To celebrate and to set the tournament in a little context, we thought we’d look back on the best SMITE esports moments from the last decade, ever since the first game launched in 2014. This collection of highlights throughout the lifespan of the original game should provide plenty of nostalgia, laughs, and useful points of comparison between the two games, so join us as we cover the best plays and plenty of funny moments.

Every clip here was submitted by the SMITE experts in our Just About SMITE 2 community, many of whom are esports casters and content creators, so there are few people better positioned to select the best clips.

Deathwalker's four-player clutch

Nominated by both Inters3ct and NiteDark is a play from Deathwalker during the 2022 SMITE Masters Qualifiers event, highlighted above in a video from Betty. Playing for Hex Mambo against Solar Scarabs, they had already lost this matchup once, but fought back through the lower bracket to face them again in the final. The rematch was a closer affair but Hex Mambo were still on the brink of losing the game when Deathwalker pulled off one of the best clutches of all time, completely turning the tide of battle (and maybe you could do the same with our top SMITE 2 tips). As Inters3ct says, "the commentary from Dolson always gives me chills: "and Hex Mambo have found the initiation!".

The shortest game in SMITE history

 And now for something completely different… the shortest game in professional SMITE history. This was our most-submitted clip from the YouTube channel SMITE History (thanks Feddboii, CMDR Henckes, and Empen) but it isn't due to the skill on show - instead it's an example of a team completely losing their heads and going for an outrageous tactic that, uh, did not pay off. As Empen says, "you'll probably never see something like this again in any SMITE match for the rest of time."

This clip features SoaR against EnVyUs, and at the very start of the game, EnVyUs decide to send all five of their team down the left of the map. They invade through the jungle but it emphatically does not work, as despite getting a kill, they don’t level up and by the time they engage Baskin, he’s a high enough level to pull off a one vs four, which is quickly followed by EnVyUs surrendering the game. The casters call it farcical, CMDR Henckes describes it as shameful, Feddboii calls it "the most troll play I've ever seen", while Empen says "at least it created an iconic moment." We suppose that’s something to envy...

Enemy's stealth titan kill

Uploaded to YouTube in a mini-montage format by Weltzeit and submitted to this bounty by Dydo (and also mentioned but not chosen by Inters3ct!) is this spectacular backdoor play by Enemy against Luminosity during the SPL Spring Split Week 1 in 2016. This came 76 minutes into the game, so it had already been a slog, and Enemy decided to try a rather unorthodox tactic.

They grouped up, and much like EnVyUs in the previous clip, snuck their way through the map. However, they didn't try to invade. Instead, they went straight for Luminosity's titan, skipping even the phoenix, to try and end the game immediately. They succeeded, with the casters calling it disgusting, and Dydo recalls getting on his couch and "cheering like a child" when watching it live.

Gamehunter's penta kill

This clip comes from 2014, during SMITE’s inaugural tournament - vintage stuff indeed, and it still stands strong as one of the best clips of all time for one reason: you can't beat a solid penta kill. This nomination comes from NotAValveGame who explains it always gives him chills, and it was also mentioned by Inters3ct as one of the best. We'll let the clip above speak for itself; shoutout to the casters for knowing how to truly hype up an incredible moment too.

SK Gaming win Season 6

 The 2019 Season 6 final took place between Team Rival and SK Gaming, and almost 40 minutes into the game, Team Rival had a slim advantage. In a huge team fight, SK Gaming came out on top, but PandaCat and PolarBearMike - two players for Team Rival - attempted a backdoor kill on SK's titan, which had already lost most of its health. Three members of SK were there to defend, while the other two focused solely on Team Rival's titan, managing to take it down before the rest of their team could respawn.

This moment was submitted by ChrisTDickson who calls it "one of the best endings to a game: a comeback, a backdoor attempt, and a crazy end." Credit to Betty for the upload.

Cognitive Prime win the 2015 World Championship

This SMITE esports highlight was submitted by JHenckes, who has chosen the entire match rather than a specific moment. If you have a spare half hour, it's worth the watch. JHenckes recalls watching it in the living room with some friends and getting goosebumps throughout because nobody expected Titan to make it to the final, nor were Cognitive Prime expected to win after the first couple of rounds because Titan had been proving superior - but everyone loves a dramatic turnaround.

"Titan played aggressively the whole time, even when they were down, and it was great to watch! In the final moments, Cognitive Prime pulled off a match-defining team fight, securing the objective and invading Titan's base for the win."

Jarcorrr's resilience

The Season 8 finals saw Tartarus Titans take on Leviathans, and this moment took place during the third game, when Leviathans were already 2-0 up. Jarcorrr, a member of Leviathans, was ganged up on by both Benji and Layers for Titans, with Aror coming in shortly after, but somehow Jarcorrr stays alive playing as Camazotz. He was on the brink of death multiple times but did everything he needed to in order to stay alive, wait for two teammates to come and assist, then somehow net a triple kill while doing so. yan57436 describes it as an incredible moment that showed just how dominant Leviathans were that day.

Genetics has a sixth sense

mypets highlights this fun moment when Genetics, playing for the Camelot Kings against the Olympus Bolts in the Season 9 semi-final, seemed to read the minds of the Bolts players. The five of them had grouped up behind a wall to try and put together a clutch play and turn the tide of battle, but Genetics is well aware and plucks the entire team out from behind the wall. This leads the Kings to secure the win as the rest of the Bolts are quickly eliminated.

An unorthodox strategy

Finally, we have Tdog, who has selected a moment notable for the unique strategy used. They preface it by explaining that the strategy didn't actually work, but the audacious attempt was innovative and had good theory behind it.

The scenario is as follows: OMG B picked Athena against Pain Gaming in the 2016 World Championship. However, they pick Athena in the solo lane, which Tdog describes as "very off-meta", made even more so by the fact Athena picks the starter item for the jungle role instead, which was completely unheard of. During the game however, Athena is playing mostly in the jungle, clearing camps and acquiring buffs, while the jungler has swapped into the solo lane. "It was a very smooth transition that most people didn't notice until the casters pointed it out," Tdog explains. Their plan was to power farm the jungler in the solo lane and vice versa, and while the strategy did not pay off, Tdog explains they'd "love to see another attempt at it".

There we have it: eight of the best, most iconic moments in SMITE esports history. Do you think we've missed any? Are there any moments from SMITE 2 that should make the list? Let us know in the comments below.

Some text has been edited for brevity, clarity, or spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You can find the original wording here. Image credit: Titan Forge Games