With 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 Fishladder 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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'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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On May 19 2015 04:07 amazingxkcd wrote: i would put last a tier below ssak and mind (only good matchup we saw from last was tvt and that was against the lower tier terrans)...
Yeah... they're all really close, if you're uncertain about Last, sSak and Mind should be just as uncertain: sSak lost to ZerO in TerrOr Tempt and Mind recently lost to Jaehoon in Draemong. That's why I put them all in one group.
Prech and v1 did an amazing job with this! Thanks for working so hard. I was biased in the staff forums putting Bisu as #1 in case anyone was concerned with where my voting stood. I will say this list is non-controversial, but so many spots are very argue-able. I don't Spots 1-3 are interchangeable to a certain extend, positions 4-7 could be rearranged, and spots 7-10 could be swapped with a few of the close but no cigar players. What this really says is that the skill level is really really close between each tier of player and matches are becoming harder and harder to predict. Sometimes I think a player wins because they had the better breakfast that morning or lay the previous night. Regardless, some of the best Starcraft 1 is still to come!
Thanks for all the input, all. Lots of good points, very much agree that several of the spots, like 1-3, as BD mentioned, are interchangeable.
We've seen too little of Bisu in tournament and non-FS play to really gauge how he can perform -- this SSL is a perfect opportunity. Hopefully he practices hard and takes a break from the "bububu" and "boing-boing's" to adequately prepare -- he was watching old matches on New Heartbreak Ridge just last night, so that's a good sign of things to come...
EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
nice work, agreed in the most part overall. Can't really argue Bisu should be #1 given his results in KSL and lack of appearance in the last SSL, though i would like to
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
I love the professional photos of the players. Very nice. Seeing that Bisu was in 3rd and the fact that Bisudagger was one of the voters caught me by surprise.
yeah i also agree about effort,is to early to define where he is atm,he is in good shape and im sure he will be more than ready for the early stages of the SSL but im not sure he could play a semifinals right now being favorite,only time will tell.
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
yes, your power ranking came out at an awkward time. ZerO is about to play his Draemong group which will really show where he stands right now (also sSak in the group means this will be a good test for him).
Since I didn't come back during Terror SL (only did the finals), I can't say much about the players, so my opinions are very skewed towards recent performances. That being said, I do feel like power rankings should be more catered to what happens in the present rather than what happened 3-4 tournaments ago (though their past performance is still an indicator of their potential).
I hope I can contribute to the next power ranking and share my thoughts for you guys to write about ^^
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
i wouldn't bet Mind in a TvT especially if hes coming up against someone like sSak/Last/Sea, he is still mediocre in that matchup so I wouldn't say hes very capable in that regard. People still don't seem to acknowledge that.
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
i wouldn't bet Mind in a TvT especially if hes coming up against someone like sSak/Last/Sea, he is still mediocre in that matchup so I wouldn't say hes very capable in that regard. People still don't seem to acknowledge that.
If Mind can plan and prepare for a set, he'll find a way to be MVP
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
i wouldn't bet Mind in a TvT especially if hes coming up against someone like sSak/Last/Sea, he is still mediocre in that matchup so I wouldn't say hes very capable in that regard. People still don't seem to acknowledge that.
Very much agree that TvT is Mind's Achilles heel -- he's probably weaker in TvT than any of the top Terran are in their most vulnerable match-ups, for example, TvZ for sSak and Last.
I don't see that changing any time soon, seeing how his KeSPA TvT win-rate was barely 50%, and now 38% in the current era
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
i wouldn't bet Mind in a TvT especially if hes coming up against someone like sSak/Last/Sea, he is still mediocre in that matchup so I wouldn't say hes very capable in that regard. People still don't seem to acknowledge that.
Very much agree that TvT is Mind's Achilles heel -- he's probably weaker in TvT than any of the top Terran are in their most vulnerable match-ups, for example, TvZ for sSak and Last.
I don't see that changing any time soon, seeing how his KeSPA TvT win-rate was barely 50%, and now 38% in the current era
this doesn't bode well for mind in the long run considering the talent pool for terrans right now is extremely high. already in the Draemong Starleague we have 4 terrans with sSak yet to play in his group (so probably at least 5 terrans, piano is also not someone to sleep on). mind will put himself in a position like the semis, but with so many terrans, he'll inevitably play the mirror and lose. :/
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
i wouldn't bet Mind in a TvT especially if hes coming up against someone like sSak/Last/Sea, he is still mediocre in that matchup so I wouldn't say hes very capable in that regard. People still don't seem to acknowledge that.
Very much agree that TvT is Mind's Achilles heel -- he's probably weaker in TvT than any of the top Terran are in their most vulnerable match-ups, for example, TvZ for sSak and Last.
I don't see that changing any time soon, seeing how his KeSPA TvT win-rate was barely 50%, and now 38% in the current era
this doesn't bode well for mind in the long run considering the talent pool for terrans right now is extremely high. already in the Draemong Starleague we have 4 terrans with sSak yet to play in his group (so probably at least 5 terrans, piano is also not someone to sleep on). mind will put himself in a position like the semis, but with so many terrans, he'll inevitably play the mirror and lose. :/
The Zergs all have it waaaaay worse: all the those Terrans + Mind.
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: EffOrt's shown flashes of brilliance in ZvT, but watching his streams, his ZvZ is not nearly up to par with ZerO and Killer -- he was eliminated from both Terror and Seaside in ZvZ's (by hero and ZerO). Finally, his ZvP is above average, but suspect -- it's not nearly as strong as hero or even many Fish ladderers (e.g. Tasiki and Painter). Same situation as Bisu, hope EffOrt adequately prepares and shines at SSL!
I think EffOrt's ZvT is not nearly there yet and I agree that he should not be in the top 10. He was eliminated from the Draemong Starleague by both Last and Mong and winning his ZvP matchup against GuemChi with a 3 hatch speedling all-in which doesn't really show his skill in a longer macro game with more decision making.
I want to disagree with ZerO's placement, he was was destroyed by Sea in the Seaside Super 2-0, and failed to adapt to Sea's play (Sea did the same thing both games and ZerO made no real move to counter). While his vP is still one of the best ZvP in the game of Starcraft, his vT still fails to impress me, and this next group in the Draemong Starleague will put him to the test against the best Terran sSak and another noteworthy Terran, Piano.
Mind should be third and not second, imo. He has shown signs of struggle in that matchup, dropping a game to Free in a heavily fought series in Seaside, and was completely and utterfly owned by Jaehoon... twice, for a total of 4-0 in Draemong. Is not even being able to take a game off Jaehoon in two series really deserving of the number 2 spot? Sure his other matchups seem solid right now, but this can be abused if he's matched up against Protosses.
All in all, here's my personal list: sSak, Bisu, Mind, Last, Sea, ZerO, free, Mong, herO. I don't really have a 10th in mind yet, but if I had to give it to someone, I might give it to EffOrt
Very much agree about ZerO -- we put much of this ranking together ~a month ago and since then, he's disappointed a bit with several losses against Sea. Re-watching his vs Sea matches during Terror SL, ZerO looked quite unprepared for proxy plays and wraith rushes... I can certainly see your point of dropping him a bit in the rankings, but let's see if he prepares more for SSL 11!
Mind definitely disappointed with those recent TvP games at the online tourneys, but he played admirably against Bisu during Terror SL on Aztec. Top 3 is a toss-up and I very much see where you're coming from
Here's the thing about Mind:
He's capable of beating anyone. Ever since his MSL victory over Bisu, that's his darkhorse reputation. Even if you don't consider him the favorite in a tournament, he's always in the back of your head.
Out of all the Afreeca Terrans, Mind has the most prestige out all the other Terrans being an MSL champion. His years of experience makes up for his somewhat low apm. He's kind of like a reverse-Last in that sense: Last is an apm/macro machine and a rising star, Mind is an old guard who can still kick ass after all these years. Which is more important in a tournament scenario? Agility or Intelligence?
i wouldn't bet Mind in a TvT especially if hes coming up against someone like sSak/Last/Sea, he is still mediocre in that matchup so I wouldn't say hes very capable in that regard. People still don't seem to acknowledge that.
Very much agree that TvT is Mind's Achilles heel -- he's probably weaker in TvT than any of the top Terran are in their most vulnerable match-ups, for example, TvZ for sSak and Last.
I don't see that changing any time soon, seeing how his KeSPA TvT win-rate was barely 50%, and now 38% in the current era
this doesn't bode well for mind in the long run considering the talent pool for terrans right now is extremely high. already in the Draemong Starleague we have 4 terrans with sSak yet to play in his group (so probably at least 5 terrans, piano is also not someone to sleep on). mind will put himself in a position like the semis, but with so many terrans, he'll inevitably play the mirror and lose. :/
The Zergs all have it waaaaay worse: all the those Terrans + Mind.
its just that zerg skill level is just so low. and zerg was always hard to play with anyways. there's no jaedong or in form-effort right now to lead the zergs and show them how to beat terrans
I'm glad to see Bisu in SSL. Is there a reason why he wasnt in the previous one? I heard he had a sponsorship or some nonsense with one of the sponsors of the KSL.
I can't wait for when SSL kicks into the high gear, it feels too long in between seasons.
On May 19 2015 05:31 prech wrote: Thanks for all the input, all. Lots of good points, very much agree that several of the spots, like 1-3, as BD mentioned, are interchangeable.
We've seen too little of Bisu in tournament and non-FS play to really gauge how he can perform -- this SSL is a perfect opportunity. Hopefully he practices hard and takes a break from the "bububu" and "boing-boing's" to adequately prepare -- he was watching old matches on New Heartbreak Ridge just last night, so that's a good sign of things to come...
You have to think that Bisu, Mind, and Effort have the highest skill *ceiling* of the current crop... but, obviously, that's not the whole ball of wax.
On May 19 2015 16:41 lestye wrote: I'm glad to see Bisu in SSL. Is there a reason why he wasnt in the previous one? I heard he had a sponsorship or some nonsense with one of the sponsors of the KSL.
I reckon we'll never the truth unless Bisu reveals it, but that Kongdoo conflict could be a reason, or maybe just not wanting to take the risk of competing and taking the time and effort to prepare -- time that could have, instead, been spent streaming and earning donations, while an early SSL exit just tarnishes his reputation/stature. He's already perceived as the 'best', why take the risk?
Likely same reason he doesn't play in all the smaller leagues, I'm sure he receives invitations to all of them...
On May 19 2015 21:56 [[Starlight]] wrote: You have to think that Bisu, Mind, and Effort have the highest skill *ceiling* of the current crop... but, obviously, that's not the whole ball of wax.
It'll be interesting, at least from a SSL 11 perspective, to see how ambitious they are and whether they're taking the time/effort to prepare.
If we think of Sea as an example, it seemed Olympus came in really well-prepared with the map terrain and strategies that excelled on them to earn the victory. I don't know if we can say the same about Sea
On May 19 2015 16:41 lestye wrote: I'm glad to see Bisu in SSL. Is there a reason why he wasnt in the previous one? I heard he had a sponsorship or some nonsense with one of the sponsors of the KSL.
I reckon we'll never the truth unless Bisu reveals it, but that Kongdoo conflict could be a reason, or maybe just not wanting to take the risk of competing and time and effort to prepare -- time that could have, instead, been spent streaming and early donations, while an early SSL exit just tarnishes his reputation/stature. He's already perceived as the 'best', why take the risk?
Likely same reason he doesn't play in all the smaller leagues, I'm sure he receives invitations to all of them...
blasphemy. is his love for the game not strong enough to admit defeat once in a while? flash didnt stop playing when he was at the top now did he?
boooooo if this is the truth take him off top 10 next PR >:C
Nice to see bw power rank again! Top 10 seems pretty accurate. Also, I never really bothered to check how particular players have been doing before liquibetting, but due to my gut, I have almost always bet on ssak, I guess that's the reason why I have been doing fairly well ^^
On May 20 2015 05:23 ggrrg wrote: Nice to see bw power rank again! Top 10 seems pretty accurate. Also, I never really bothered to check how particular players have been doing before liquibetting, but due to my gut, I have almost always bet on ssak, I guess that's the reason why I have been doing fairly well ^^
I would say the top players rarely see upsets with high liquibets on the line, but disappoint early on in tournaments.
congratz you beat jaehoon and won a ZvZ vs effort in seaside =.= then you got eliminated by free and sea.kh. bleahhhh overrated.....
I don't get why hero is popular on TL, even Sayle was hyping him up during Bisu vs hero SSL9 finals (after that, Bisu has stomped hero ever since).
"God of ZvP" my ass. Any winrate % before the the Return of Bisu during September 2013 should be suspect.
except he was the closest to finish him up. That was a good finals and you can't deny that. Anyways Bisu being top is a bit overjustified considering we still have the likes of SSak and Last tearing up the league.
EPT
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 
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 & 
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, ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/shiroiusagi/powerrank/lpicon.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/kwanro.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/hero.png)
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![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/free.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/sea.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/last.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/zero.png)
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![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/mind.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/v1/powerrank/ssak.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/KbHa7qW.jpg)
