EPTWith
SSL 11 upon us, we're taking advantage of the timing of this Power Rank (PR) to also act as a refresher of how the top Brood War players have been performing as they navigate their way through the SSL. This PR primarily focuses on player performance over the past five months, spanning SSL 10 through the present, including over half a dozen recent tournaments, such as the HungryApp/ Kongdoo Starz League and Terror Starleague, along with some consideration of recent Fish ladder rankings.As it's been some time since the last Power Rank, a few notes:
- This Power Rank weighs performance similarly to SC2 WCS rankings, with greater emphasis on major events (SSL 10 and Starz League) than smaller ones, taking into consideration final placing, format and level of competition.
- The PR takes all active post-KeSPA players into account, but the top 10 players all happen to be competing at SSL 11.
- The PR does not suggest that a player is better or worse than a higher ranked one playing head-to-head. Nor is the PR a ranking of everyone's chances to win this tournament. There's a lot of bracket luck involved, so think of it like this: the Power Rank is just our all-around answer to the question "Who's better?", or in more practical terms, "Who would you bet on in a best-of-101 series with your mortgage and life savings on the line?"
Before we head to the top 10, the Close But No Cigars:
HiyA: Despite a strong SSL 10 run and flashes of brilliance, particularly in TvZ play, he's just been too inconsistent in league play.
Snow & Movie: Strong across the board play in all three race match-ups and next in line to the PvZ throne after Bisu, but both have just been too absent from the scene -- Movie with his IT business and focus on his Chinese streaming activities, while Snow is serving in the military.
EffOrt: Too early to tell, having only recently entered the post-KeSPA/Afreeca scene. Some impressive ZvT play in a match-up that has very much plagued Zerg players of late, but he's exited early in the Terror, Draemong, and Seaside leagues.PianO & Killer: Dark horses who underachieved at SSL 10 and the Starz League and have largely been quiet ever since. Nonetheless, their wealth of experience (eight+ years each) and dominant play in their specialties, TvZ and ZvZ, respectively, still instill fear in many an opponent.![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/shiroiusagi/powerrank/lpicon.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/kwanro.png)
10
Kwanro
All-in Kwanro has been relatively quiet during the past few months outside of the HungryApp Starz League and SSL 10, but his formidable play there should stir fear in any Zerg or Protoss opponent. At the Starz League, Kwanro ran over every opponent before falling to Mind, a TvZ buzz-saw, in the finals, including Bisu, ZerO, and Killer. At the SSL, Kwanro was met with a tough group alongside eventual second-place finisher Last and Snow, thus seeing an early exit.
Kwanro has been relatively quiet during the past few months outside of the HungryApp Starz League and SSL 10, but his formidable play there should stir fear in any Zerg or Protoss opponent. At the Starz League, Kwanro ran over every opponent before falling to Mind, a TvZ buzz-saw, in the finals, including Bisu, ZerO, and Killer. At the SSL, Kwanro was met with a tough group alongside eventual second-place finisher Last and Snow, thus seeing an early exit.Being largely absent from small online tournaments, Kwanro still has the ability to summon an almost-10 years of experience for SSL 11, with a particularly strong ZvZ record. Kwanro remains a force to be reckoned with.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/hero.png)
9
hero
The strongest Zerg not named ZerO, hero is seemingly always on the cusp of winning a tournament, only to come up short in second place. hero has produced robust results at the Starz League and Terror SL, largely relying on his still-dominant ZvP play. During the past 5 months, hero has maintained an impressive 70% win-rate in ZvP with wins in best-of series over Shuttle, free, and Mini, with only his SSL 9 nemesis, Bisu, defeating hero in tournament play.
hero is seemingly always on the cusp of winning a tournament, only to come up short in second place. hero has produced robust results at the Starz League and Terror SL, largely relying on his still-dominant ZvP play. During the past 5 months, hero has maintained an impressive 70% win-rate in ZvP with wins in best-of series over Shuttle, free, and Mini, with only his SSL 9 nemesis, Bisu, defeating hero in tournament play.Alas, hero's ZvT win-rate over this period is sub-30%, in large part thanks to a 1-9 record against Mind, the TvZ beast.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/mong.png)
8
Mong
HoneyNChip Mong has been a consistent force over the past few months. Despite strong Terran players around every corner, Mong has advanced far into the elimination bracket in just about every major to medium-sized league of late, including SSL10, the HungryApp Starz League, and Terror SL. His top tier TvZ easily stands out as among the best in the scene, with his TvT carrying him to a third place finish at SSL 10.
Mong has been a consistent force over the past few months. Despite strong Terran players around every corner, Mong has advanced far into the elimination bracket in just about every major to medium-sized league of late, including SSL10, the HungryApp Starz League, and Terror SL. His top tier TvZ easily stands out as among the best in the scene, with his TvT carrying him to a third place finish at SSL 10.Over the past 5 months, Mong has maintained a robust 60%, with no race match-up dipping below 55%, demonstrating consistently strong play across the board.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/free.png)
7
Free
free's scintillating SSL10 Ro16 tiebreaker display against Mind was a reminder of what free is capable of in his dominant PvT match-up. With strong Protoss players far and few in between these days, any Terran opponent would shiver at the thought of a potential elimination bracket encounter with free. Since SSL10, free has won at almost a 70% clip in PvT league play, including Bo3 wins over sSak and Last.As far as free's PvT has taken him -- into the elimination round in both the SSL and Starz League -- free's Achilles heel remains the PvZ, having endured a Bo3 defeat to hero at the Starz League. As such, free has maintained only a ~40% winrate against Zergs, both lifetime post-KeSPA and over the past year in league play. In effect, free's strong PvT/weak PvZ serve as an inverse to Bisu.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/sea.png)
6
Sea
Since the inception of the post-KeSPA era, Sea has remained a force in the scene. Sea can easily make the claim as the strongest Terran, if not strongest overall, player, in the scene, excelling at all three match-ups with a strong 62% overall win-rate in 2015 league play. This has included victories at the 41 SL Season 3 and podium finishes at Terror and 41 Maki SL. Sea's TvP and TvZ win-rates both exceed 60%, with both among best-in-class.
Sea has remained a force in the scene. Sea can easily make the claim as the strongest Terran, if not strongest overall, player, in the scene, excelling at all three match-ups with a strong 62% overall win-rate in 2015 league play. This has included victories at the 41 SL Season 3 and podium finishes at Terror and 41 Maki SL. Sea's TvP and TvZ win-rates both exceed 60%, with both among best-in-class.Sea's biggest road-block, however, appears to be Sea himself. Perhaps more than content streaming at his Afreeca "day job", chatting away with donors, Sea has woefully underperformed at SSL 11, bowing to a well-prepared, but far less experienced, Olympus in the opening round and, effectively, the same at the Starz League, bowing out 0-3 to PianO, free, and Mong. In addition, Sea failed to show for the 41 Maki third place match and didn't bother to compete at SSL 10. Given his virtually unrivaled talent and experience (i.e. competing since 2004) his mental fortitude and ambition are the only things holding him back.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/last.png)
5
Last
Last has a small, but convincing pool of games from which to draw. Last had an outstanding run in the SSL10 recording a 75% TvT winrate and an 8 game TvT win streak against Mong, Mind, HiyA, and Shinee.Although Last failed to make podium in Terror Starleague and 41SL 3, it's worth noting he advanced into the elimination bracket in both, losing to Sea and a surging ZerO. Last’s race match-ups coincide with sSak's -- his TvT and TvP both exceed 65% over the past five months, with TvZ being his most inconsistent match-up.
In an era of largely Terran dominance, particularly in TvZ, Last's forte puts him in an excellent position to continue to excel. Watching his stream play, Last's TvP play has steadily improved since he re-entered the BW scene last year, with recent Bo1 victories over free and Shuttle and a Bo3 win over GuemChi in league play. Credit must be given when due, as demonstrated by Last's first place finishes on the Fish ladder over the past ~six months
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/zero.png)
4
ZerO
Since SSL 10, ZerO's performance has propelled him to virtually the top of the Elo, winning an outstanding two-thirds of games. As recently as six months ago, Killer was still the dominant Zerg and the likes of Larva were surging, with ZerO relegated to the status of an aging afterthought. Lo and behold, the hexagon has reached the podium in several tournaments, including the Starz League (3rd), 41 S3 (2nd), Piano (1st) and HoSic S2 (3rd/4th).
ZerO's performance has propelled him to virtually the top of the Elo, winning an outstanding two-thirds of games. As recently as six months ago, Killer was still the dominant Zerg and the likes of Larva were surging, with ZerO relegated to the status of an aging afterthought. Lo and behold, the hexagon has reached the podium in several tournaments, including the Starz League (3rd), 41 S3 (2nd), Piano (1st) and HoSic S2 (3rd/4th).ZerO's ZvP this year has been particularly impressive, going 16-3 in the match-up with wins over Snow, GuemChi, and LuCifer. ZerO's ZvZ has been more pedestrian, with a ~50% win-rate, largely splitting series with hero and Kwanro. ZerO's most surprising, and astounding, match-up has been the ZvT, as he has won over 60% of such games, going 13-8 with wins over sSak, Mong, and Last in 2015. In light of the current TvZ dominance where fellow Zergs like hero, Killer, and Larva struggle to maintain a ~20-30% win-rate over the same period, ZerO's vT performance has been first-in-class.
With EffOrt just entering the scene and not quite tested, ZerO is indisputably the strongest active Zerg.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/bisu.png)
3
Bisu
The crown prince and fan favorite, Bisu reigns as the strongest Protoss in the post-KeSPA era, particularly in PvZ. More than content to collect his Afreeca balloons, Bisu has rarely participated in tournaments, doing so only with sizable prize purses and out of obligations to business (Kongdoo) or friendship/saving face with the Afreeca fandom (Terror). In 2015 leagues, Bisu bowed to Mind early on at the Starz League and skipped SSL 10, but dominated at the Terror SL with strong wins over Sea, free, and hero.
Bisu reigns as the strongest Protoss in the post-KeSPA era, particularly in PvZ. More than content to collect his Afreeca balloons, Bisu has rarely participated in tournaments, doing so only with sizable prize purses and out of obligations to business (Kongdoo) or friendship/saving face with the Afreeca fandom (Terror). In 2015 leagues, Bisu bowed to Mind early on at the Starz League and skipped SSL 10, but dominated at the Terror SL with strong wins over Sea, free, and hero.Although Bisu's PvZ prowess will forever be his call to fame, Bisu has built an impressive 70%+ win-rate in PvP in league play this year. PvT remains Bisu's most vulnerable match-up, where he often falls to the likes of sSak, Sea, and Mong during Afreeca play, but it is worth noting that this has transpired in the age of Terran dominance and on a Terran-favored map, Fighting Spirit, which maintains a 54% TvP win-rate.
With few dominant Protoss players in the scene, Bisu, somewhat by default, remains the top Protoss, but the fact remains, in an ace match with big money on the line, the first Protoss player on whom I'd bet remains Bisu.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/mind.png)
2
Mind
Mind, the Starz League champ dominated the KSL bracket, going 12-2 while defeating Bisu, Kwanro, and hero. In small leagues, Mind won the recent HoSic Season 2 while advancing into the elimination bracket of just about every tournament in which he was invited, including SSL 10, demonstrating his consistency.In 2015 tournament play, Mind's gone 17-3 in TvZ, asserting himself as among the best in the match-up. Mind's TvP is not far behind as he man-handled JangBi, Tyson, and Jaehoon, with a handful of losses against premier PvTers in free and Snow. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect resume is Mind's TvT, with a 5-7 record in 2015 -- granted, most of his losses were at the hands of Last and Sea, two TvT virtuosos. The fact remains, Mind consistently performs at a high level and has a wealth of experience on the big stage.
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/ssak.png)
1
sSak
sSak, the "King" demonstrated his TvT prowess on the biggest of stages at SSL 10 and has gone 7-2 in the match-up in tournament play this year, including wins over Last and HiyA. Given the Terran dominance in the current scene, as seen by the Elo rankings and swath of Terran league winners, sSak's outstanding TvT further tips things in his favor. His TvP is also solid, with his lone defeat in recent months at the hands of free, the strongest PvTer in the scene; additionally, sSak regularly trounces the likes of Bisu, his SKT teammate and frequent practice partner, during Afreeca play. TvZ is the only match-up that approaches the realm of being a "weakness." Seeing how imbalanced TvZ stands in the current era, only when compared to the 70% TvZ win-rates of Mind and Sea can a 55-60% win-rate be considered relatively "weak"; recent Zerg victories for sSak include Modesty and hero, while losing to an inspired ZerO at the Terror and 41 leagues.Although sSak has perhaps not met expectations at some small online tourneys, albeit advancing into the elimination rounds of the 41 and Terror SL, the fact remains that he dominated with a 12-4 record at the premier SSL when it counted. In a must-win Proleague ace match-situation against an unknown opponent, there's no need to hesitate, sSak's the man.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/KbHa7qW.jpg)
