In competitive games that features them, Ultimate abilities are part of what
makes a character powerful and unique.
Now, the best ults are meta-defining, but some of are just so cool they deserve
recognition anyway.
For our list of the top 10 ultimate abilities, we looked at how strong an ult is, how impactful it
was in its original game, and yes, how iconic it is.
For this list we considered Overwatch, League of Legends, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, and fighting
games.
Now without further or do, let's get into it with the Top 10 Ultimate Abilities.
Starting things off at number 10 is one of League of Legends’ most recognizable ultimates,
Zed’s Death Mark.
(Casting)
Death Mark lets Zed go crazy, diving at his opponent and dealing a ton of damage in just
a few seconds before disappearing back into the shadows and is part of what makes him
such a popular solo queue champion.
(Stream)
While it gives players the ability to outplay opponents, this ultimate ability has carved
out its place in League of Legends history thanks to a talented mid laner from Korea
that you might have heard of.
(Casting)
If you’re looking for an ult that enables your team to do just about whatever they want,
then look no further than number nine on our list, Zarya’s Graviton Surge.
(Casting)
Graviton sucks in every nearby opponent into one spot on the map, opening them up for a
Dragonstrike, Dragonblade, High Noon, Earthshatter, Self Destruct or any other damaged-friendly
ult that your team has at their disposal.
(Casting)
And make no mistake, a perfect Graviton could turn the tide for you and your comrades.
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Rocking the number 8 spot is E.T.C.’s Mosh Pit from Heroes of the Storm.
Like Graviton, this is a huge crowd control ability, but unlike Graviton, it CCs your
enemy with the power of rock and roll.
(Casting)
ETC’s sick guitar solo forces nearby enemies to dance, making them prime targets for your
damage dealers.
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Combined with his power slide ability, a good ETC player should be making his opponents
rock out so his allies can provide the knock out punch.
(Casting)
Coming in at number seven is one half of Dota’s iconic “The Play”, Tidehunter’s Ravage.
(Casting)
Ultimate crowd control abilities are always going to be powerful, but Ravage might just be
the coolest looking ultimate since you’re literally calling on the tentacles of an abyssal
god to stun and damage your enemies.
(Casting)
There are very few spells in Dota that feel worse than falling victim to a five man ravage,
but then again, there is the other half of The Play’s devastating combo...
(Casting)
Fighting games originated the concept of an ultimate ability with Supers, and while a
good super is strong, a great super should be meta-defining.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Ken’s Shippu Jinraikyaku
comes in at number six on our list since it combos out of just about any punch or kick
that Ken likes to throw.
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It also punishes plenty of supposedly safe attacks, is fully invincible and starts up
so fast that if your opponent blocks it, you
can sometimes beat their punish with another
Shippu.
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It also gives Ken plenty of super meter to play with for when he doesn’t need to unload
a flurry of kicks right in your face.
No Ken player worth their salt picks anything else, which means the game revolves around
Ken and his tornado kicks.
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Kicking off the top half of our list is Faceless Void’s Chronosphere, which, if we’re being
honest, is one of the strongest crowd control abilities in any MOBA.
(Casting)
Chronosphere locks down every player caught in its bubble.
Teammates, enemies, everyone but Void.
That means teamwork is key to making the most of a five man Chrono.
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And like all great ults, it defines the meta.
If you know your opponent has Chrono up, you’re going to avoid grouping up for fear of getting
bubbled up then popped.
 
 
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It shouldn’t be shocking to see Orianna’s Shockwave take number four on our list.
(Casting)
Just like Chronosphere, teams are forced to play around the terrifying CC Shockwave provides,
but unlike the Dota 2 ultimate, enemy players are rarely safe from Orianna’s Ball thanks
to her incredible range, as shown off by Faker deleting KT Rolster back in 2017.
(Casting)
But every good Shockwave is a team effort.
Communication is key to making the most of dragging all your enemies to one spot for
just a moment so your allies can erase them with damage of their own.
(Casting)
Sometimes, it’s all about what you don’t see.
Akuma’s Raging demon takes number three on our list thanks to just how iconic it is.
(Gameplay)
Raging Demon may not be the strongest finishing move in Street Fighter history, but there’s
nothing cooler than watching Akuma dash to an opponent and maul them in the shadows.
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You’re left to imagine just how badly Akuma is beating into them, and when it ends, all
you see is their body lying on the ground, with Akuma posing over them.
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It’s also provided some of competitive Street Fighter’s coolest moments, including Infiltration
dominating his opponents at Evo 2012 with some of the clutchest, fastest Raging Demons ever
(Casting)
And Tokido popping off at Evo 2017 with an IRL Demon of his own.
(Casting)
Heroes never die.
The only reason Mercy’s Resurrect isn’t number one on this list is because its early
iteration was so so strong that Blizzard had to nerf it down to a regular ability.
(Gameplay)
Before it was nerfed, Rez was perhaps the most meta-defining ultimate of all time, and
was so strong, it essentially put other support characters out of a job.
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Sure, healing is nice, but there’s nothing more powerful than bringing multiple allies
back to life after your opponents wasted health and cooldowns trying to kill them.
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And even though Mercy’s new Rez only targets one ally, it’s still invaluable in fights.
Seems like a good ultimate never dies either.
(Casting)
Taking first place is the strongest Ultimate we can think of: Enigma’s Black Hole from Dota 2.
(Casting)
Black Hole, like its crowd control cousins, defines the pace of a teamfight, how your
enemies position themselves around you and can decide entire games.
(Casting)
Unlike Chronosphere though, the perfect Black Hole doesn’t necessarily require teamwork.
Instead, hitting a clean Black Hole is all about individual skill.
Positioning, timing, foresight, every key teamfighting skill Dota tests you on is on
display in a good Black Hole,
(Casting)
and since it doesn’t affect your teammates, the solo queue randos can’t even mess it up.
(Stream)
Well guys, that's out list. Now it's time to use your YouTuber ultimate ability
which is commenting on this video, and telling us all the things we got wrong.
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