EPT
At the top of the list right now is Stork of all people, at a staggering 8-2. This guy showed flickers of brilliance YEARS ago, and then fizzled out and disappointed everyone. Now he's somehow found his groove and he's on an absolute tear. His play, similar to the play of the rest of Samsung's 1v1 squad, is based around intelligent build orders rather than unstoppable mechanics, making his games really fun to watch. Whether this is more of the same flash-in-the-pan bullshit we saw last time, we won't know until he plays a little more in the singles leagues. I'm hoping he's here to stay, even if he does look vaguely like a pimpled fish.
Next on the list is the coolest motherfucker in progaming, Sea[Shield] at 8-3. His wins have been dominant and his loss to free on Tau Cross was an incredible game. Tau Cross is incredibly hard for Terran against Protoss, especially when that Protoss is free[gm] on a hot streak. His other two losses came on the same day, very soon after July left MBC. He played like seeping ass in both of the games, and really didn't look like his usual confident, fearless self. Even his play didn't have the edge it usually does. He really didn't take July's departure well, maybe it showed in those games. I was pretty relieved watching him play themania[mst], because he seemed to be back on track. This kid ain't done making noise yet.
With the same score of 8-3 we got Nal_rA. I think we all really expect rA to do well all the time. For a guy with such brilliant mechanics and game sense, its a wonder he banks some of his games on wierd build orders, some of which don't really work. All three of his losses I watched, and all three I cringed at, because he could have done a multitude of things better. Things we expect Nal_rA to do better. On the other hand, he's a large reason (along with Reach/Zergboy's recent 2v2 success and Hery winning some clutch games every so often) why KTF is sitting up in 4th place. Granted though, they're barely hovering above .500.
We also have Hwasin at 7-2, a respectable score that Stork, Sea, and rA had at one point during the season. Hwasin seems determined to prove he's not just a one-match wonder, and with more wins in TvP than TvZ (3 and 2, respectively.. no losses!) he's certainly a step closer. His TvT is only 2-2, and its still his weak point. This is why I didn't understand the hype surrounding Sheis. Ooooh, Ahhhh... Its Hwasin's secret TvT practice partner!! AND he BEATS Hwasin more often than not!!!!! Hoo-fucking-rah, him and half the other terrans in progaming. Still, Hwasin has been playing strongly lately, so he can pick up his TvT and keep his TvP somewhat respectable, he's got a shot at earning Etter's respect yet.
Then we got Luxury[GsP], previously known as "the twin that sucks more at zerg than the other twin". Well, Luxury is 6-1. He finally lost a game the other day, after a six game win streak. Free went on a six-game win streak to open his season too, but now free has four losses and only one more win. I'm eager to see if Luxury, who really doesn't seem like the sort of zerg to excel to a notable degree, can keep up his seemingly uncharacteristic strong play. OGN has a good thing going with these brothers, cuz Yellow[Arnc] is 6-2 with partners Zeus and go.go[gsp]. If only Chalrenge would stop fucking losing in ProLeague these guys might have a decent shot in the playoffs!
Also at 6-1 is the ever-present, always un-noticed Canata. Strong play, yadda yadda, do we even really care at this point? Canata was promised to be the next big thing but he chokes so hard in individual leagues you'd think his opponent's dick was down his throat. Canata's games aren't even really fun to watch. I just look forward to the playoffs where Canata can play in an Ace Match and wow everybody again. Watching players give you so much less than they are capable, over and over again, is a horrible sight whether they're winning or not. Shape up, canata
So those are the guys who are tearing up the 1v1 circuit right now. Maybe I'll do something on the 2v2 teams (max/fantastic_namoo come outta nowhere oh man). We still got a few matches of ProLeague yet, and with the scores the way they are, everything but Samsung's progression is up in the air. Second place is STX SouL with 6-4, and 8th place is CJ Entus with 6-6. Close fucking pack! It's gonna be fun.
Love,
FakeSteve
