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January 19, 2023

eSports Terms and Lingo You Need to Know

Sett is terrifying in the late game. This level of tanking potential, coupled with such high DPS output, may be devastating to teams who lack AoE crowd control. His carry potential will snowball if he can again steal the Red Buff.

eSports Terms and Lingo You Need to Know

You probably didn't get a single word of that statement unless you're an avid League of Legends player. That's an issue, especially if you want to wager on League of Legends games.

But you are not concerned; you are placing your bets on Valorant, not the League of Legends. Right? Not! The League of Legends has its language, but it's not the only one. Each eSports franchise, in essence, has its own lingo that is exclusively understood by its fanbase. If you're not a gamer but think eSports betting seems exciting, you're in for a rough ride.

Luckily, the most often used terms associated with wagering in esports have been collected in one convenient location: this expert guide. Once you've finished reading this article, you won't have to guess what some unique eSports betting words mean.

eSports Games and Franchises

In the first section of this eSports terms list, we'll go through the many games that serve as the foundation of the eSports industry and the betting scene. You must learn the rules of each game and the various betting alternatives associated with them. That's because the rules of each game are unique, and different sites provide various options for playing. Many of these games have abbreviated titles, so familiarity with these shorthands is also helpful in determining exactly which one a player is wagering on.

CS: GO — Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

One of the most played games, CS: GO, stands for "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive." It was initially launched in 2012, and it's a multiplayer first-person shooter game where players take turns playing as either the Counter-Terrorists or Terrorists through various maps and environments.

CoD — Call of Duty

Call of Duty, more often referred to as CoD, is a series of first-person shooter video games that has seen massive success worldwide. Players have a variety of betting options in this game.

DotA 2 — Defense of the Ancients 2

Defense of the Ancients 2 (DotA 2) is the follow-up to the acclaimed original. Dota 2 is an online multiplayer battle game, just like League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm.

Hearthstone

Hearthstone does not have a shorter title and shines out due to the unique gameplay it provides. Instead of combat, players in Hearthstone acquire digital cards and strategically deploy them to defeat their opponents.

HotS — Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm, or HotS, is a MOBA similar to League of Legends. This game, like many others, is played in an arena setting and encourages participants to use their ingenuity and strategy.

LoL — League of Legends

LoL stands for League of Legends, a multiplayer game that is regarded as one of the most popular eSports games in the world. A battleground arena setting is used for gameplay.

Overwatch

Overwatch is a team eSport that focuses on this type of cooperation and cooperation-based gameplay, allowing teams to show off their skills and abilities while working together.

Rocket League

Rocket League is an entirely different genre from the games above; it's a kind of football in which players drive cars to score goals.

SC2 — Starcraft 2

SC2, or Starcraft 2, is another strategy game that has been a strong contender in eSports. Other games like Dota 2 and League of Legends have recently surpassed their fame.

eSports Genres

Next, we'll discuss the common eSports terms that describe the many eSports genres that may interest you as you expand your eSports betting journey over time.

MMORPG – Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

The most well-known genre abbreviation there is. World of Warcraft popularized the term after its 2004 debut as the first game to successfully allow players from all over the world to interact with one another in an open, multiplayer online environment. As a result of the doors that WoW opened, a deluge of MMORPGs have emerged, all of them attempting to replicate the success of Blizzard's flagship title.

RPG – Role-Playing Game

Make a persona you can control and watch it gain stats, abilities, and experience. Both Second Life and World of Warcraft encourage players to step into another character's shoes, whether that character is human or some other bizarre species.

TBS – Turn-Based Strategy

Most TBSs have a structure that unfolds in different phases or turns. You have one round to put your plan into action and another to evaluate its effectiveness. Or, in Player versus Player (PvP) games, you get to plan your move while the other player watches. The best-known game played on TBS is chess.

RTS – Real-Time Strategy

Imagine a football game. Players must make split-second decisions on their next moves. Adapt. There's no time for deep consideration. The mechanics of real-time strategy games (RTS) are designed to challenge players by mimicking stressful situations.

Games like Starcraft and Age of Empires are perfect examples.

FPS – First-Person Shooters

A first-person shooter (FPS) is a type of shooter video game in which the player experiences the action from the protagonist's point of view while having direct control over the protagonist in a three-dimensional environment and using various firearms and other weapons. Advanced 3D and pseudo-3D visuals have pushed hardware design from the genre's debut, and multiplayer gaming has played a crucial role.

TPS – Third-Person Shooters

In a third-person shooter, the camera stays above and trails the protagonist. The Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Rider, and Resident Evil series are prime examples.

MOBA – Multiplayer Online Battle Arena

Multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) are real-time strategy (RTS) games in which a single player takes command of a single character on one of two opposing sides. The goal is to wipe out the competition. At other times, you'll need to fulfill a mission while stopping the opposing side from succeeding.

TCG – Trading Card Game / CCG – Collectible Card Games

The first of these card-based games, Magic: The Gathering, spawned a thriving industry. In card games, "cards" depict the heroes and villains, monsters and abilities with which players battle. Even though players could not touch their collections, the model was translated to the digital realm and became a successful genre. Millions of gamers in titles like Magic: The Gathering Online and HearthStone engage in daily card trade.

In-Game Basic eSports Terms

The next section of this eSports terms list will discuss the most basic eSports terms used in-game. These terms will come in handy when making prop bets or futures, especially when you are live betting on eSports. We'll divide them by the most popular eSports genre you will encounter.

MOBA eSports

eSport Terms	What it means
CS	Several games now have enemy NPCs that both sides may kill and destroy. They frequently provide a monetary reward in exchange for experience points. The word "Creep" is commonly used to describe them. So "CS" actually means "Creep Score." The number of creeps slain is displayed in the creep score. Doing so lets you keep tabs on who has the most money.
First blood	The first kill of a MOBA match is considered "first blood," and the champion typically receives a gold bonus. First blood is only awarded for the first kill and nothing else.
Lanes	Players (and creeps) in the two most popular multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA) games, Dota 2 and League of Legends, are split into three lanes: bottom, mid, and top. Depending on the meta, a team of five can have four players focusing solely on the lanes, with the fifth player—the roamer or jungler—free to explore the whole map.
Pushing	By pushing, a team indicates that they want to advance their creep into the lane of an enemy team to demolish their towers, turrets, and barracks or inhibitors. A push can be initiated by a single player or the entire team, depending on the circumstances and stage of the game.
Ganking	Ganking has been widely accepted as a viable strategy in Dota 2 and League of Legends. For the most part, this entails a roamer or jungler sneaking behind enemy lines to ambush laners while they're outnumbered.
Farming	A player's ability to farm indicates their proficiency against lane enemies. Because killing creeps and minions rewards you monetarily, and in experience, this is vital for making it reach the late game intact.
Build	A player's build represents the equipment he chooses to use throughout a specific game. A tank-ish build is one in which the player prioritizes defense above offense.On the other hand, a build that prioritizes physical attack damage (or magic, in the case of a mage-type champion) is aggressive and produces a high DPS (damage per second) output.
AoE	AOE stands for Area of Effect. Items and champion skills that deal area-of-effect damage target several enemies, rather than simply one. These abilities shine in team battles with a dense concentration of the opponent.
DoT	Means "Damage Over Time." Different items (and champion abilities) in MOBA games do damage over time. Damage from these attacks is often dealt with over a short time and manifests as poison, scorching, or bleeding effects on the target.
Tanky	Defensively focused players (top laners, supports) may not be the quickest killing machines, but they are incredibly difficult to take down. They are excellent tanks due to their high HP and impressive armor.
Carry	A carry is a player with the most kills and is responsible for his team's success. In most teams, the carriers are the mid- or top-laners or the marksmen in the back. Roaming characters and jungles, though, can prove to be formidable carriers in their own right. It is dependent upon the opponent and the team's composition.
Squishy	Players who favor killing specialists (assassins, marksmen, etc.) sometimes struggle to hold their own defensively. The result is that they are soft and easy to kill. This requires meticulous movement around the map and the initiation of fights only when the player is confident in their ability to win with a string of one or two strong strikes.
Feeder	Consistently falling victim to the same opponent, player will get you the nickname "feeder" from your squad. However, remember that this situation rarely arises during big tournaments. This individual is basically "feeding" the opposition team with experience and money because of how frequently they die.

FPS eSports

eSport Term	What it means
Eco round	If a team loses the first or several successive rounds, they may go without purchasing anything for 1–2 rounds to prevent further economic damage. These are known as "eco rounds" and are the primary method for saving money in CS: GO.
Anti-eco round	Teams can get an advantage by purchasing weapons with a higher return on investment (ROI) when they anticipate their opponents will be playing an eco round. Anti-eco rounds typically employ SMGs and Shotguns due to their high damage and multiplier on the currency.
Drops	Often, teammates may "drop" a player with essential equipment (such as Kevlar, armor, grenades, and a decent weapon) if he doesn't have enough cash to buy it on his own. Drops can be anything from pistols to rifles and even AWPs, depending on the circumstances and the team's budget.
Bad economy	A negative economy indicates that the team is short on resources. As a rule, this occurs after one side has lost many rounds or after the other team has reset.
Boosting	Boosting occurs when two (or even three) players collaborate to clear a difficult area and gain an advantageous position on the map over their opponents. This is an effective strategy that frequently appears in high-level competition.
Shot Caller	A game's "shot caller" is the player or team leader responsible for making strategic decisions during play.
Resetting	When a team has won multiple rounds in a row, "resetting" happens when they purposefully lose a round and immediately win the one that follows. Because their opponent's round bonus money has been reset to level 1, their economy will continue to suffer.
Rotations	Each rotation represents a player's departure from one area to defend or assault another on the map. Each FPS round relies heavily on rotations. Knowing when to start, anticipate, and halt possible rotations is crucial to winning a match.

Other Basic eSports Terms

eSport Term	What it means
KDA ratio	The acronym KDA describes the number of kills, deaths, and assists a player has. The KDA ratio is the sum of a player's kills, deaths, and assists in a single game. Without assists, the KDA ratio becomes the K/D ratio.
Meta	Meta represents the best approach to playing a certain game.In most cases, the competitive eSports scene and the community at large are the ones that come up with the meta. The term "meta" is commonly used in first-person shooter games to refer to the optimal strategies for a certain map. The term "meta" describes team compositions, builds, and player roles in MOBA games.
OP	The term OP means "overpowered." Used for a broad range of games, this word refers to objects or characters significantly stronger than the rest of the game's arsenal.
Nerfing	The item or character must be nerfed if it is too powerful. Nerfing, in other words, is reducing the power of overpowering things to a more reasonable (or "standard") level.
Throw	A throw is when a team's advantage dwindles due to poor decision-making.

Final Words

Our eSports terms list concludes with those final few esports language terms. This is a partial glossary of eSports words, though. Many specialized eSports terms still exist, and this eSports lingo continuously evolves over time.

To recap, understanding every single one of the common eSports terms depicted above may decide the outcome of your esports bets. You can better grasp the material you're investigating before placing bets if you have a deeper understanding of it.

This is true across the board in competitive video gaming, but it is especially pertinent to multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, which may be quite challenging for newcomers. Not only to play, but also to follow and bet on. If you're still having trouble and want to increase your odds of winning bets, go back to the eSports terms list and start familiarizing yourself with them.

Finally, we appreciate you taking the time to read this and wish you the best of success in your eSports betting endeavors.

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About the author

Liam O'Sullivan

About

Liam O'Sullivan, an Irish digital maestro, seamlessly fuses his impeccable command of English with an enthusiastic penchant for online gaming. Highly regarded for his localization expertise, Liam fine-tunes online casino guides, ensuring they resonate profoundly with the diverse English-speaking populace.

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