Re-watching the 2016 Winter Finals and seeing the old Ironguard, healing bears, and Halcyon Potions brings back so much nostalgia 
Even if e-sports did not bring in enough players it made us active players feel like the game was so much more lively. Winter 2016 was probably one of my favorite seasons, especially with the GW Fort background in the menu. I was tier 7 gold during my peak at that time and I thought at that rank I was in the higher tiers and thought I was actually good cause of it lmao. I remember playing VG with my friends from my intro to engineering class who taught me the bare basics of MOBAs when I first started. They even gave me a little test about MOBA terms like ganking. Good times
EDIT: And there were the crystal mines that buffed your lane with you having the ability to steal both. It was so snowbally lmao
Oh and rose trail. I also remember this was the era of Brokefeather Mk I I think
Also Toph was THE god tier roamer at the time kek