EPTa note, though - if you are a fan of one of these casters, a friend of one of these casters, or if you actually are one of these casters, please don't take any personal offense from any criticisms i may offer. i'm criticizing them only as entertainers providing content and draw no parallel between the quality of their shows and their value as people. just like a talk show, a SC2 cast hangs somewhere between reality and exaggerated banter, and i would never pass value judgment on human beings because of my subjective reaction to the way they talk about games. i also acknowledge that i'm a consumer of free content and have no basis to demand a different product. i'm just taking the liberty to write out my opinions because i'm bored and i feel like it
1. Rifkin & ZombieGrub
one of the best things about tuning in to basetrade is that rifkin and zombiegrub genuinely enjoy what they do to a point where it seems like they will cast almost anything they're able. listening to their casts feels like watching games alongside other SC2 fans. although the disadvantage here is that their analysis isn't "pro level" like what you get from professional players or gurus like artosis and apollo, the advantage is that you can have a lot of fun watching mid-level games, random community filler, and the creative, unique tournaments basetrade often puts on.
the first few times i heard them cast i remember enjoying zombiegrub's commentary, but she was much quieter and at some points almost seemed bored or disinterested in what she was doing (maybe shy?). since then she's come a long way. her chemistry with rifkin and willingness to pour in analysis have improved so much that she's now one of my favorite casters. she's gone from reclusive to relaxed, she has a funny, dry sense of humor, and although her analysis isn't face-meltingly incredible she always has something intelligent to say about the game, rarely overstepping her knowledge or trying to theorycraft to bridge gaps if she's unsure of something.
rifkin is a mixed bag for me. his contribution to the community is immeasurable, and his will to improve the scene is a gift to all of us. however, as a caster, he shares some of the issues i have with totalbiscuit. at times he can be a bit egotistical, embarking on some strange theoretical monologues which he seems to imagine are more insightful than they really are. i understand the need for a play-by-play caster to create hype and fill downtime by building a narrative and rolling with it, but sometimes rifkin fixates on ideas and details of games that just aren't terribly relevant or interesting. as these monologues snowball he sometimes cuts off his co-caster and neglects more pertinent analysis. contrary to zombiegrub, rifkin is definitely someone who tends to frequently overstep the limits of his game knowledge. more than a few times that i've heard zombiegrub -- whom i consider more knowledgeable -- disputed or shouted down by rifkin in cases where he's arguably (or obviously) wrong.
i don't mean to make rifkin sound all bad. his strength as a caster is his (ugh, cliche, but...) passion as well as his constant readiness to be silly, funny and engaging. when his ego isn't hurting the cast his charisma is carrying it, and that's something that's necessary because of zombiegrub's more reserved demeanor. i can't speak to whether they're truly good friends, but they cast as if they are, and rare awkward moments are overshadowed by times when they're laughing together and making mediocre games better than mediocre to watch. overall, because of their fiendish dedication to finding diverse content to cast and their strong chemistry, they're definitely one of the strongest casting teams. unfortunately in the worst of cases, when the quality of the games is low the flaws of the cast can make certain smaller tournaments drag.
2) Artosis & Tasteless
i consider myself in the minority when i say that i'm not a big fan of these two. one of the problems i see with their casting is what i call the "LagTV effect." to explain: maximusblack and his co-caster (whose name i can't recall) used to be very entertaining in casting "when cheese fails" and other assorted SC2 content on their channel. their banter and humor provided a fun counterpoint to the actual analysis and gamecalling. however, over time, their interest in the game noticeably waned, they became too comfortable with their conversational style, and every cast devolved into 10, 15, 20-minute conversations about cartoons from the 1980s and food preferences. as professionals, artosis and tasteless aren't quite THAT bad, but they suffer from the same tendencies. while they are both quite intelligent and clever at their best their jokes are hit-or-miss -- especially the very nerdy and referential ones, which frequently come off as audience-pandering filler. i consider tasteless much naturally funnier, and i do enjoy a lot of his craziness, but even he can get irritating at times.
artosis's game knowledge -- and more specifically his intimate and deep-rooted knowledge of the korean scene itself -- are still quite strong, and the majority of his insights hit home. as a pure analyst he's arguably unrivaled, and that's what carries their casts. but his casting persona can run quite dry. for how much he talks about loving starcraft, he very seldom sounds excited by it, and his hyper-critical standards for quality of play can detract from the fun of watching the games. he is, however, a consummate professional who shows up and consistently delivers relevant analysis and fleshy context on specific players, playstyles, GSL history and more. he's a veteran who's earned his keep, but flawed as an entertainer.
there's less to say about tasteless. everyone pretty much knows what tasteless is like: crazy, often funny, the dead-horse jokes about tasteless passion, the questionable or outdated analysis that creeps into his casting. he's a straightforward personality, but being straightforward doesn't make him bad. in fact, i find myself enjoying him as a caster more than artosis. however, just as rifkin's charisma carries zombiegrub, artosis's analysis also seems necessary to carry tasteless. while tastosis aren't my favorite casting team, it's hard to complain too vehemently about the GSL product they offer.
3) Wolf, Brendan & Moonglade
these two (and three) have had their ups and downs. wolf and brendan have been criticized frequently for various reasons: many people seem to find them annoying or not knowledgeable enough to cast korean SC2. i don't quite agree with most of these criticisms. although there are certainly times when wolf or brendan have missed context, made miscalls or let games go by relatively passively without contributing a huge amount of information, brendan has a bright and fun personality, he clearly tries to deliver good casts and good times, and it's hard for me to find reasons to dislike him. wolf, too, has grown on me a lot. he's a sort of "middle ground" as casters go: an anchor who can provide okay analysis, decent commentary, decent jokes, and keeps the cast going and the show rolling. with the supplementary addition of moonglade's pro-level analysis, i've come to enjoy them quite a bit. even if their knowledge and insight aren't 100% perfect, they're strong, consistent and enough to make casts worth watching.
i'm a huge fan of the addition of moonglade. his personality is unique, his knowledge is pro-level (and often impressive even for races other than zerg), and his australian idiosyncrasies are hilarious but usually not overdone or annoying. he's not afraid to be incisive and opinionated, which is a frequent shortcoming of many professional casters -- it can be difficult to provide a professional show without restraining some degree of your biases, views and humor, but moonglade does so very successfully in my opinion. to put it simply: he's a cool guy, and i think i would enjoy watching a game with him in person as much as i enjoy hearing him cast. a brilliant member of the team who i hope has a long future in casting
i wouldn't say W, B & M are a runaway #1 favorite of mine for casters, but they're very strong. proleague overall is my favorite SC2 production to watch, and they're no small part of that equation. although i'd be open to different combinations for proleague, i like all three and see no need for the team to change or break down.
4) Apollo & Kaelaris
i like apollo and kaelaris a lot. kaelaris has a firebrand vigor in his gamecalling. i almost never hear him grow bored or tired when casting, and whether you consider this a positive or not he's one of the strongest hype manufacturers in the business in terms of pure vocal intensity and "playing up the plays." his analysis is mediocre, but it's improved from time spent casting with apollo, and analysis isn't what he's there to provide anyway. if i can make one criticism of his style it's that he too frequently folds in on himself self-consciously, doubting his own insight and rambling into a corner where he ends up dismissing his own opinions and wasting time with commentary he later tries to nullify. although it's true that not all of his calls are deep or accurate, i think he's a good enough caster that he should be able to call games with confidence and not undermine himself.
apollo is one of the biggest "double threat" casters, capable of both great analysis and great hype. he has tons of charisma and a strong personality. his knowledge of build architecture and game mechanics adds a lot of color to his casts, and he often seems to have a preternatural talent for making correct calls on how a player will approach a game based on the early minutes. one problem i have with his casting, however, is what i perceive as a lack of stamina for the game. while he knows how to direct an audience and carry a cast, he's not a big "banterer" and shines the most when he's honed in on the game, which unfortunately is not always the case. it's not a frequent problem, but there have been times when he's seemed distant, bored, jet-lagged, maybe all of the above. if he isn't on his game, he's usually pretty far off of it. his charisma is usually very high, but it can also range very low, and some awkwardness can seep in when kaelaris has to carry the show.
i truly think i would watch any game featuring apollo and kaelaris. the most important part of casting is bringing entertainment, and while they don't have the back-and-forth of a morning talk show like some teams, they know how to manufacture an intense spectator experience and raise the atmosphere of WCS, which is important when dealing with the official branded tournament of the game. despite their minor flaws, i rank them very highly.
5) Rotterdam & Nathanias
not going to dance around it: i miss mr bitter. as a master/low GM level terran, nathanias does bring a fresher and more modern player perspective than we would have seen from mr bitter, but in terms of charisma bitter dwarfs him. i have a lot of issues with nathanias, including his tiresome kappa twitch references, his smug, not-at-all-subtle terran bias and balance complaints, and his monotonous presence. the best compliment i can give him is that he's a very strong terran expert and provides a lot of details about playing terran which as a zerg player i would never think of. other than that there's not a lot i enjoy about nathanias' casting other than his decent chemistry with rotti.
rotterdam is the opposite end of the spectrum for me. he's pure fun, loves starcraft, has a high level of knowledge about builds and mechanics, and loves to laugh at himself (and anything else worth laughing at). he doesn't seem afraid to admit if/when he's biased, and his biases don't show in a way that hurts his casting. instead he simply comes off as a genuine fan of the game. like moonglade, rotterdam is someone who seems like he would be fun to hang out with and talk starcraft, and he makes watching games a very comfortable and familiar experience. because of his great personality he's one of the few SC2 streams i watch as well, and he easily carries this team. however, with a co-caster i don't particularly like, it's difficult to know how to rank them as a unit.
6) brief honorable mentions
Tod - great hype man, seems to really enjoy casting games, hilarious french accent, pretty funny. analysis sometimes surprisingly weak about non-protoss races for a pro player. language barrier creates a few awkward moments
Incontrol - overflowing presence and charisma, probably can't be "off" even if he tries. his wrecking ball sardonic humor can get old fast. sometimes crosses the line from zany and fun to annoying and condescending. often surprisingly good analysis considering he's not currently a very relevant player. great as a host or desk man.
Pughy - good B-level community caster, able to put fun and energy into the events he is able to cast. has a cool accent and pretty solid analysis, nice, chill personality as well. could probably succeed if given a bigger stage and if he wanted it
TotalBiscuit - referenced it before, but i don't really like him. like rifkin, presents quite a bit of low-level knowledge in a very self-important way. also like rifkin, provides huge community organizing service that should be mentioned as well. basically a bigger-name version of rifkin. lot of people like his hype and play by play, but i'm not a fan of that either. have to admit my opinion is biased by the fact that i consider him an extremely rude and hostile person outside of his casting.
Madals -
i truly believe he triesDay9 - didn't like him back when he knew the game, like him less now that he doesn't. great for making the game accessible to people who know almost nothing about it, not good for much else. weird, awkward casting voice and weird, awkward sense of humor. i'm sure he's a nice guy. glad we don't see much of him anymore.
