Does this look odd to you? It sure looks odd to me. Odd doesn't even begin to cover the unreal boost in play fOrGG showed in July. Results are all well and good (and with an MSL win, I'm sure no one will disagree that he's got 'em in spades), but the real matter here is that no one played better StarCraft in July than fOrGG. Breaking out of his mould in a big way, fOrGG showed the world he's capable of so much more than making thirty thousand units and throwing them away. His games were dynamic, explosive, and most importantly, they were fucking brilliant StarCraft. Gotta give credit where it's due, there isn't a player in the world that came anywhere near fOrGG in July.
Jaedong suffered a three game massacre at the hands of our new #1, but besides that, he looks just fine. His games against han in the OSL offline prelims were pretty good, definitely more a credit to han than a mark against Jaedong. Jaedong is still comfortably the best Zerg around. As sad as it makes me, I'm not sure how much longer he'll keep this up. Whether he performed up to what is expected of him during July, however, is a certainty.
Another victim of forGG, Flash looked plain vulnerable during his brief MSL Semifinal. Using a 14cc build order in every game was definitely an oversight on his part, but I won't pretend it means he's down and out, never to return. He got outplayed pretty hard, but you'll notice that the man who struck him down is a few spots above, as it should be. Flash isn't done yet, and with a berth in the round of 16 in both leagues, we'll soon get a clear indicator of where Flash is heading in the near future.
First, let me just put this out there: I LOVE JULY. I've been a fan of July for about five years now, and the fact that he overcame a grueling slump to join Nada in the Golden Mouse club says great things about his ability as a player, and his will to win. July is below the three players above him simply because his competition during OSL was relatively soft. I'd expect most Zergs to beat down Rock and Backho.
Luxury's had a slow month. He's only played two games, and he split them. His spot this month is more a result of other players moving around. Luxury is still "the other best Zerg", the man who fills the void when Jaedong is having a bad week. He's been great for months, and I don't see any change from the two games he played in July. Is Luxury destined to be middleground for the rest of his career?
Middleground or not, Luxury is a damn good player. It wouldn't be right to just drop him for only playing two games in a month, because he's been playing his ass off for quite a while now.
This little guy was terrible six months ago. We all remember his single shining moment, a ridiculous game against Stork from last ProLeague season.
Okay, picture that game. Now picture that happening six times in six different games during July. Impressed yet? You should be. Leta is playing some of the finest StarCraft I've seen lately. If looking at his string of victories isn't enough for you, watch the games. He's seamless and powerful, smart and confident. Leta has become a very good player, and unlike his most often comparison, Ruby, he's managed to find the groove and perform consistently. The birth of a Terran superstar, or a flash in the pan? I honestly have no idea, but Leta's games during the month have been something to behold. Good for you, kid.
Seems like the beast has been bitten back. After being completely dismantled by July, Best was the latest victim of the new dynamo above him. It can certainly be expected that a relatively inexperienced player such as Best would take the loss he suffered against July to heart, and the effects seem to have been drastic. This spot is something of a compromise, because while Best played horribly during and after his OSL finals loss, the games he played leading up to that incident were still the best Protoss I've seen in a loooooooong time. Best has certainly got the talent to bounce back from his misery, and that's why he preserves this particular spot. Get your shit together, come back and see me.
Kal's had a rough month, but he's still a damn good player. His losses have been numerous, but nothing significant has changed. In every situation, Kal has lost through his opponent playing well, rather than he himself playing poorly. And in most cases, they were damn fine games.
Kal is something of an oddity. He's the last person I'd have expected to go toe-to-toe with fOrGG. Even old, shitty fOrGG, much less new-and-improved badass motherfucker fOrGG. But he did, and their series contained some really cool games. Kal isn't going anywhere, he'll still be around, he'll still win a ton of games. If he doesn't do it quick, however, he's off next month. There are too many good players for one good player to get away with losing for very long.
These next two spots will cause some bitching in the comments, I'm sure. I don't give a shit. If you've seen Iris's most recent games, you know he's playing like a savage again. I got chills watching him dismantle the chumps in his OSL prelim group. It spoke of one thing: The goddamn Berserker is BACK. Don't prove me wrong, Iris. The Rank is yours to climb.
Another fallen hero, Midas has been playing very well as of late. A recent interview showed him positively bursting with confidence, assuring his fans that the slump is over. Well, for now, his game has backed up the trash his mouth been spewin'. Midas looks like a great player once again, and something about the world just feels a little more... right. Midas gets the same warning Iris does. Don't taunt me with strong play if you aren't going to keep the ball rolling.
