I've been revisiting anno 2205, infamously the ugly duckling of the Anno series of RTS games. I don't mind so much the fact that it's different, lacks customisation and random map generation - I'm bothered because the game is so slow to progress through on challenge settings, and it feels like a game designed just to artificially waste your time; in other anno games, you can always pull tricks to dig yourself out of economic crisis - selling off assets and surplus goods, completing quests for other parties, or taking loans. 2205 is very very confined in terms of what you can do to financially recover in the early game and forces you into a lot of military events.
I think DOTA2 came quite a long way from the cheese factory that was the original WC3 map packs.
I actually went with a friend to a tournament, and was genuinely impressed at how the game felt watchable in a way you'd hope for a football or basketball game to be entertainment. The gameplay was fast-paced and full of reversals. The announcers helped fill in what a newb wouldn't immediately know about different builds and strategies. You got a steady buildup of excitement into those final minutes, when a timely save or kill could swing the match. Even the creep farming had a bit of tension, as you watch the teams race for the upper hand.
MOBAs were a natural fit for eSports. I get why it took off. Shame it hasn't endured.
This reminded me of how into RTS games I was when MOBAs really hit. I was deep into Company of Heroes, even involved with official patches and mapmaking. Definitely some bitter jealously at the mobas after that whole effort crashed and burned for us, in retrospect.