EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/RbT7Z.jpg)
Text by digmouse
Advisors: nayuki@s.163.com, ms_joy@Neotv, Bellababy@TeSL, Spider.Chowoo
Disclaimer (shamelessly stealing from TL writers):
The Power Rank only takes players competing at WCS Asia into account. Qualifiers are rough, and some players just didn't make it.
The power rank is a compromise between the opinions of several writers, ensuring that not even we are happy with the end result.
I (digmouse) am not responsible for rage or rage related injuries suffered from reading the Power Rank.
+ Show Spoiler +
Also, I'm not a native English speaker and I haven't tried to write this large chunk of texts solely in English for a long time, so if you see ugly grammar errors/wording inappropriates, please do point me out as there will be many.
The Power Rank only takes players competing at WCS Asia into account. Qualifiers are rough, and some players just didn't make it.
The power rank is a compromise between the opinions of several writers, ensuring that not even we are happy with the end result.
I (digmouse) am not responsible for rage or rage related injuries suffered from reading the Power Rank.
+ Show Spoiler +
"Who would beat whom in a best of 101 series with their lives on the line?" That crossed our minds. So did "Who had the best tournament results in the past X months?" Those, and many other questions factored in as we attempted to figure out the contentious question: "who's better?" It was a complex process, which we're not even sure we completely understand ourselves. A few notes:
The Power Rank does not suggest that a higher ranked player is better than a lower ranked player in a head to head. Rankings are based on a player's overall package.
Also, the PR is not a ranking of everyone's chances to win the tournament, though we will mention that purely as a point of interest for some players. There's a lot of bracket luck involved, in terms of specific opponents and match-ups someone could end up with. Again, the Power Rank is just our all-around answer to the question "who's better?"
The Power Rank does not suggest that a higher ranked player is better than a lower ranked player in a head to head. Rankings are based on a player's overall package.
Also, the PR is not a ranking of everyone's chances to win the tournament, though we will mention that purely as a point of interest for some players. There's a lot of bracket luck involved, in terms of specific opponents and match-ups someone could end up with. Again, the Power Rank is just our all-around answer to the question "who's better?"
Also, I'm not a native English speaker and I haven't tried to write this large chunk of texts solely in English for a long time, so if you see ugly grammar errors/wording inappropriates, please do point me out as there will be many.
32.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/a/a4/Ph.png)
Mineski.EnDerr31.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/0/06/Th.png)
inFinity.RedArchonFrankly, I don't know too much about these SEA players, nor do the whole world outside of the Oceania. EnDerr and RedArchon qualified by winning the 4-player SEA qualifier, over 2 other relatively (if not completely) unknown players. RedArchon's recent Asia e-Sports Cup at Tokyo Game Show results showed he might stand a chance taking games off more established player like Mafia, but the sheer amount of experience of the Koreans and Chinese pros should prove to be too much a challenge for him.
30.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/8/8b/Tw.png)
Tt Apollos.SKTBSKTB replaces wiNs, who decided it's time to hang up the mouse and pursue a more stable career as a banker. He is a semi-pro as well, known as an unpredictable player who can play a wide variety of styles. But still, his lack of experience at live events and against better players, make him very unlikely to hit the upset button.
29.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/c/ce/Sp.png)
inFinity.RevenantIt's more complicated when it comes to Revenant, a familiar name among the long-time lived Warcraft 3 scene of China, who spent one precious month at the Fnatic house in Korea, might play a better, if not his best in career tournament than his brothers from the islands.
28.
GamaniaBearsSlamThe sidekick and student of Sen, he grew up a lot after Sen returned from his abroad trip, boasting a 50% win-rate in Taiwan eSports League, second best among his team behind his mentor. But again, as any other lesser Taiwanese players, a much bigger stage like WCS Asia against way bigger caliber of players, may trigger his already fragile nerve problems.
27.
Tt Apollos.AKThe youngest Aiur brethren from Taiwan, AK actually spent some time practicing in the Prime house, after returning, his style shifts a lot from an defensive player, to a more aggressive one. Still, up against a big name like HerO will be too big a burden for him to take, expect an early exit, he still has too much to prove for himself.
26.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png)
YoeIronmen.NilonKnown for his amazing ability of marine splitting, even called "Taiwan MarineKing". But just look at the Terran line up of this tournament and the sheer firepower of the other two races, his already slumping recent result (only 2 appearences in TeSL this season) doesn't show a big future in Shanghai either. Oh, did I mention he is going to play By.Sun in the first round?
25.
YoeIronmen.IanA rapidly rising star of Yoe Ironman, teammate of the best Taiwanese Protoss Hui. Other than that, he is largely unknown out there, though he is one of the most rapidly growing players in Taiwan, it won't help him a lot dealing with the absolute veterans
24.
GamaniaBearsAproThe uncle (despite the fact he is younger!) of Sen, Apro is another great backup for Gama Bears if things happen to their Zerg ace. Apro can play both Protoss and Zerg at a high level, and he doesn't hesitate when his team needs him to switch faction. He was put into the "weaker" part of the bracket, coming up against another lesser Protoss in Top, it would be the best situation the rangers from across the channel could expect.
23.
Spider.FlyThe runner-up of Taiwan Nationals, the definite No.2 Zerg of Taiwan, Fly is a relentless killer known for no emotions. Despite having a hopping 75% win rate in the TeSL, second overall behind the absolute ace Sen, the lack of overall game and player quality of this environment doesn't make this shiny result mean a lot of thing once the stage has moved to continental level. Hasn't achieved any big wins against any big name players, his chance of doing something significant won't be bigger than his brothers.
22.
YoeIronmen.HuiNicknamed "Ghosthand", the Protoss ace of Team Taiwan is arguably also the second best player from Taiwan. His unpredictable style might give him a lead against unprepared lesser players, but unless terrible things happened or his tricky play works every time, he isn't very likely to leave a mark on the Korean and Chinese veterans.
21.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/c/cd/Cn.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png)
Spider.AshHaving a id perfectly fitting his name (张烬月 in which 烬 means ash), Ash is one of the biggest surprise came out of China Nationals. Living in the stable Wayi Spider team house and having a veteran teammate Comm, he is growing fast. Being in his second major offline tournament, the realistic goal for him is still getting more combat experience, but anyone can dream, right?
20.
Phoenix.Top"I feel it was one Korean Protoss playing against fifteen Chinese players." -- Artosis on Top after China Nationals.
Among his fellow Protoss brothers, Top is different, he isn't afraid of doing early game tricks nor lategame clashes. He cheesed the Terran powerhouse Loner twice, and then destroyed XY with his lategame deathball. Though his play definitely need more work to match him up against the Korean legion, everyone is eager to see what he has become in the past 3 months.
19.
Tyloo.InfiInfi is a true legend of the Warcraft 3 times, but his impact into the SC2 scene doesn't really cause a big splash as a lot of people expect him to. Still practicing two games at the same time, still weighing Warcraft 3 events of upcoming WCG China Nationals and Grand Finals above everything else, he very likely won't be practicing a lot of SC2. The things he could well rely on are his huge amount of big stage experience and the homeland advantage, plus his unmatched RTS talent will still give him considerable wins against top Chinese players. However, upon these kind of Protoss/Zerg line-up, he very likely won't be the sole Terran hero. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong.
18.
Phoenix.F91The oldest among the 32, F91 is the only one that comes from the oldest Brood War times. Turning 30 next February and becoming a father soon after that, the passion for eSports never fade from this true veteran of Starcraft. Fans make fun of him, people call him a "comedian"(谐星). But deep inside us we all know F91 is that respectable Starcraft old boy we love. That being said, F91 still keeps his game on, constantly standing as one of the best Chinese Zergs. It won't be the last time we see F91 on the big stage, the chances are slim, but he will fight till the end, and will always be one of the most entertaining player Chinese Starcraft has ever to offer. By the way, anyone wanna see a F91 vs IdrA rematch in the World Championship? I do.
17.
iGXluoSThis guy is a myth. He took out 3 absolute veterans in LoveTT, LoveCD and F91, all fan-favorites to get here. His win against LoveCD leaves the dream of another Li blood on the world stage a bit further (LoveCD is the younger brother of Warcraft 3 legend Li "Sky" Xiaofeng), he made F91 look exactly like a old man who can't hold on to his feet. In the training match just happened today among Team China, XluoS swept all other Chinese Protosses over, displaying great shape just before the day. But having moved back to school to focus on his studies, this talented yet untrained young Protoss still has a long way ahead of him.
16.
iGXyArguably the best Terran in China right now, XY just took the crown of the MSI Laptop Masters Invitational defeating XiGua in the finals, shows he is in the right shape coming into this tournament. The all-around solid Terran has been known since the beta time under the alias "Half a Rookie", and grew rapidly ever since he went full pro. In such a small Terran line-up with no one significantly better, he is the one Terran fans should take an eye on.
15.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/3/36/Kr.png)
SlayerS_MiyaSomeone would ask "How did he come to Shanghai?". Looking back at his WCS Korea results, all the 3 wins share the same fact that is ZvT. Taking out Hack, aLive and the last Terran hope Polt marks him a distinctive ZvT specialist, while his TLPD statistics confirms that. But coming to Shanghai with a extremely thin Terran line-up, his style of efficient 3-base ling-bane heavy play won't help him a lot here, while his not-so-specialized ZvZ and ZvP doesn't give him great edges against the stacked Protoss and Zerg line-up.
14.
Tyloo.JimCreator told an interviewer that he wanna play Jim and thinks he is the best Chinese player. Oddly, Jim is at similiar age as Creator, and has been compared against Creator for a long time. Jim doesn't talk much and smiles a lot, but when things go into play, he instantly transforms into killing machine. His main strength is his exceptional PvZ which could prove to be useful in this Zerg heavy tournament, but his hate and inconfidence in PvP might hurt him on the other hand.
13.
iGMacSedThe Protoss ace to go if Team China ever needs one in a team league, MacSed is talented, experienced and deadly. He took MVP a while to knock him out in WCG 2011 Grand Finals, he knocked down Grubby and Sen to claim the StarWars 7 title, also Moon and Lyn were his other casualties on his road to a lesser NGF champion. Before that he wasn't so helpless against Keen in the GSL. Matchin up against a PartinG who is heavily slumping in PvP, a already versatile matchup, he is the biggest chance for a non-Korean to hit an upset against the top caliber Koreans, and he won't be afraid to take on any other ones too. His nickname "Turtle Protoss" could very possibly help him this time, again.
12.
CJ Entus_herO[jOin]The CJ Protoss is on low profile into WCS Asia, but many may not realize he is the essential backbone of CJ's Proleague champion run. Having an astonishing 73% winrate in SC2, and singlehandedly took care of By.Sun and knock out reigning champion SKT1 in the playoffs, don't you dare ignore him. herO's PvP and PvZ are impressive, but the reason I put him out of RO8 is simply that he is largely untested by bigger fields. His run out of WCS Korea is impressive, taking out TAiLS and Effort, with a reverse kill on puzzle to secure his spot, other than that, his success are mostly seen in the Proleague. Being on foreign soil and playing against Code S caliber players both for the first time, he will be doubted, let's see what he is made of.
11.
ToodmingThe only teamless Zerg back in China Nationals made a huge splash by coming out of the Loser's Bracket hell, if it wasn't the stacked matches that exhausted him so much, he would made Comm so much harder in the run for the money. Toodming is the Last Emperor of Chinese Brood War, and his career into SC2 is also a successful one. Back to 2011 when the XiGua who was at his prime could not go to BlizzCon, he stood out and defeat Ret, only losing to eventual champion MVP and Dimaga who is a ZvZ master to drop out. Before Comm humiliated TAiLS 4-0 in the Kung Fu Cup Showmatch Series (a showmatch dedicated on Chinese players against Korean and foreign players), Toodming was the only to defeat Koreans, and not one, but two. And who he defeats? Noblesse, and MARINEKING. Yes, he is that good. Reported to have secured a foreign team, Toodming is training hard to make sure his run in China Nationals will continue.
10.
Spider.CommThe China Nationals champion hold his head high on his home ground. Having a exceptional ZvP arsenal in his possession, he will make any Korean Protoss think twice playing on his ground. His major weakeness is his ZvZ and it's very likely he will meet the KeSPA ZvZ elephant RorO in Winner's Round 2. The generally lack of exposure is his weapon to exploit, but yet still skill and luck are what he needs to be successful. Luckily, with no concern of BWC spot on the line, he will go into the game without much burden on his back. But as his nickname "Balotelli" suggests, he could one way blasts a hole on the Korean warship, or silently bails out unnoticed.
9.
GamaniaBearsSenProbably the biggest fan-favorite out of the Koreans, Sen is no small treat. He is one of the most successful foreign players of all time dated back to Brood War, making 2 back to back NASL RO4 is no small feat. He is the full pack of a modern Zerg, with solid results on every matchup. His major strength is ZvT which unfortunately won't help him a lot here, but his ZvZ and ZvP is capable of taking on anyone in the world as well. The only concern is, having played almost solely in the TeSL and not a lot foreign tournament appearances this year might actually hinder his skill, but by how much extent? WCS Asia is the first big tournament we see Sen coming on a big international stage in 2012, and I solely believe he is ready.
8.
Samsung KHAN_RorORorO is probably the best KeSPA Zerg right now, made a legendary run in WCS Korea defeating Hack, Leenock, Miya, herO and I-Just-Won-GSL aka Seed to secure his spot, being the last man standing in the Winner's Bracket for KeSPA proves it. This time his ZvP skills will yet again be tested by not only the same Korean Protoss line-up, but the new contenders in Chinese dragons and other ones like Sen. RorO just advanced to Code A RO24 in dominating fashion, knocking down veteran AcE and Ryung in the process, he definitely will be one of the favorites among the World Championship spot contenders.
7.
Liquid`HerOOur own fan-favorite Liquid`HerO stands tall as the world's best Zerg killer, yet also known for simply bad PvP. Just got dominated by By.Sun in the GSL, keeping a 38% winrate against Koreans and 3/7 in the past 10, HerO needs to fix his PvP in a short amount of time, otherwise not mentioning Creator, Squirtle or PartinG, the Chinese Protosses are going to be a pain in the back for him.
6.
Startale_CuriousOut of the Code S powerhouses, Curious is the most iconic mid-tier player who wanders around RO32 and RO16 and never made to the bigger stages. But on this stage the all around solid and deadly Zerg is distinctively a tier above most other Zerg broods (only exceptions are RorO and maybe Sen). His real threat is still the Aiur enemies above him. With a highly likely Startale teamkill against PartinG around the corner and an unpleasant WCS Korea ZvP experience (2 losses vs Protoss, only advanced by defeating Puzzle), he must put up his A-game. Every Power Rank needs a "Grubby Line", since Grubby is not available this time (you'll see him in the casting seats though), I decided to put him as a BWC qualifying line, thus "The Curious Line".
5.
SK Telecom T1_By.SunThe King of Elephants is here. Though he can no longer add 3 more titles into the already crowded SKT1 trophy room in a mere month now, By.Sun still stands as one of the best players in the world at the moment. In PvT and PvZ By.Sun has proved he could compete with the very best. Though his innovative harassment-heavy PvT probably won't shine here, his PvZ will still be too much for almost all the Zergs in this tournament. The thing he needs to work on is his largely untested and statistically (don't be fooled by TLPD this time!) weak PvP, or his ideal target would still be the BWC spot, not the title.
4.
Startale_PartinGPartinG is famous for being a PvT specialist and struggling against Zerg. The former, as said several times before, won't do much this time around, the later weakness is somewhat fixed recently as his vZ became significantly more reliable but yet not on par with players like Creator or HerO. On the other hand, PvP will be the key to success in WCS Asia. While PartinG is stable against lesser Protosses, he in fact has problem dealing top Korean ones. What his PvP will be like, is the biggest question mark floating on PartinG's head.
3.
Startale_SquirtleThe Blastoise is simply too good, I don't even need to tell you how good it is as I can't use more words on him. The only thing makes me put him in here, is his recent results are really not on his line: 1-3 to Curious in TSL4, got reverse killed by Creator in WCS Korea, dropping out of GSL RO16 losing to Leenock and HerO, Squirtle is probably the coldest among the top contenders. But yet again, he is so f**king good in all matchups, he could easily take out everyone on his best day, it's only up to when and what day he will be on when he landed in Shanghai.
2.
LG-IMSeedSimiliar to PartinG, Seed's problems lies in PvP. Defeating MC in a GSL Finals has greatly boosted his confidence on this field, and he did show steady improvements on his PvP, as shown in his recent GSL and IPTL results. His PvT and PvZ is undoubtedly championship caliber, and his steel nerves will continue to be his great weapon. If his patches to his PvP are as effective as it is, Seed is not only one of the favorites to win a spot to BWC, but also the biggest bet to win it all as well.
1.
CreatorPrimeThe wonderkid is ready to take it away again. Despite the fact that he is in Code A (caused by a very very unlucky U&D group), his superb recent result and constantly reliable performances marks him the best player here in Shanghai. Unlike his name may suggest, Creator plays a defensive, orthodox game against all odds. And the biggest weapon he has possession is undoubtedly his invincible PvP for already obvious reasons. His Korean PvP winrate for the past three months is jaw-dropping 71% and he won 8 of his last 10 PvPs. Combined with his momentum in the GSL and being WCS Korea champion, Creator is the definite favorite to crown the Asia Finals.
2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series/Asia/Finals
