Yes, Flash is still the best player. He's destroying everyone he comes across right now, there is no question that he's the current number one. Its looking like someone will have to dethrone this kid for him to move.
Jaedong is still #2, even though his play lately has been a liiiiiiiiiiittle shaky. Missing out on OSL is pretty bad, but as far as I'm concerned, forgivable. Especially considering that this is the only 'bad' performance Jaedong has had in months. He's still a strong contendor for another MSL title, and as always, a proleague monster.
Mind rises because there are no candidates more worthy of this spot. Mind is in both leagues, getting there by the skin of his teeth as is apparently customary. Mind is a great player, a genuine threat in any league he's in right now.
Kal's spot this month isnt really 'undeserved', but it wouldn't be fair to say he got this high this month completely by his own hand. A certain other protoss playing like TOTAL ASS has significantly changed the makeup of the top slots. Regardless, Kal is playing pretty good. We'll probably see him go decently far in one of the leagues, but I still don't see a champion.
Sea advanced through his OSL group, qualified for MSL easily, and is currently 3-1 in ProLeague. What more can you ask for? Sea is playing great right now. I wish his TvP would be a little more stable, but Sea is a heavy favourite against any Terran or Zerg that he plays right now, regardless of play style. Can he advance past the round of 16 in the individual leagues? Tune in next month to find out!
Look who it is! The worst Protoss in the world! Jangbi is a scumbag and a liar, but I GUESS he is playing pretty good. UGH. SIGH.
Really though, Jangbi had something of a breakout last MSL and he's at the top of his game right now. He can be classified as a 'dangerous opponent', and all signs indicate that we haven't seen the best Jangbi will put out.
Despite Luxury's massive, massive failure against Stork last OSL, I'm not ready to give up on him just yet. He's 2-0 in ProLeague and currently in both OSL and MSL. We'll see how he performs in the individual leagues again, and then I can move him in either direction accordingly. Right now, all thats evident is that he's playing worse than everyone above him, but with only two games since his awful performance against Stork, its impossible to give him the boot completely.
Have you checked out this character? Turns out he's pretty damn good. Best is the sort of sleeper that will surprise people in the coming months. He is definitely, at worst, a hazard for anyone in his OSL group. I really like Best's play, he's intuitive and vicious. Welcome to the Power Rank, kiddo. Someone thinks you're good! Hurray!
Maybe if Bisu had MADE IT OUT OF HIS FUCKING MSL GROUP WITH A ZERG AND TWO INSURANCE TERRANS, he'd have a better spot on the PR. Maybe if he wasn't PLAYING LIKE HE BROKE ALL HIS FINGERS WITH A HAMMER, he would have gone farther in MSL. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Bisu sucks right now, but only worse than the eight people above him. The Protoss revolutionist isn't completely out of gas yet, but damn he needs a refuel.
This spot actually goes to Stork, but it makes me infinitely happier to put some fat dummy on the list instead.
Let me break it down real easy: STORK SUCKS. Stork has sucked for AGES, but apparently only I had noticed. Stork's games the last few months have basically been nothing but a shitstorm of terrible games against Terran. Every game he either gets completely worked, or he does some retarded proxy robo carrier rush extreme dt bullshit that doesn't even work half the time, whether the terran scouts it or not. YOU SUCK STORK. I can't wait for him to get rolled in OSL (but not in MSL because he didn't qualify!) so I can actually drop him for real.
Holy hell, Flash has been fucking incredible this past month. Flash and Jaedong have played ten games in the last little while, in three different leagues. The total score of all those games is 5-5. Flash is the only player currently capable of consistantly hanging with Jaedong, and unlike most other Terrans, Flash is currently nigh unbeatable TvP. I don't think anyone can really argue this one, and personally I'd prefer Jaedong in the top slot, but I just can't deny Flash's performance. Despite being knocked out of MSL by Jaedong, Flash won the GSI over Stork, and has secured his first ever OSL Final.
Jaedong is still unstoppable, unless you're Flash. Jaedong's dead-even combat with Flash has been a real treat for StarCraft fans everywhere, barring maybe the exchange of tired cheeses in the GSI. With both players playing better than everyone else by such a large margin, the simple turning point of Jaedong and Flash's placement was Jaedong's poor decisions against Flash's metal build on Katrina. Such a small detail, but entirely important in seperating number one from number two. In every other respect, Jaedong has looked as fiesty as ever
Though he's had fewer televised games, Luxury has been looking strong as hell. In his first OSL, he is yet to lose a single game. This placement may look a little high, but if you watch his OSL games and read my comments about a certain Protoss, I think you'll agree.
Stork is still winning, I guess. My problem with Stork is that his latest games have absolutely nothing that would set him apart from every other Protoss out there. His series in the GSI final against Flash was solid, but every other game Stork has played recently is either a proxy something or a carrier rush. Just like every other Protoss. Stork's incredible macro has not shined once in recent weeks, because instead of showing his skill he has been taking easy wins on easy maps with the same bullshit much shittier Protoss players use. With Luxury on the warpath, I would wager that Stork will not make it to the OSL final alive. As with Flash, Luxury is currently playing at a level that transcends proxies, and you can't carrier rush in PvZ. We'll see what happens in the OSL semifinal, but with Stork's uninspired, lazy games, I feel this placement is completely justified.
All right, good job. Any second-tier player trying to break into first-tier status should be expected to win handily over weak opponents on favourable maps, and that's exactly what Kal has done. Kal is, admittedly, pretty damn good at PvZ, which will make this MSL final somewhat interesting. Kal will need to beat Jaedong in order to preserve this spot on the Power Rank, which, considering his relatively easy path through MSL, is really nothing more than a courtesy. Now is the time to man up, and we'll have to wait and see what Kal brings to see if he really belongs up here.
Mind got his skull caved in by Jaedong. He's still on the Rank because he's only really lost that one series lately, and his GSI performance wasn't too tragic. I mean, his performance was better than everyone below him, so how would it be fair to give him a different spot?
Bisu has been doing all right. Not phenomenal, not terrible. He did make it through groups in GSI, and to the OSL semifinal, but along the way he got completely manhandled by Flash, Iris, and Sea. He hasn't been playing at either extreme of the spectrum, just right in the middle. A middle spot on the Power Rank is a good fit for him, and his progression one direction or another is completely up to him.
Anytime is currently doing something Anytime has never done before. He's playing better than most, but not dominating. Anytime has always been a big hit or a terrible miss. Currently, he has qualified for the upcoming OSL and MSL, destroyed Stork in the ProLeague Grand Final, and put on a respectable showing at the GSI. No league titles, but nothing to frown at.
Much is being demoted to the 9th spot due to his poor performance past the group stages of GSI and OSL. It's like the steamrolling, badass motherfucker that slaughtered his OSL and GSI groups took a vacation, and left a confused old man on his own, trying to figure out what all these moving colors on the screen are. He played BAD. But, there are new leagues coming, and he's already qualified for one of them. If he makes it through ODT, he's got another chance at the big time.
Well, I didn't want to put Sea back on the rank until he did something better than what he usually does. Unfortunately, there is just no one more deserving of this spot. Sea destroyed his GSI group and qualified for the next MSL in two completely one-sided games. He looked fucking good while he did it, too. When he got to the GSI round of 8, however, he ran into Stork. Stork promptly proxy robo'd him on Blue Storm, and then carrier rushed on Katrina, and Sea was back out on the street. We watched Flash walk all over Stork later in the tournament, so no forgiveness here. Still, there are new leagues coming, and another season of ProLeague is bound to begin soon. We'll see what happens!
Lordy, lordy, the new king is still on his throne. Jaedong is looking incredible right now. His only loss in his entire OSL and MSL run so far has been a single game to Best in which he tried some wierd all-in on the terrible map Demon's Forest. Every other game Jaedong has played has been complete domination from start to finish, the likes of which we haven't seen since the heyday of the Maestro.
Stork didn't make MSL, but that happened months ago. He went 3-0 in his OSL group with apparent ease, though, looking strong as ever. Stork is still a force to be reckoned with, and he'll need to show some form of weakness besides his PvZ to make him fall, because his PvZ doesn't seem to be holding him back right now. Maybe its fortunate that the only Zerg Stork has had to play recently is Rumble. Nevertheless, his PvP and PvT are the best around.
Mind is doing very well. His win percentage isn't stellar, but he isn't crashing and burning in his MSL title defense, and he bulldozed the offline qualifiers on his way to OSC. Everyone should be watching this guy, because I get the distinct impression that he ain't done yet.
Speaking of bulldozers, you might as well paint Much yellow and put a fat lazy union worker on his back. Every one of Much's matchups look solid as hell right now, and he's on a 5-game winning streak. He has a tough road ahead of him in OSL, so we'll be able to see exactly where Much fits in with the three players above him.
Flash is looking strong too. Since dropping off the rank months ago and reappearing in January, Flash has done nothing but win. Win, Win, Win. Awkward losses to Stork and Rock in his OSL group were quickly rectified by the utter mutilation of the tiebreaker. Flash is now in the round of 8 in BOTH leagues, though his opponent is Jaedong in either case. This will be yet another massive test for the little man, who's had quite an unfortunate list of opponents in his short individual league career.
Damn, where the hell did Luxury come from? He slaughtered his MSL round of 32 group, he massacred his OSL group 3-0. The only black mark on Luxury's resume for the last month is his loss in MSL to Jaedong, but since it seems apparent that EVERYONE loses to Jaedong right now, we can hardly hold it against him. Luxury has finally outshone his brother somewhere other than ProLeague, and with a shmuck for an opponent in the OSL Round of 8, things are looking up.
Bisu ain't dead yet - but he sure pissed me off. Bisu lost two consecutive PvZs in an MSL Round of 32 group of his own creation. On top of that, he got destroyed by Luxury and July in his OSL group. What saved him was the complete domination of Xellos and July in the group's tiebreaker matches. Bisu still has the gumption to make it out of groups, and with Much as his first opponent, he certainly has his work cut out for him. Resurgence? Failure? Tune in next month to find out!
All right! What started off as a joke in the ProLeague updates I wrote can now be laid to rest. Here's the deal: I don't hate Kal. I never have. At this moment in time, Kal is showing that he desperately wants to be something more than an average, second-rate protoss. He's made the semifinal of the current MSL in convincing fashion, so now my unfair hatred has a new target. FUCK YOU, JANGBI. YOU SUCK.
Anytime's ridiculous loss to Nada in MSL is what kept him from being placed any higher than this spot. Aside from that, Anytime has looked pretty good. He hasn't lost a single game in the ProLeague playoffs this season, and he easily qualified for OSC. Anytime seems to have the puzzle almost put together, but until he finds the last few pieces he won't be hefting any trophies.
The last spot goes to Light because Light has been... well... he's been all right. He was on the rank last month, and with a passable performance in January, he preserves his Power Rank prowess for another month. I've got my eye on Light, because he seems to play really well one moment and then just terribly the next. Maybe some consistancy will follow with these repeated league qualifications he's gathering.
The only thing keeping Jaedong down these last few months was his hapless ZvP. He's unquestionably the strongest ZvZ and ZvT player around, and during games 3 and 4 of his OSL final victory over Stork, he looked damn good at ZvP too. Jaedong has fewer medals, but right now he's playing a more complete game than Bisu. Jaedong is the best goddamned player in the world.
Bisu lost to Stork in the OSL Semifinal, but the two of them are still neck-and-neck in the race for the Best Protoss crown. Bisu may have lost to Stork, but the list of players that dominate Bisu is very short. He still seems incapable of losing to Zerg, and with his MSL group containing nothing but, he's in good position. Bisu's high finishes in both OSL and MSL trump Stork this month, because Bisu is still just playing better.
Oh, Stork. Stork is STILL completely useless against Zerg. His performance against Jaedong was abysmal; he wasn't even in control of the single game he won. To top that off, Stork didn't make MSL. He got stomped by Ruby and Luxury. Is that any way to finish the month? A terrible performance on the biggest stage, and then losses to second-rate chumps in Survivor? Stork's opportunity to prove himself a champion and not just a grinning nerd is slowly slipping through his fingers.
Mind hasn't had a busy month. He's played nothing but ProLeague, and has won more than he's lost. Mind's real test will be his performance in the new MSL, but for now I can't credit or discredit him with anything I didn't already know, so he'll stay put this month. Mind's games are still very entertaining, and he still seems always on the verge of getting his face stomped in before he wins. He reminds me a lot of Iris, and if he can borrow some of Iris' execution finesse he'll be a major Terran force.
Maybe his wins aren't the prettiest, and maybe he doesn't have the greatest win:loss ratio, but Much is on fire. He played 18 games in December. He won OSC through a difficult bracket, with a 3-2 win over Sea to cap it off. He might be 10-8 for the month, but numbers lie. Much is getting the job done, and is looking like a strong contendor wherever he plays right now.
Sea is on fire too. Like Much, he played 18 games in December. Sea went 12-6, with half of his losses coming from his 2-3 loss to Much. On his way to the OSC final he even wrecked poor UpMagic in a strong display of dropship chess and veteran patience. Sea is in MSL and has favorable matchups in his ODT group. Sea deserves this spot for his great play this month, but a strong performance in at least one of the major tournaments will be needed to maintain position.
Savior is standing on his last legs in this Power Rank. He only had 3 games in December, so I'm wary of moving him any further. He's a seed in MSL and if he can conquer his difficult ODT group, he'll look a lot stronger in my eyes. Right now, Savior is definitely slipping. What I can't tell right now is how far, and whether its permanent. Savior is hard to put my finger on, and hopefully the coming month will give us some definitive answers about the future of Ma Jae Yoon.
I don't like him, you don't like him... Maybe some of you like him, I dunno. That doesn't matter. What matters is that Flash is playing really, really good. Straight wins, too. No cheese from the kid in quite a while. Flash cruised easily into both leagues this season, so we'll see what he can do. Gotta give credit where it's due, even if Flash does look vaguely like a confused fish.
Light is still looking pretty good. His loss to Jaedong in OSL is the only game in recent memory where he looked completely outclassed. he's only 2-2 in December, but the games were decent. He's in MSL and ODT, so he has ample chances to prove himself. He's already one of the strongest Terrans around, but he'll need some results to back that up pretty quick.
Hello, old friend! Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Seo Ji Hoon. Motherfucking XELLOS. Xellos is in both leagues with a Semifinal MSL appearance and a quick 2-0 of his ODT group. Xellos is starting to look fucking good again and it gives me warm, happy feelings down in my gut. And a little farther down, if you know what I mean. We can only hope this isn't yet another flash-in-the-pan veteran resurgence, like the ones poor rA has been pulling out lately. If Xellos is getting his game back, the whole world is in trouble.
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah. Bisu wears his crown so fashionably. Yes, he lost to Mind, but that is the only series in the last three months wherein he didn't play like the best goddamned player on earth. His heroic comeback in game 2 of his series against Savior and his brutal domination of the third knocked the wind out of any doubt that Bisu is anything but the reigning world champ.
Savior lost to Mind too, but he also pushed Bisu farther than Bisu has ever been pushed in a PvZ series. Watch the second and third games of the Savior/Bisu series and honestly tell me that any other Protoss in the world could have won those games. You can't, because no other Protoss could. Savior's ZvT remains suspect only because he used to be untouchable, but had he sealed up the series against Bisu, we'd have seen a Savior OSL Final appearance without a shadow of a doubt. There's no player that has performed as consistantly this month, besides Bisu of course.
Stork grabs the third spot because he's had a good month. He breezed through his OSL group and dismantled the little babyface Flash once again. After bringing Bisu so close to destruction in their MSL final meeting, it's ridiculous to think Stork stands no chance in their upcoming OSL semifinal match. Like the players above him, Stork will have to be knocked off in order to fall significantly.
Ahhh, Jaedong. This is Jaedong's OSL breakout. He creamed Light, and with Hwasin gone, he's basically a lock for the OSL final. This is the draw we've been waiting to see this little man mangle. If he can step up his ZvP and if Stork takes out Bisu, Jaedong has a legitimate chance at the OSL title. A loss or two in ProLeague amidst preparation for OSL doesn't fool me.
Last month I said I had my eye on Mania and Mind. I called for them to step up and show me something incredible. Mind answered that call. His macro isn't earth-shattering, his micro isn't mind-boggling, but Mind's game sense is top fucking notch. He proved to me (and everyone else) that he's a force to be reckoned with, and if he can show me this isn't just a flash in the pan, Mind has nowhere to go but up. For now he sits below Jaedong, because there's very little that suggests Mind would be capable of standing in his way.
Hwasin hasn't been playing as well as we're accustomed to. Still, you'd be a fool to think he isn't going to wreck everyone that stands in the way of another MSL/OSL double berth. It's too early to tell if this is a bump in the road or the beginning of a downfall, and while it sure ain't pretty, Hwasin is still currently one of the best Terrans on the planet.
UpMagic, like Mind, needed to show something special to break into the Power Rank. He certainly did just that. Not only did he beat Hwasin, but he beat Hwasin with solid, standard play. Game 3 of their series is the best TvT I've ever seen UpMagic play. However, Hwasin would fare a much better chance against Jaedong than UpMagic can hope for, and he's still useless against Protoss. Since this is Power Rank, not Who-Won-The-Series Rank, UpMagic sits lower than Hwasin because Hwasin's TvZ and TvP are fearsome. Credit is due, however. UpMagic's elevated play against Hwasin in an OSL round of 8 earns him his spot on the Power Rank. Only time will tell if his success is fleeting.
All right, let's face it. Light got mangled by Jaedong. His saving grace is that any Terran would probably get mangled by Jaedong. This was a fairly successful OSL run on Light's part, and with a different draw its entirely possible that he would have advanced further. A loss against impossible odds won't make me give up on Light just yet, though he'll have to remain competitive to retain this spot.
I said Sea would mangle his OSC group, and he did. There isn't a single player left in OSC that could sensibly be called a favorite over Sea, because his play right now is devastating. Sea's ProLeague presence isn't as big this season, which leads me to believe there is much more preparation going into his individual league performances. He'll need results to climb the Rank, but a Power Rank without Sea would just be foolish with how good he's playing right now.
I loathe using TLPD stats to enforce Power Rank spots, but I feel this is worth mentioning: Much is on a ten game winning streak, dating back to early October. 5-0 in November, Much is playing like he's hungry for OSL group stages once again. His games were agaisnt Chalrenge, GoGo, free, Stork, and GoRush. Not the best of the best, but hardly third-rate chumps. The most important thing to note is that Much's overall play is better than everyone except the nine players above him. It wouldn't be fair to give the tenth spot to anyone else.
This is a no-brainer. Bisu is still 'bonjwa'. Bisu is still the best goddamn player on earth. If you disagree with this selection, I have one simple question for you: Are your parents blood related?
Hwasin was another easy choice. I keep waiting for Hwasin to plateau, but it just hasn't happened yet. Hwasin even had Bisu's back against the wall in MSL. He's the only player currently capable of giving Bisu so much hell in a series, and for that he's a lock in the second spot.
The word 'slump' gets thrown around a lot at TL, but the simple fact remains that Savior is still playing great. It's very likely he'll make a sixth MSL finals appearance this season, and he's 2-0 in his OSL group. For performing so well in both leagues, I can't give him any worse than spot #3.
Stork in spot 4 is logical. The top four on this Power Rank are a cut above everyone else in ProGaming right now, but Stork's loss to Savior in MSL means he stays a spot below him. Stork's PvZ still plagues him, but his other matchups are still top-notch. Regardless of his early MSL exit, Stork is qualified to the OSL round of 8, and still looks strong as ever.
Through the month of October, Jaedong went 5-0. That's right, he didn't lose a single game. On top of that he's on a ZvT hot streak that dates back to July, amassing 13 consecutive wins. Jaedong's ZvP is still a concern, but his ZvT and ZvZ are so untouchable right now that anything lower than top 5 is an insult to his ability.
Iris hasn't done anything to show me that he's not in top shape. Despite a loss to SangHo on Protoss-friendly maps in the MSL qualifications, Iris is still baring his teeth. His OSL group is the 'group of death', containing Light, Hwasin, and July. If he fails to make it out of the group, he'll have to really turn it on in November to maintain his spot on December's Power Rank, but right now no one can find a legitimate fault in his play. All signs still point to Yes on Iris' OSL road.
Light gains a few spots because of his relative MSL success and his 2-0 status in his OSL group. Though he'll be hard-pressed to escape his group over Iris or Hwasin, he's playing very well. I'll admit his losses to Kwanro looked bad, but let's not forget he beat GoRush and Lucifer to get there in the first place. Besides the hiccup against Kwanro (that's what we're calling it, for now), Light has elevated his play since last month. Moreso than the next guy on the list.
I can hear you asking, "FakeSteve, why isn't Free higher than Light? Free beat his MSL Round of 16 opponent!" Yeah, he did. He beat Lomo, but it took three games, and he looked like shit while he did it. Game 1 was such a drubbing that we should be able to expect Free to take Lomo out in a similar manner in game 2. Instead he played like he'd lost his fingers in a threshing accident. Afterwards, he was thoroughly embarassed by Savior. Free is under Light because despite his statistically better MSL performance, Light was in both leagues, and is still playing great in OSL. Gotta give some credit though, which is why Free climbs to spot #8.
I can hear even more people saying, "Oh FakeSteve, why is Sea on the Power Rank? He lost in MSL Round of 32!" Yeah, he did. However, he played an amazing game against July, and performed exponentially better against Kwanro's slick ZvT build order than Light did. On top of that, Sea is 5-1 in the current ProLeague, and everything in his game says he'll destroy OSC with ease. Sea has a lower spot than free and Light because they admittedly went farther in MSL, but no one with a lick of sense can say that Sea isn't playing exceptionally well right now.
Ohhhh, this one is going to ring some alarms. Anytime is 8-1 in ProLeague right now, and is the largest reason his team Lecaf has a perfect 8-0 record. Anytime is playing fantastically; he's destroying everyone he comes across with style and grace. If you aren't clear on why Anytime gets this spot over GGPlay, watch Anytime's ProLeague wins, and then watch GGPlay's game against Shudder. That ought to clear it up for you. Anytime will have an easy run qualifying for OSL, and if he keeps the form he showed through October, he'll go very far in the next tournament. Remember, this is Power Rank, not The List Of People Who Qualified For OSL/MSL Two Months Ago.
As excited as everyone likes to get over a stray loss or two, the fact remains that Bisu is still the best player in the world. Beyond being the two-time, defending MSL champion, he is into the Ro16 of the MSL and started off the OSL with an embarrassingly one-sided win over GGPlay.
Hwasin is 18-6 since August, with huge wins over huge opponents and a WCG Korea title. But WCG Korea is not a Starleague, and Hwasin has yet to prove himself as a player who can take down the best of the best when the stakes are at their highest. That caveat aside, Hwasin is playing better than he ever has. He’s even showing the stylistic flickers of intense brilliance that define a star, moments like his “goliath bomb” against Light in their epic TvT.
Savior’s suffered some difficult losses as of late, but they’re been against the cream of the crop, players like Sea, Hwasin, Light, and Flash. Looking at the big picture, Savior is into the MSL Ro16 and 1-0 in the OSL, to say nothing of his third-place finish at WCG Korea. It’s hard to fault a player over a few losses when he’s posting such consistent results.
I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone when Stork beat July and lost to Hwasin at WCG Korea, but that doesn’t change the fact that Stork is 12-6 since August with easy wins in the MSL and OSL.
Iris is a huge question mark for me this month. He’s only played six major games since his OSL loss to GGPlay, but I can’t help but remark upon the fact that he missed the MSL with an 0-2 loss to SangHo[Shield] in the very first round of the offline qualifiers. Losses like that don’t inspire much in the way of confidence. I don’t mean to slight SangHo—he’s very good, to be honest—but Iris is a perennial Starleague contender; we have to hold him to a higher standard.
Putting GGPlay at the #6 slot this month feels like an insult to him, but in reality, it’s a testament to how good the top four look at the moment. If GGPlay wants to retain such a high slot in the Power Rank, however, he’s going to have to show stronger play than he did against Bisu. GGPlay has never been a strong ZvP player, but a domination of that magnitude is bound to raise some eyebrows.
With his staggering Proleague record, respectable WCG performance, and spot in the MSL, Sea was an easy choice for the #7 slot this month. What concerns me about Sea, however, is that his MSL group consists of three hyper-aggressive Zergs. Sea could find himself in trouble if he continues to rely upon his fast expansion builds.
Jaedong is ZvT. If someone asked me to define ZvT while I was watching Jaedong play, I would simply point to the screen and say, “That’s it right there. That’s the definition of the matchup.” Jaedong is 10-0 in his last ten ZvTs, with wins over Boxer, Xellos, Light, and Hwasin. He executes in a way that no other Zerg has managed to mimic. Jaedong’s problem, however, is that his ZvP is atrocious. But he’s in luck! There are only three Protosses in the OSL, and neither Stork nor Rock is known for his PvZ prowness. As long as he manages to avoid Bisu, Jaedong could make an enormous splash this season.
Light has looked amazing since July, going 11-6 with losses only to Savior, Bisu, Hwasin, Jaedong… and Rock. And in that same frame of time, Light has beaten Savior, Bisu, and Hwasin. He's also in both Starleagues. Could this be the season in which Light realizes his full potential?
With his strong showing at WCG and easy move into the Ro16 of the MSL, Free is deserving of the #10 slot this month. My problem with Free is his consistency. Though I shudder at the thought, Free reminds me of a Protoss version of Midas; he’s as likely to beat himself as he is the other player.
By this point, I sincerely hope that all doubts regarding Bisu have been put to rest. Yes, his PvT could use a tweaking. Okay, his Proleague record isn’t great. Alright, Flash managed to eke out a 2-0, cheese win against him. But is he the best player in the world right now? Without question.
Iris has shown that he is among the very best in the world in all three Terran matchups, something that no one, aside from oov and Nada, has ever been able to claim (you could make a case for Xellos and Boxer, but I wouldn’t). Beyond putting Iris in truly elite company, that puts him at the #2 slot for this month.
Time and time again, I’ve been the person championing GGPlay’s skills. It’s no secret that I think highly of his play or that I’ve thought highly of it for a very long time. This month would have been the perfect excuse to put GGPlay in the #2 slot if I’d wanted to. I mean, he won an OSL! He beat Iris! But when I look at GGPlay in relation to the players above him, there’s no doubt in my mind that Bisu and Iris are the better-rounded, stronger players at the moment.
Stork has really disappointed me in these past months. His record is astonishing, to be sure, but when the stakes have been at their highest, Stork has crumbled—twice. I still view Stork as a top-tier player with the world’s best PvT, but is he a championship player? I used to think so. I’m not so sure anymore.
Nothing’s happened to change my opinion about Hwasin. He’s been consistent in the Proleague, and it took the eventual winners of both the OSL and MSL to oust him from the two Starleagues.
Savior is still a very strong player. I don’t see many people arguing that point. What needs to be mentioned, however, is that Savior is no longer the Jesus Zerg. He no longer has a sixth, anti-cheese sense. If you nail him to a cross (metaphorically speaking, of course), he might not come back faster, stronger, and more alive than ever. He’s still strong, though, and I don’t want to see any more people screaming “SLUMP!” when “all” he’s done lately is make both Starleagues—again.
Even with his horrible, horrible series against Rock, Jaedong is 21-6 since June, and he just made his first OSL. Remembering his games of past and looking at his games of present has led me to two conclusions: his ZvT is world-class, and his ZvP needs work. And for once, the statistics support my opinion! Jaedong’s winning percentages by matchup are as follows: 66.67% ZvT, 78.26% ZvZ, and a mere 50% ZvP. Does Jaedong have what it takes to overcome an OSL-caliber Protoss? Or with only two Protosses currently in the OSL (and the potential for only two more), will he even have to worry about them?
After his uninspired performances against GGPlay and Stork, one might have thought that Flash was nothing but hype. I, for one, don’t think much of his late-game management—or even his mid-game management. But given Flash’s age and the fact that he just cruised into both Starleagues, he deserves a low slot in the Power Rank.
Sea’s recent performances have been too strong to ignore. He’s a staggering 16-5 in the Proleague, and his OSC run was stopped by a 1-2 loss to Jaedong, who’s looked practically unbeatable ZvT as of late (he’s 9-1, losing only that single game to Sea, in his last 10 ZvTs). Even with strong ODT and Survivor groups standing in his way, Sea is a heavy favorite to advance into both Starleagues.
After watching his series against oov and Savior (and GGPlay in the 2006 ShinHan 3 OSL), I am convinced that FirebatHero has two legitimate matchups, though TvT is clearly his best. Watching Stork and Rock disrespect him, however, caused me to review both his TvP and his career TvP record, and neither is pretty. With few exceptions, FirebatHero only wins against weak opponents or on advantageous maps. Then there’s his recent 0-2 performance in the ODT to consider. This #10 slot is a gift to honor the memory of his consistent, strong play. If FirebatHero wants to stick around next month, he’s going to have to turn things around.
After he trounced GoRush, I knew I had to keep Bisu at the #1 slot for this month. And the reason for that—I’ll go into even more depth later—is that I don’t think Stork would have stood a chance against GoRush in that series. Both Bisu and Stork are hot right now, and I’ll even admit that Stork is on more of a tear; his record’s a little better, anyway. (Stork is 36-16 since March. Bisu is 31-15 in that same span of time). But a strong Zerg could have derailed Stork’s tear at any point, and that’s exactly what happened. At this point in time, Bisu would be the favorite, or at least be given relatively even odds, against just about any player in the world. That’s not something you can say about Stork; his PvZ doesn’t allow it.
I had an incredibly difficult time choosing whether Bisu or Stork should hold the #1 slot this month, and it came down to this: Stork got lucky. Bisu didn’t. By all rights, Stork should not still be in the MSL. He lost 0-2 to Savior in the Ro16, and at no point in those two games did he show any degree of feel for PvZ; he looked bad. But Oversky joined the military, and Stork managed to wriggle his way back into the Ro8.
Bisu didn’t get that chance. He lost to two cheese builds in a row, and just like that, he was out of the OSL. Stork’s record as of late is beastly, but I can’t in good conscience bump Bisu, the reigning MSL champion and most well-rounded Protoss player in the world, from his perch until he starts to falter in his play or someone clearly better rears his head, and neither has happened—not yet, anyway.
I’ll come out and say it: Iris looked unimpressive in the group stages of this OSL. Reach demolished him, and he looked sloppy in his win against Shark. It’s as if, when he arrived in the Ro8 and saw Savior attempting to block his path, he screamed, “NEVER AGAIN,” and immediately started practicing 20 hours a day. He underwent a complete transformation in the course of a single week.
Iris is 15-3 since May, but more than that, he eliminated Savior and Stork from the OSL. Respectively—and there’s not much room for debate on this—those two are the strongest ZvT and PvT players in the world. And the craziest part is that Iris is best-known for his TvT.
Even with his loss to Stork in one of the uglier Bo5s I’ve ever seen, FirebatHero is on such an amazing tear that denying him his rightful slot in the Power Rank would be criminal. FirebatHero is 22-9 since April, advancing to the semifinals of the MSL and holding a 9-1 Proleague record in that time.
After watching Savior’s recent performances and discussing the matter with Hot_Bid, I’ve come to the following conclusion: while Savior might not have “it” anymore (Hot_Bid called it “the magic”), he’s still the best Zerg in the world. Losing to FirebatHero in that fashion and dropping a couple games against the new, methamphetamine-charged Iris doesn’t change that, even if those games eliminated him from both Starleagues. Savior is still 13-10 since May against the stiffest possible competition, and he made the quarterfinals of both Starleagues.
Like Savior, Hwasin lost in the quarterfinals of both Starleagues, but unlike some people, he lost each series by only a single game and looked pretty darn strong regardless of the result. Hwasin is 22-12 since April, and he recently triumped over the new Terran golden boy, Flash, in the Proleague.
Trying to place Flash in this month’s Power Rank was a frustrating experience for me. On the one hand, his record is incredible, but on the other hand, I can make an “excuse” for every one of his wins. Many of his wins are against players who are weak vT. Others involve favorable maps or cheese builds. Then there was his recent Bo3 against Bisu, which didn’t reflect much in the way of confidence despite his 2-0 win. Still, with an unprecedented career record of 15-3 and losses to only Savior, Boxer, and Hwasin, Flash is getting results. I know he has some skill, but Flash isn't making it easy for me to figure out just how much.
Although GGPlay’s Proleague record is a less than spectacular 5-10, he looked good against Hwasin, who’s one of the premier TvZ players in the world. GGPlay is 10-4 ZvT since April, which doesn’t bode well for Flash, his opponent in the OSL semifinals.
Sea confounds me. His career record of 74-42 puts him among the elite of StarCraft (with his recent wins, Sea now has the highest career winning percentage of any player with 50 or more televised games), and yet he hasn’t managed to advance past the quarterfinals of a Starleague. Still, with a 15-5 Proleague record and his easy victories in the OSC, Sea is deserving of a low slot in the Power Rank.
Bisu’s recent Proleague results have been abysmal, especially for a player of his caliber. But then there are his Starleague results, which have been impressive. Until Bisu starts looking like a player who doesn’t have the potential to win both Starleagues, I have no choice but to keep him in the top slot.
If Savior’s “slump” ever really existed, it’s over now. Savior looks like he could cruise through the MSL Ro16 and is 2-0 in the OSL. Like Bisu, a few losses in the Proleague aren’t enough to keep me from calling these two anything but the best.
Stork’s streak of domination just keeps going. He’s 18-5 since April. My only concern with Stork is his PvZ. Like Reach, it’s just never been his strongest matchup, and Stork is stuck facing, of all Zerg players, Savior in the MSL Ro16—and he’s currently down 0-1 in their Bo3. Luckily for Stork, the only thing keeping him from advancing from his OSL group—or being in a good position to advance, anyway—is a game against Casy, whose career record of 13-25 TvP is enough to make Boxer look like an ace in the matchup.
Manifesto7 put it best when he said, “Hwasin basically shit all over your last ranking.” And it’s true. Hwasin is 16-3 since April, and even worse, he’s managed to beat several Protoss players. I’ve been studying his games in an effort to figure out how he is posting such amazing statistics, and I’ve come to a startling conclusion: he’s really playing well.
Oov is still looking good. Though he’s lost a few tough games as of late, none of them—at least not yet—have kept him from advancing in the OSL and MSL. He’s currently 1-0 against Firebathero in the MSL Ro16, and he will advance to the OSL Ro8 if he manages to beat Flash. To top that off, oov is 3-1 in the Proleague.
Since we’re already talking about people who are 8-3 in the Proleague, it makes sense to discuss Sea. Beyond his Proleague results, however, Sea’s MSL performance has been impressive, and his loss to GoRush on the three-geyser, ZvT paradise that is Loki doesn’t change that; he is still the favorite to win that Bo3. As I noted last month, the only reason Sea missed the OSL was because of Reach pulling his now-typical heroics.
July’s recent play has been reminiscent of the July that we all remember, that hyper-aggressive, ultra-entertaining, chubby-cheeked little man. He hasn’t lost a game since his defeat in the ODT, and I have high hopes that his recent move to SKT1 will reinvigorate him even further.
GGPlay’s record as of late has been scattered—he’s only 10-8 since April—but his play in general has just looked good; it usually does. Add that to his 2-0 record in the OSL, and I’m willing to award him the #9 slot despite my reservations regarding his consistency.
I love Reach. I love him. But I didn’t want to put him in the Power Rank—not this month. Reach has looked untouchable in his PvTs as of late, but his other matchups have looked very… uh… touchable. He’s lost to Jy, Soo, and Nal_Rock in recent memory, which is enough to warrant severe reservations regarding his placement. But looking at the other candidates for this slot—and really, this applies to all of the bottom slots—there’s just not anyone who deserves it more.
Bisu is still the man—not in the same sense as Reach, but more in the sense of “he’s kicking everyone’s asses.” It’s unholy to actually look at: he’s 19-6 since he started his MSL tear by beating Light. Five of those losses were in PvT, but they’re been, except for Casy on Arcadia, against tough opponents on tough maps. Is PvT really Bisu’s Achilles’ heel, or is the evidence circumstantial?
Nada has played only three games since the Superfight, and he went 2-1, losing only to Stork. But the reason Nada has played so few games is that he’s already in both Starleagues.
As with Nada, Savior has played very few games lately—two, to be exact. He lost both of them, but they consisted of a ZvZ and a cannon rush from Nal_Ra. Ordinarily I’d overlook both of those losses, but Savior’s response to Ra’s cannon rush was sub-par. It took him too long to recognize and react to Ra’s initial pylon placement; he didn’t look like himself. He looked, dare I say, mortal. But again as with Nada, already being in both Starleagues earns you a lot of leniency in PR placement. Savior’s string of losses—which is being over-exaggerated by many, many people, by the way—would ordinarily bump a person down to Iris’ current spot, but it’s Savior; I’m going to give him the respect he deserves—but only this month.
It looks as if Boxer’s prophecy could finally come true: Stork is in both Starleagues and is an amazing 12-2 since March, beating, for the most part, top-tier competition in the form of Nada, Iris, GoodFriend, Reach, Yellow[Name], Anytime, and Jaedong. Beyond that, the maps this season look as if they might have some tiny degree of balance. All this bodes well for the big bird.
You’ve probably noticed: oov is on a tear. He went 7-2 in April, cruising into both Starleagues, and his 2v2 against MBC was impressive, to say the least. When someone is looking as strong as oov and getting results, my job suddenly becomes a very easy one.
Light has once again made both Starleagues, advancing to the OSL by way of the ODT and the MSL in light of—ha!—his performance last season. Although he is a Terran, I find his odd combination of TvZ and TvP skill intoxicating. Light is 9-4 since his loss to Hwasin in what will go down as the ugliest Bo3 to ever grace a Starleague, but there might be hope yet for his TvT; he beat oov and ForGG to advance to this OSL, and he’s 5-1 in his last six TvTs, all of which took place in April.
I don’t like keeping Ra on the list, well, in general, but it’s especially irritating when he hasn’t shown me any results. He only played three televised games in April, and while he won them all, two of those games were against Bifrost and Frozean[Name]—not exactly the cream of the crop. Then there’s his cannon rush against Savior, which doesn’t exactly show whether or not he’s still in top form. Beyond the above ambiguity, he’s not in the OSL. But like I’ve done for other players in the past, I’m giving Ra the benefit of the doubt and assuming that he will continue to disappoint me.
My feelings on Hwasin are well-documented, but I won’t fight with results for too long. He keeps winning, and as much as I might spout off about how Hwasin is a one-matchup wonder who keeps advancing sheerly because of advantageous maps, he is still advancing. He’s 7-1 since his 2-3 loss to Savior, losing only to Bisu.
Much not making it out of the ODT group of death was disappointing, to be sure, but when you’re a Protoss faced with the task of beating one of the best TvP trios in the world (Light, oov, and ForGG) on Arkanoid and/or Hitchhiker, chances are you’re going to come away disappointed. Much will, however, be present in the upcoming MSL. Similar to his teammate, Savior, I’m keeping a very close eye on Much. If he suffers any more losses, I’m not going to be so forgiving, especially not with the extensive list of worthy contenders outlined in the “close, but no cigar” section.
Since his 1-3 loss to Nada, Iris is 2-5, losing three TvTs—his ace matchup—in the process. And he’s not in the MSL. I try to avoid jumping on performance bandwagons whenever possible, but if Iris keeps this up, he’s going to be out of the Power Rank as quickly as he cruised into it.
Well, it happened: someone knocked Savior from his perch. I’m just not happy to do it under these circumstances. Bisu’s MSL victory came after the post-OSL slump of Savior, and the Superfight is a nothing tournament. So the piece of evidence that ultimately swayed my opinion was Bisu tearing through the OSL preliminaries. The guy isn’t losing—not to anyone—and when that’s the case, I don’t have much choice in placement. I just wish things were a little more clean-cut at this point. One thing I can conclusively say is that the trio of Nada, Bisu, and Savior is a notch above everyone else at the moment—a big notch.
I can already hear the Nada fans crying, but let me assure you that this was an incredibly difficult decision. Savior beat Nada on unfavorable maps in a prestigious tournament. Nada beat Savior on favorable maps in a less prestigious tournament. Savior lost to Bisu in the MSL finals. Nada didn’t make the MSL in the first place. And both players blew it in the Superfight. It was a tough call, but I think all but the most rabid fans can agree that it was probably the right one.
What really impressed me about Nada this past month, to be honest, wasn’t that he beat Savior. Hell, I was actually surprised, given the maps, that Savior beat Casy. No, what impressed me was Nada beating Iris in such stellar fashion. That win alone cemented him the #3 slot.
Losing to Nada was, well, unexpected, but Iris managed third place in the OSL and clean everyone’s clock in the Pre-Masters. That places him above Midas.
It’s a stale refrain, but there’s just not any evidence to suggest that Midas isn’t his usual, beastly self. Yeah, he lost to Iris, but what Terran—aside from Nada, apparently—doesn’t? The loss to Anytime was disappointing, but like I said above, the Superfight is really a nothing tournament.
I have faith in Much, which is why he hasn’t moved this month despite not playing a single game. That sentiment did not hold true for one person from last month.
I won’t lie and say that Ra’s Superfight performance was impressive, but despite his inconsistent style, Ra has posted consistent results for a long time.
Light is going to have a chance to show off his hopefully new and improved TvT against Shine, and he’s already in the MSL. I’m still holding out hope for Light to reach the whole of his potential, but my patience is not limitless.
Jangbi was one of the very first players to qualify for the upcoming MSL, and he cruised through the PSL on his way to the ODT. I’ve had an eye on him ever since he dismantled Chojja in the Survivor League, and he looks like another Bisu: no nonsense, huge skill. While he hasn’t accomplished enough in the major leagues to warrant this slot, he’s showing such potential that I’m willing to give him a low slot in this month of utter stagnation.
I’m taking a leap of faith on Jaedong. The guy has, as a said a long time ago, top-tier talent, and now that he’s in the MSL and has cruised into the ODT, I’m willing to take the plunge. Yes, I know that he made the MSL and the ODT last season and accomplished, well, nothing, but I have a feeling about his performance this season. It’s a vague and terrible thing to say, I know, but I’d rather go with a feeling than with Hwasin. Looking at Hwasin’s ODT group (three Zergs with weak ZvT and only one Protoss), though, I’ll probably have to make room for him next month. iloveoov was the smarter, safer call, but I'm tired of the older generation of players getting all the attention.
I know the 0-3 loss to Bisu looks bad—-and it was—-but if anyone can overcome the OGN Curse, it’s Savior. Given all that he’s achieved in recent memory, I’d be doing him and the PR an incredible disservice if I put him at anywhere but #1.
I’ll go ahead and say what everyone is thinking: Savior’s play was terrible. But that doesn’t change the fact that Bisu played really well, curb-stomping Savior 3-0 in a final, of all places. The 3-0 over Ra was a slightly different story. Bisu won the build order battle twice and outplayed Ra once. It’s not particularly compelling to watch, but it sure does look good. Still, results are results, and Bisu has proven that he can hang with the very best players in the world.
Ironically, it took a loss to get Iris into the PR. Before, he was always the standard, go-to Terran who would win when he was supposed to win and lose when he was supposed to lose. There were never any surprises with Iris, except how surprisingly bad his TvZ was. But when the stakes were at their highest, Iris showed everyone just how skilled he can be. Unlike the man below him, Iris brought his very best to the final game of his series against Savior; the only choking that occurred was me on my own tongue. Iris’ 3-0 drubbing of Casy was just a bit of icing on an already-sweet cake.
Midas was a bit of a problem child for me this month, but I’m satisfied with his position. As a member of SKT1, he’s disallowed from participating in more than one individual league, which means his results lately have been non-existent. So there’s nothing to prove that he belongs up here, but there’s nothing to disprove it, either. Being dumb and being without skill are different things: it was dumb to choose Savior twice, but it was skilled to go 2-2, overall, against him. I’m giving Midas the benefit of the doubt this month.
Like I’ve said in the past, I’ll only argue with results for so long, and Nada has been getting results. But I still stand by my refrain from last month: Nada isn’t playing as well as he was when he won the 2006 ShinHan 2 OSL. The 3-1 dismantling that Savior handed him on a set of really good TvZ maps went a long way towards proving that, but winning and being the runner-up in consecutive OSLs is an impressive achievement, definitely worthy of a high slot in the PR.
Manifesto7 put it best when he said, “Hwasin basically shit all over your last ranking.” And it’s true. Hwasin is 16-3 since April, and even worse, he’s managed to beat several Protoss players. I’ve been studying his games in an effort to figure out how he is posting such amazing statistics, and I’ve come to a startling conclusion: he’s really playing well.
