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Who is the SECOND greatest StarCraft: Brood War player of…

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iPlaY.NettleS
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Australia4421 Posts
November 12 2022 07:59 GMT
#81
I put Nada, but I didn't play or follow it at all from the release of SC2 until late 2017 when remastered came out.Honestly my memory is pretty hazy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7PvoI6gvQs
G5
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
United States2921 Posts
November 12 2022 08:24 GMT
#82
Boxer was great and is absolutely iconic but NaDa is clearly the 2nd best StarCraft player in history after FlaSh. Boxer was by far the most influential in terms of getting eSports started (above anyone else imo) but in terms of dominance, skill, and feats such as StarLeague wins etc. I would put more than a couple players above Boxer. My list (without looking at records) is probably FlaSh, NaDa, Jaedong, sAviOr, Boxer, iloveoov, JulyZerg, Bisu, Stork in that order.
Galacsia
Profile Joined February 2020
Chile163 Posts
November 12 2022 19:04 GMT
#83
We are talking about the 2nd greatest of all time. It's gotta be a player that is both high skill and has endured for the longest time.

That's obviously Bisu. He was one of the best at bw peak and currently in the ASL era still is one of the strongest players. Had he not lost to Mind in the MSL, he'd be considered a Bonjwa, however he definitely was Bonjwa level dominant.

The bonjwas and Jaedong were strong at their time but afterwards they dwindled. We're not talking who was the most innovative (which Bisu also was) or the 2nd best player at a particular point in time.
BeSt / Bisu ftw!!
XenOsky
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Chile2356 Posts
November 13 2022 02:12 GMT
#84
On November 13 2022 04:04 Galacsia wrote:
We are talking about the 2nd greatest of all time. It's gotta be a player that is both high skill and has endured for the longest time.

That's obviously Bisu. He was one of the best at bw peak and currently in the ASL era still is one of the strongest players. Had he not lost to Mind in the MSL, he'd be considered a Bonjwa, however he definitely was Bonjwa level dominant.

The bonjwas and Jaedong were strong at their time but afterwards they dwindled. We're not talking who was the most innovative (which Bisu also was) or the 2nd best player at a particular point in time.


Ima die hard bisu fan, but he doesnt even make top 5 ... sadly
ἡ τῆς Νεμέσεως τάξις
We Are Here
Profile Blog Joined October 2006
Australia1810 Posts
November 13 2022 02:45 GMT
#85
I started following the scene when Chojja, Boxer, Reach, Yellow, Xellos etc were all big (towards the end of their prime).

I think Savior takes the cake as second best, I remember always hating him and was so happy when Bisu demolished him but respect is needed when discussing his reign, it was terrifying.

My personal ratings:
1. Flash
2. Savior
3. Jaedong
4. Boxer
5. Bisu
He who turns those around him into allies, possesses the most terrifying ability in the world.
Kare
Profile Joined March 2009
Norway786 Posts
November 13 2022 03:02 GMT
#86
Jaedong
In life you can obtain all sorts of material wealth, but the real treasure is the epic feelings you get while doing something you love.
huyg
Profile Joined November 2022
2 Posts
November 13 2022 08:23 GMT
#87
In term of second best skill wise its JD, but in term of greatness it's nada for me.
weiliem
Profile Joined January 2008
2073 Posts
November 13 2022 09:56 GMT
#88
Only 2 players with Golden Mouse, Golden Badge, and has dominated 2 different eras. And this is in question?
2nd best? maybe Jaedong, but 2nd GREATEST? No doubt NaDa
Oppa feeding style
Rainalcar
Profile Joined April 2010
Croatia479 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-11-13 14:47:18
November 13 2022 11:54 GMT
#89
The most talented player of all of Starcraft is probably Rain.

As for the greatest/best, it should be split by race as P is historically too far behind and obviously an underdog.

Greatest
Flash/Boxer 2nd Flash/Boxer
Bisu 2nd Nalra or Stork
Savior/Jaedong 2nd Savior/Jaedong

Best
Flash 2nd oov or nada
Bisu 2nd Jangbi
Jaedong 2nd tough, but not savior
j.r.r.
RowdierBob
Profile Blog Joined May 2003
Australia13425 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-11-13 12:00:44
November 13 2022 11:56 GMT
#90
You can’t judge the older gamers by the relative weakness of the competition compared to the level they play at today.

The modern gamers wouldn’t exist without the pioneering the older generation did. Guys like Boxer, Oov, Nada, Savior were not just greats due to them dominating the best competition there was at the time, they also did so much for the meta of BW that future generations benefited from. And that’s not just gameplay but the way they practised and approached big games etc.

For me, the greats are those who changed the meta and had the individual dominance to go with it. So for me:
Flash
Boxer (he made BW a prime time event. He was so dominant in his time and made BW so popular. None of what came after with BW’s popularity happens without him).
Oov/Nada (I can’t split these two. Both very dominant. Oov showed the power of macro Terran that is still around today. Nada was a BW artist).
Savior (I know he’s a scumbag but it’s hard to ignore his dominance plus the huge influence he had on modern Zerg play. The first dominant Zerg player).
Bisu/Jaedong (again hard to split. Both so influential and had great results).

I think this is the core group of greatest of all BW players. Others like Jangbang, garimto, nalra, Light, Stork, Fantasy, Effort, Zero are the next tier. All excellent players with great legacies but don’t have the influence of those above.
"Terrans are pretty much space-Australians" - H
VGhost
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States3620 Posts
November 13 2022 18:32 GMT
#91
I think "greatest" was a great choice of word. Clear question but just enough room to promote discussion.

I'm assuming number one has to be Flash at this point, just because of the pinnacle of longevity and skill - and we forget sometimes, but also innovation - his career represents.

Number two really depends, but I thought the question could be approached a couple different ways:

Skill - Jaedong, Effort, and Bisu all have a strong argument for being next-best. I'd give the nod to Jaedong of those three.

Longevity - Nada is really the only one who comes close. Bisu and Stork could be included in the conversation depending how you view post-KeSPA.

Innovation/Icon status - Boxer, oov, Savior, Bisu come to mind. Jaedong, Nada, and July might have an argument.

This last one was the direction I went and I picked Boxer, but now I'm thinking through I think Bisu may have the best case for number two.
#4427 || I am not going to scan a ferret.
xsnac
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Barbados1365 Posts
November 13 2022 18:34 GMT
#92
Rain or Jangbi
1/4 \pi \epsilon_0
Incomplete..ReV
Profile Joined August 2017
Norway661 Posts
November 13 2022 18:36 GMT
#93
I voted NaDa, but not sure if I regret and wanted to go for Jaedong instead. I don't really know enough to have an informed opinion, though.

Going by pure feelings and devotion, I would however have voted for Avi-Love <3
It's ok. I still love you <3
RowdierBob
Profile Blog Joined May 2003
Australia13425 Posts
November 14 2022 09:14 GMT
#94
Bisu just doesn’t have the individual achievements to warrant being #2. He’s an incredible player who deserves to be in the conversation but his resume doesn’t stack up to guys like Oov, Nada, Boxer or even JD.

But what he did for the PvZ matchup and that brief period of Protoss domination matters a lot.
"Terrans are pretty much space-Australians" - H
evilfatsh1t
Profile Joined October 2010
Australia8881 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-11-14 10:06:32
November 14 2022 10:05 GMT
#95
On November 14 2022 18:14 RowdierBob wrote:
Bisu just doesn’t have the individual achievements to warrant being #2. He’s an incredible player who deserves to be in the conversation but his resume doesn’t stack up to guys like Oov, Nada, Boxer or even JD.

But what he did for the PvZ matchup and that brief period of Protoss domination matters a lot.

depends if you take all-time to include current afreeca.
bisu is actually the only player besides flash that has consistently played at the top level. what he lacked in individual trophies he made up for in insane amounts of wins in the proleague. i think in the last 2 seasons of proleague he was pretty much rank 1 or 2 in wins. he also had jd's number for the last years of proleague and generally performed better than jd overall in proleague, that performance difference continuing to this day. for me jd stays in contention only because of his dominance prior to moving to team 8.
and if this is a question about skill rather than impact on the scene, the current players in their 30s would dance around all the old gen pros even back when they were in their early 20s. thats how quick the old gen became obsolete. they left their mark on the game but the game left them in the dust.
i remember a recent moment when yellow gave jd shit (jokingly) when jd stated that he could hit s rank on ladder in his sleep still, because yellow struggles to hit s rank and was very proud when he got it.
fLyiNgDroNe
Profile Joined September 2005
Belgium4104 Posts
November 14 2022 10:16 GMT
#96
YellOw!

oh, wait i thought you meant the Greatest "Second Player" of all time!
Drone is a way of living
TMNT
Profile Joined January 2021
3229 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-11-14 10:34:37
November 14 2022 10:28 GMT
#97
No disrespect to the old legends but I don't know how anyone can write off the post-Kespa era as if it didn't exist, while in fact none of Boxer, Nada, Oov, July, Savior,... even competed/was able to compete in this era.

Flash the God himself even said that his Kespa version would lose to his modern version due to the fully developed meta nowadays. In other words, the old legends couldn't keep up with the demand of modern competitive BW.

Take Nada for example. He couldn't even qualify for ASL when he was at the same age as Bisu now - the latter still a top 8 player at the moment.

Imo the old legends should belong to a group called most influential or most talented players, they are nowhere near the greatest or the best.

Like in tennis the GOAT is either Federer/Nadal/Djokovic - not the guy who invented the backhand or something like that.

Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28818 Posts
November 14 2022 11:06 GMT
#98
Imo you're conflating greatest and best.

Best is like, 'played on the highest skill level'. That list is going to be dominated by contemporary players, unless someone was so god damn good (or they played a sport/game with remarkably little evolution over time) that they're still #1.
Greatest is like, less tangible, because it's more of a 'how dominant was this person when looking at his or her contemporary competition (even factoring in stuff like 'how good was this competition'). The 'best' runner of all time is the person holding the world record - but the greatest runner of all time might be the one who won 3 consecutive olympic golds and set a world record that lasted for 30 years.

Like in football, if people are trying to make a list over 'best players ever', Pele does not have a chance at making that list. Put Pele from the 60s in today's game (not 'imagine Pele with a modern training regimen etc etc) and he's probably not going to get all that far. (Not a knock on Pele at all). The 'best' player of all time is Messi - whereas you can make a legit case - and people do - that Pele might challenge him for the title of 'greatest'.

For Tennis, it just so happens that the top 3 of the previous decade also happens to dominate the overall grand slam ratings, so you can argue that the best of all time are also the greatest.
Moderator
TMNT
Profile Joined January 2021
3229 Posts
November 14 2022 12:04 GMT
#99
On November 14 2022 20:06 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Imo you're conflating greatest and best.

Best is like, 'played on the highest skill level'. That list is going to be dominated by contemporary players, unless someone was so god damn good (or they played a sport/game with remarkably little evolution over time) that they're still #1.
Greatest is like, less tangible, because it's more of a 'how dominant was this person when looking at his or her contemporary competition (even factoring in stuff like 'how good was this competition'). The 'best' runner of all time is the person holding the world record - but the greatest runner of all time might be the one who won 3 consecutive olympic golds and set a world record that lasted for 30 years.

Like in football, if people are trying to make a list over 'best players ever', Pele does not have a chance at making that list. Put Pele from the 60s in today's game (not 'imagine Pele with a modern training regimen etc etc) and he's probably not going to get all that far. (Not a knock on Pele at all). The 'best' player of all time is Messi - whereas you can make a legit case - and people do - that Pele might challenge him for the title of 'greatest'.

For Tennis, it just so happens that the top 3 of the previous decade also happens to dominate the overall grand slam ratings, so you can argue that the best of all time are also the greatest.

I got your point. Like I said before, it all depends on how you define "greatest". So anyone is free to interpret and have their own goat of BW.

But for me, even if you look at it from that perspective, there's still one question mark with the old legends: nothing prevented Boxer, Nada, etc. compete in the later stage of Kespa and post Kespa though.

For example, Nada started to fade around 2006, with Boxer and Oov even earlier and a bit later for the Zerg players like July and Savior. And they were still in their early 20s at the time, not like at e-sport retirement age. So it's not like the 2006-2012 period was not contemporary to them. Imo they were just outclassed by the new generation of TBLS, Effort, Fantasy... in the later stage of Kespa, and stopped competing altogether after that.

If you look at football or other sports, the "greatest" players started to fade when they got old or had career ending injuries, not when they were still supposed to be at their prime.
evilfatsh1t
Profile Joined October 2010
Australia8881 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-11-14 12:31:38
November 14 2022 12:30 GMT
#100
actually this brings up another point that i think is a misconception now in esports; that the retirement age of esports athletes is in the early to mid twenties.
this was the predominant view for quite a while and is now becoming a hot topic in some genres like lol, dota or cs, where we are seeing now that there are veterans approaching their late twenties or even thirties and are still playing.
in hindsight i think the reason people presumed esports had an early retirement age was precisely because the og starcraft pros were so great and they stopped competing at that age, but imo there seems to be more evidence now that people are more than capable of competing at the highest level even in their 30s. that would mean that the og pros were actually forced into retirement early because they got gapped harder and faster by the new generation than any other generation of players in any other esports title.
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