Fragbite (a Swedish gaming website) are hosting a poll (click here) asking who you think Sweden's Best SC2 Player of the year 2012 is! The nominees are ThorZaIN, SortOf, NaNiwa, SaSe and Seiplo.
Here is a bit of information (achievements this year, history etc...) about each player translated from the website.
ThorZaIN Sweden is definetly on the world map when it comes to starcraft 2 and one of the reasons for this is Marcus "ThorZaIN" Eklöf. After placing high in multiple tournaments, he stepped up the Game in his homecountry and won the DreamHack EIZO Open Stockholm event, E-Sport SM, WCS Sweden and then finally ASUS ROG all within the first half of this year.
SortOf Rickard "SortOf" Bergman blossomed in Sweden's as one of the top players after having placed 2nd in both E-Sport SM and WCS Sweden. Those however weren't his Only feats this year, but he also placed 4th at the NASL 4 tournament. His prestige over the year just tells us it would not do anyone justice by not giving him a nomination.
NaNiwa Johan "NaNiwa" Lucchesi showed us during 2011 why he could be one of the best players and has continued this year to show us why he's one of the best of the best in starcraft 2. Making it to the quarter finals in GSL Code S is no laughing matter, making sure that he is one of our choices as a nominee.
SaSe Kim "SaSe" Hammar tends to be named as one of the better Swedish players. He initially started of the year by being rather anonymous, practicing vigorously in Korea and it was not until May that he struck everyone by surprise by winning the NASL Sunday Showdown. Throughout the Summer of 2012, he placed 4th aT MLG, making him the the best non-Korean at the tournament. After that he finished the year with a first place trophy from the IEF 2012 tournament, truly earning him a nomination as Sweden's best SC2 player of 2012.
Seiplo John "Seiplo" Seipel has not yet grabbed any big titles in his SC2 career, nor has he prestiged in any minor titles either during this past year. He grabbed a bronze medal in WCS Sweden and another in the Copenhagen Games, placing higher than giants like Happy, NaNiwa and SaSe. This however was enough proof for us to award him with a nomination.
Personal Opinion: Tie breaker between ThorZaIN and NaNiwa... But I am a big NaNi fan so... However. ThorZaIN has had Great results and it's always fun to watch them two battle it out! So we'll see. I'll have to ponder on this one.
Naniwa had 0 top 4 finishes in major or premiere tournaments in 2012. Thorzain won a premiere tournament, won 3 major tournaments, and got 3rd at another major event. I feel that outweighs 2 gsl round of 8s.
On January 04 2013 02:07 Master of DalK wrote: NaNiwa, he did beat Flash in a bo3 and lost by 1 in the extended series. Also, Protoss fighting~
On January 04 2013 02:05 birchman wrote: I love me some Thorzain. Got some nerdchills when he got that proleague win!
Hahaha, these two exactly! You see why I can't make up my mind? It's so hard. Both of them are so good! Thorzain's win in proleague and Naniwa's GSL placement. Hehehe. They're both excellent! But then again, SortOf and SaSe have proven to be worthy recognition this year!
I think I'd vote for Thorzain, but I can definitely see support for SortOf and Naniwa. SortOf should get a little more recognition for, you know, winning WCS Sweden . Edit: They say memory is the first to go...
On January 04 2013 02:17 MisterFred wrote: I think I'd vote for Thorzain, but I can definitely see support for SortOf and Naniwa. SortOf should get a little more recognition for, you know, winning WCS Sweden .
You have to pick between Nani's GSL runs and Thorzain's DH win (not counting WCS Sweden). Terran had a tougher year. It's not an easy choice. Glad SaSe and SortOf got mentioned as well, but considering the EG bandwagon I think this one is all said and done already.
It's gotta be Naniwa. He doesn't have big results as of late but like others have said he still consistently challenges and still often beats some of the world's best players. Thorzain I'm sorta losing hope in.
On January 04 2013 02:42 AirbladeOrange wrote: It's gotta be Naniwa. He doesn't have big results as of late but like others have said he still consistently challenges and still often beats some of the world's best players. Thorzain I'm sorta losing hope in.
Who is Naniwa challenging and beating among the best players of the world as of late?
Thorzain won 4 tournaments, including the 2 swedish crown and is 7-4 against Naniwa this year(4-0 offline), i think that's enough to give him the title.
Naniwa got 2 Ro8 finishes in GSL in 2012 which gives him the nod for me. However, ThorzaiN is very close and his proleague win was probably the coolest thing I've seen out of either in terms of pure hype/joy.
I vote NaNiWa for his GSL performances and some strong finishes in side tournaments.
It's either Thorzain or SortOf. For the latter half of the year SortOf was a notch above I think. But in the end that narrow WCS Sweden speaks volumes and winning Dreamhack Stockholm over polt was just too cool. Sorry SortOf, I vote Thorzain.
On January 04 2013 02:42 AirbladeOrange wrote: It's gotta be Naniwa. He doesn't have big results as of late but like others have said he still consistently challenges and still often beats some of the world's best players. Thorzain I'm sorta losing hope in.
Who is Naniwa challenging and beating among the best players of the world as of late?
Thorzain won 4 tournaments, including the 2 swedish crown and is 7-4 against Naniwa this year(4-0 offline), i think that's enough to give him the title.
naniwa in the GSL ro8 twice is exponentially more impressive than local swedish titles or even a dreamhack win.
Sase is really getting the short end of the stick in this poll, really kind of surprised to see him that far behind SortOf. They are both great players, Sase just didn't have a break out year like SortOf did I suppose.
On January 04 2013 03:09 ThomasjServo wrote: Sase is really getting the short end of the stick in this poll, really kind of surprised to see him that far behind SortOf. They are both great players, Sase just didn't have a break out year like SortOf did I suppose.
The problem is SaSe is about as consistent as a high school romance. One week it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but next week there's shit flying around and scathing videos being posted on the internet. I'm a big SaSe fan, but he's not consistent enough to make nearly the dent he deserves.
On January 04 2013 02:41 Mensol wrote: ThorZaIN > SaSe > SortOf > Naniwa > Seiplo
this is a terrible scale lol. sase and sortof are clearly below Naniwa (two GSL ro8?).
I agree with Mensol mostly, though I might switch Sase and SortOf.
In the end it was something like 12 games of starcraft for Naniwa, vs the RIDICULOUS run of Sase at MLG, beating players as good as Naniwa's competition in GSL, or SortOf's damn near victory at WCS Sweden and also placing 4th in NASL. Have you forgotten Naniwa's 0-10 start at the GSL? It took a while to get the matchups he needed to advance, and while it's absolutely a damn impressive feat, GSL isn't the only tournament that matters. Fruitdealer, Jjakji, and Seed are all GSL champions that didn't live up to their expectations after their glorious runs.
Naniwa's fantastic, and balance may have been a factor in SortOf's runs, but throughout an entire year I think at least 20 games of starcraft should be taken into consideration.
Naniwa had higher peaks, Thorzain is a lot more consistent. SaSe and SortOf are great as well, but I'd say they are ever so slightly behind the first two.
I'd say Naniwa - thanks to those GSL accomplishments - had a better year than Throzain, but by a very tiny margin.
On January 04 2013 03:35 Eee wrote: 1. Naniwa 2. SaSe 3. ThorZaIN 4. SortOf 5. Seiplo
While I love SaSe, and he's fantastic, I don't think he's accomplished nearly as much as Thorzain has in 2012, so I'd switch them. I agree with the rest of your list
I was thinking of writing something somewhere else but it might be better received in this thread. So pardon me for going somewhat OT here. It's been a good year for Swedish sc2 (and esports in general). The three kings have cemented their positions from 2011 with Thorzain and Naniwa constantly battling for the top spot. Sase is still looking for that big break-out victory but his amazing flashes of brilliant micro and his build-maker character is just saying that it's a matter of time rather than anything else until Sase takes something big. SortOf has tried to ascend the scene of the big three but hasn't quite made it after an impressive summer run.
Naniwa and Thorzain have slumped dreadfully both of them only to return and do very well. It's probably just going to continue to be like that. In the end I think Nani wins out over Thorzain for sheer power of his play. When Naniwa is good, he's one of the absolute best quite simply. It's just not taken him all the way through in 2012.
Meanwhile the Swedish middle class of players has been exchanged and renewed with Haypro and Jinro retiring. Sjow's disappearance into the shadows is part of the same trend. Morrow remains stabile in the middle. Starnan and Seiplo are the newcomers who have done quite well but are rather far from the absolute top.
It's been a great year for swedish players, and probably an even better year for Swedish production (ie, DH and WCS Europe).
On January 04 2013 03:32 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: For 2012, Naniwa's GSL Code S runs were the most amazing feats between these guys.
A close second to Naniwa is Thorzain. The other players don't come close to Naniwa and Thorzain.
Considering it was 2012 and not prior yeah Naniwa going back-to-back deep is quite something. If it were the early days, well hm... I guess some strats are better depending on the time, but the early games really didn't leave much to the imagination even though it's supposed to be the time we see all sorts of things, meh.
On January 04 2013 03:48 jmbthirteen wrote: Thorzain. He won DH Stockholm, WCS Sweden, Asus ROG Invite at the GD Studio. Hell he even took out Naniwa at multiple tournaments.
Naniwa's GSL runs were done on his PvP. And pretty much outside of GSL he did horrible.
An eight man tournament and a national. -_- Albeit Sweden does have a handful of respectable players.
On January 04 2013 03:09 ThomasjServo wrote: Sase is really getting the short end of the stick in this poll, really kind of surprised to see him that far behind SortOf. They are both great players, Sase just didn't have a break out year like SortOf did I suppose.
The problem is SaSe is about as consistent as a high school romance. One week it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but next week there's shit flying around and scathing videos being posted on the internet. I'm a big SaSe fan, but he's not consistent enough to make nearly the dent he deserves.
That about sums it up, he is Code S class in a coin flip. I am a fairly big Sase fanboy and have missed many a bet backing my heart on that crazy Swede.
On January 04 2013 03:09 ThomasjServo wrote: Sase is really getting the short end of the stick in this poll, really kind of surprised to see him that far behind SortOf. They are both great players, Sase just didn't have a break out year like SortOf did I suppose.
The problem is SaSe is about as consistent as a high school romance. One week it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but next week there's shit flying around and scathing videos being posted on the internet. I'm a big SaSe fan, but he's not consistent enough to make nearly the dent he deserves.
That about sums it up, he is Code S class in a coin flip. I am a fairly big Sase fanboy and have missed many a bet backing my heart on that crazy Swede.
On January 04 2013 03:32 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: For 2012, Naniwa's GSL Code S runs were the most amazing feats between these guys.
A close second to Naniwa is Thorzain. The other players don't come close to Naniwa and Thorzain.
Considering it was 2012 and not prior yeah Naniwa going back-to-back deep is quite something. If it were the early days, well hm... I guess some strats are better depending on the time, but the early games really didn't leave much to the imagination even though it's supposed to be the time we see all sorts of things, meh.
On January 04 2013 03:48 jmbthirteen wrote: Thorzain. He won DH Stockholm, WCS Sweden, Asus ROG Invite at the GD Studio. Hell he even took out Naniwa at multiple tournaments.
Naniwa's GSL runs were done on his PvP. And pretty much outside of GSL he did horrible.
An eight man tournament and a national. -_- Albeit Sweden does have a handful of respectable players.
the national that naniwa was supposed to win... but didnt. If Naniwa would have put up decent results outside of those two GSL runs then he would be the best Swedish player. But he didn't. He flamed out of quite a few tournaments. JYPs hand? And then he completely bombed out of GSL.
Winning some PvPs in code S doesnt make you the best player.
On January 04 2013 03:48 jmbthirteen wrote: Thorzain. He won DH Stockholm, WCS Sweden, Asus ROG Invite at the GD Studio. Hell he even took out Naniwa at multiple tournaments.
Naniwa's GSL runs were done on his PvP. And pretty much outside of GSL he did horrible.
An eight man tournament and a national. -_- Albeit Sweden does have a handful of respectable players.
It was the Swedish national and this is about the best Swedish player so I think it counts pretty havy.
On January 04 2013 03:09 ThomasjServo wrote: Sase is really getting the short end of the stick in this poll, really kind of surprised to see him that far behind SortOf. They are both great players, Sase just didn't have a break out year like SortOf did I suppose.
The problem is SaSe is about as consistent as a high school romance. One week it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but next week there's shit flying around and scathing videos being posted on the internet. I'm a big SaSe fan, but he's not consistent enough to make nearly the dent he deserves.
That about sums it up, he is Code S class in a coin flip. I am a fairly big Sase fanboy and have missed many a bet backing my heart on that crazy Swede.
He reminds me of Demu.
I can see the comparison, those tournaments or series where Demu looks unbeatable are fun to watch even when you don't play Terran. You know, up into the point of tilting; then it is like watching a television series where you know something bad is going to happen. You want to turn it off, but you might miss something important.
I would have to say nani then thorzain, cmon guys, you know GSL is something else, just because it is the same players in GSL as some other tournaments does not not mean it is the same, the practice that goes into each individual game in GSL is far higher than any tournament that spans only a few days or a week.
Whilst thorzain has had several amazing runs and is terran, two back to back Ro8 GSL placements is above that.
If we're going purely on skill I'd say Naniwa edges out Thorzain. If we're defining best player based on skill and personality, Thorzain pulls far ahead of Nani.
It's interesting to see. Prior to me posting this when it was only on the Swedish website, Thorzain was in the lead by a lot. Now that the international community got a hold of it, Naniwa has achieved first place.
Nani and Thorzain are both handsome as all hell.. Look at those studs... But I'd have to vote for Thorzain if I could. Sorry Nani! If i had to bang either of them I would have to chose naniwa, however.
On January 04 2013 03:09 ThomasjServo wrote: Sase is really getting the short end of the stick in this poll, really kind of surprised to see him that far behind SortOf. They are both great players, Sase just didn't have a break out year like SortOf did I suppose.
The problem is SaSe is about as consistent as a high school romance. One week it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but next week there's shit flying around and scathing videos being posted on the internet. I'm a big SaSe fan, but he's not consistent enough to make nearly the dent he deserves.
That about sums it up, he is Code S class in a coin flip. I am a fairly big Sase fanboy and have missed many a bet backing my heart on that crazy Swede.
He reminds me of Demu.
I can see the comparison, those tournaments or series where Demu looks unbeatable are fun to watch even when you don't play Terran. You know, up into the point of tilting; then it is like watching a television series where you know something bad is going to happen. You want to turn it off, but you might miss something important.
It's also their personality and how they practice to. They are very similar.
Thorzain is the best player in the universe, let alone Sweden. I will beg him to bang my future wife and name the kids after him. One Marcus, one Eklof and one ThorZaIN, spelled just like that.
Thorzain is the best player in the universe, let alone Sweden. I will beg him to bang my future wife and name the kids after him. One Marcus, one Eklof and one ThorZaIN, spelled just like that.
I like the cut of your jibe ne0lith.
Not to mention, right before the year ended, he got the first foreigner win in Proleague in almost 8 years.
I don't think 2 Bo8s outdoes the Premier win, 3 Major wins as well as several placings, and his proleague record (though it doesn't count for much ). Nani might have been more impressive if he has earned his Code S spot, instead of being seeded.
On top of this, ThorZaIN consistently took home tournaments that Naniwa was 'meant' to win, and has soundly beaten him every time they met in a tournament.
On January 05 2013 00:14 wTeffecT wrote: I don't think 2 Bo8s outdoes the Premier win, 3 Major wins as well as several placings, and his proleague record (though it doesn't count for much ). Nani might have been more impressive if he has earned his Code S spot, instead of being seeded.
On top of this, ThorZaIN consistently took home tournaments that Naniwa was 'meant' to win, and has soundly beaten him every time they met in a tournament.
ThorZaIN wins this one IMO.
He did earn his Code S spot by making it to Ro8. I think Naniwa deserves this. While he does drop some series to people he should beat, he's always somewhat consistent and 2 GSL Ro8s say a ton about a player's skill.
EPT
ThorZaIN, 
SortOf, 
NaNiwa, ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BfL4v.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/F0CyV.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6doeG.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/pMIZ3.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/joYhG.png)
However. ThorZaIN has had Great results and it's always fun to watch them two battle it out! So we'll see. I'll have to ponder on this one. 
Got some nerdchills when he got that proleague win!
It's so hard. Both of them are so good! Thorzain's win in proleague and Naniwa's GSL placement. Hehehe. They're both excellent! But then again, SortOf and SaSe have proven to be worthy recognition this year! 
