The eSports community has up to this point been defined by a large collection of matches. A blur to some, but others see distinct moments; flashes that define where we have been and where eSports is going. It's time to investigate which matches have helped to define the Counter-Strike community and how that will help to shape the future.

So how does one pick the best matches in the history of the Counter-Strike community?

Above all the match must be good. There are a lot of matches in history that have been of great import to the scene or to a single tournament but weren't really that good when singled out.

The initial WCG 2001 comes to mind. The tournament lacked the top teams of the day but started a huge franchise of tournaments that today is one of the top organizations in the World. Nonetheless, the matches that mattered weren't even that close and none really carried the excitement or interest of the community.

Obviously a match must feature compelling storylines and historical significances while also carrying a close score with overtime being a bonus. Not all the matches in this list feature overtime games but those that were in critical parts of big tournaments are highly likely to make the top 15.

One focal point is not on Championship games either. Sometimes the best match of a tournament isn't the finals but maybe a match that really helped the eventual champion reach the finals. So here's the list of elements for a top match:

1) Importance
2) Storylines/Community Interest
3) Final Score (closer the better)
4) Impact

The hardest place to judge is impact. Some matches really had a huge impact yet were lacking in other areas. This is where I fought the most for each of these matches. It's much easier to gauge the community's interest in a match or the storylines around the match. The importance of a match is also pretty obvious. Either it was a finals or not. Either it featured a European, American or an Asian team. These aspects are not a secret.

Still, getting a clear picture of what the impact of a match will be can be very hard. A time aspect must also be considered for all matches. The more recent a match is the harder it is to judge the impact. This makes it extremely difficult to place matches from World eSports Games or matches from the past year on a list with matches from nearly four years ago.

Despite all these concerns, let's take a look at where our future comes from with a look at the past in “The Best: 15 Matches of All Time”.