Dota 2 Memes — The funniest memes in Dota 2

Dota 2 memes hit differently because they’re not just jokes – sometimes, they come at someone’s trauma. Just like any esports title, the game’s professional scene has its own personalities and unforgettable moments that have been turned into historic memes.

In this article, we’ll check out 10 of the funniest and most iconic Dota 2 memes and what they mean.

“322” – When Throws Happen

The “322” meme is arguably the most popular Dota 2 meme, to the point where you’d see these three digits being spammed in other esports titles as well.

This meme originates from Russian captain Alexey “Solo” Berezin, who placed a bet against his own team in a professional match. He placed $100 and received a return of $322, which is where this legendary set of numbers comes from.

Though the most appropriate usage of this term is when an enemy team pulls off a comeback, people spam “322” for many other reasons. Every time a player makes a questionable move, gets picked off for pretty much no reason, or if a team loses a fight while they’re in the lead.

In a back-and-forth game where teams constantly trade teamfights and net worth leads, you’ll sometimes see chat spam numbers like 644, 966, and 1288. This is a joking way to say both sides are throwing – basically 322 multiplied.

“OSfrog” – Sometimes, Dota 2 Feels Unfair

OSfrog is a Twitch emote often spammed by Dota 2 fans when a hero feels like they’re too strong, usually if they were buffed in a recent patch.

IceFrog, the developer of Dota 2, has a similar ring to the emote “OSfrog.” So, people love to poke fun at IceFrog’s idea of a “balanced” hero.

Today, you’ll see people spamming this emote if a hero is dealing too much damage, or if they’re taking no damage at all. Phrases like “Ah, yes, my finest creation, OSfrog,” or “Literally taking no damage, OSfrog,” are very common in these situations.

“?” – The Best Way to BM

The “?” meme extends from professional play to your typical 2K MMR ranked matches. This single punctuation mark is one of the most effective ways to tilt your opponent – the cleanest and most low-effort form of bad manners.

It works for literally any situation – when an opponent misses a spell, the enemy team fails a smoke gank, or after winning the game-deciding teamfight.

The question mark meme became even more relevant in 2021. In the Grand Final of the Singapore Major, Invictus Gaming were down 0-2 against Evil Geniuses. In the third game, IG pulled off a comeback, and the team’s mid-laner Zhou “Emo” Yi typed “?” in all-chat, even though he was one game away from losing the Grand Final.

People thought Emo was crazy, as it wasn’t the best time to trash-talk his opponents, but in the end, IG pulled off the reverse sweep and won the entire tournament. Now that’s aura. 

“Cliffteezy” – Dota 2’s Most-Memed Player

Artour “Arteezy” Babaev is a man of many memes. He’s joked about finishing third place in most events he participated in, highlighted as the “3rd Place Curse,” or poked at for constantly raging at his teammate, to the point where people resemble him with the “BabyRage” Twitch emote. 

However, the most iconic Arteezy meme is “Cliffteezy.” In the Chongqing Major, Arteezy was sent to a ward cliff due to Dark Seer’s Vacuum, leaving him stuck there. Later on, in another match, he also got stuck on a cliff due to Keeper of the Light’s Blinding Light. This became an ongoing meme, as Arteezy would somehow always find himself on a cliff. Since then, people would intentionally try to put Arteezy on cliffs whenever possible. 

In another series, TNC Phoenix tried putting Arteezy on a cliff, and successfully did it twice. With so many incidents, the Cliffteezy meme was born. Aside from this, Arteezy would also often be trapped in Nature’s Prophet’s Sprout without a Quelling Blade, as he would always be six-slotted going into the late-game, which also resulted in the “Sprouteezy” meme.

“KA LE” – When Lag Occurs

The term “KA LE” comes from Mandarin Chinese (卡 了), and literally means game lag or game stuttering. When a professional match is paused, Chinese players would often type “KA LE” in all-chat as the reason for the pause.

Now, the phrase has been taken internationally by Dota 2 fans and is used when their game or internet is lagging. It is also often spammed in Twitch chat if the live stream is lagging due to technical issues. If you’re looking to learn some Chinese, these are the easiest words to get started with.

“TheNightFall” – BKB and TP Out

TheNightfall is hands-down the funniest modern meme in Dota 2. The meme originates from carry player Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko, who is one of the most mechanically skilled players in the scene.

However, he has a tendency to farm in dangerous territories, but it’s all a part of his calculated plan. Once the enemy team shows up to punish him, he would press his Black King Bar and teleport back home to escape.

He was performing this play so often that it became synonymous with his name. Sometimes, his BKB usage would only be used defensively for this exact move, and he’d end up losing the game with a low K/D/A score.

So, if any other player escapes a sticky situation with a BKB into TP Out, chat would always spam “TheNightfall.” Nightfall himself has embraced the meme, saying something along the lines of “any publicity is good publicity.”

“Wash Your Face” – $18-Million-Dollar Mistake?

The “Wash your face” meme originated from The International 10 – the tournament that featured the largest prize pool in esports history. Valve released a True Sight documentary, where PSG.LGD’s support player Zhao “XinQ” Zixing was seen yawning during the series.

PSG.LGD went on to lose the map, and the team’s coach, Zhang “xiao8” Ning, told him to wash his face to freshen up. XinQ declined, mentioning he was fine, but xiao8 pushed him even harder. It took xiao8 three attempts to finally get XinQ to wash his face.

This has since become a popular meme in the Dota 2 community, especially when a player is spotted yawning or appearing sleepy.

“fiftEE / fiftEE” – Either It Works Out, Or It Doesn’t

Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao, also known simply as “EE,” was one of the most entertaining Dota 2 players to watch. He’s a player who loves taking high risks, whether such a gamble is required or not.

EternaLEnVy is known for making some of the smartest and most incredible plays, or making an absolutely horrifying mistake that could be game-losing or completely humiliating. The funniest part is, he’ll take these unnecessary risks even when his team is winning, and some of these plays have cost his team entire games. So, many of these moments come down to a fifty-fifty move – either he pulls it off or fails miserably.

EternaLEnVy retired from competition in 2022 and now spends his time trading. If you’re looking for a modern-day version of him, check out Gleb “kiyotaka” Zyryanov, who has a similar, risky playstyle.

“Lakad Matatag! Normalin, Normalin” – Filipino Voice Lines

This phrase comes from an epic casting moment from Filipino casters Marlon “Lon” Marcelo and Aldrin “Dunoo” Pangan in a match between Fnatic and Team Secret. In the span of 45 seconds, these two belted out some of the most iconic voice lines in Dota 2.

The most popular phrase was “Lakad Matatag! Normalin, Normalin,” which translates to “Walk steadily and play normally.” However, there were also other phrases like “Echo Slamma Jamma,” “Easiest money of my life,” and “The next level play,” all coming from the same clip.

All of these voice lines were added into the game during the Battle Pass, and teams like OG would spam them to tilt and throw their opponents off.

Unfortunately, caster Dunoo passed away due to COVID-19 in 2021. Still, his voice is remembered by millions of Dota 2 fans around the world.

“1000-7” – Russian Ghouls

This meme is a little niche, but it’s worth a shout. The phrase “1000-7” comes from the popular anime Tokyo Ghoul. In Dota 2, it’s tied to a specific pub stereotype, especially for Russian players.

These guys usually have anime profile pictures, edgy names like “dead inside” or indications of depression, and act like they’re the main character. Streamers like Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski jokingly refer to them as “Russian Ghouls” because of their typical behavior. 

Shadow Fiend is the hero most associated with this meme, as he resembles characters from Tokyo Ghoul. These “Russian Ghouls” love picking him and pull off the classic combo of Blink Dagger → Eul’s Scepter → Requiem of Souls. But, they’ll pause the game right before the finishing blue and type “1000-7.”