After a frenzy tournaments in the past five weeks, the Power Rank is finally back! There was a lot for the TL.net writers to unpack: the GSL Code S Ro32, WCS Summer, and a pair of open-region events in HomeStory Cup 19 and ASUS ROG Summer. Before we present the rankings, here's a summary of how our monthly list is compiled:
The Power Rank is an aggregate, average ranking of separate lists submitted by individual members of the TeamLiquid.net writing staff.
Criteria considered include, but are not limited to: Tournament placements, overall record, quality of opponents faced, and quality of play.
Recent results are weighted more heavily, but players receive benefit of the doubt for consistent performance over time.
Close, But No Cigar
Reynor: Despite defeating Serral in another WCS Circuit final, Reynor remains just barely outside the top ten. Reynor may have cracked the Serral code, but he's struggled to separate himself from his Circuit peers otherwise. He was swept by HeroMarine in the top 12 of HSC, destroyed by Maru at WCG, and dropped out of the Ro16 of ASUS ROG after losing to GuMiho and Stats.
Zest: After a disastrous first half to 2019 where he was eliminated in the Ro32 of consecutive Code S tournaments, Zest has snuck back up the rankings with a top 3 finish at HSC, top 4 run at ASUS ROG Summer, and a return to the Code S Ro16.
INnoVation has certainly dropped the ball the hardest (the furthest? the most?) compared to anyone left in the top ten. He went 0-4 in his Code S Ro32 group with losses to Keen and Classic, while he had another disappointing outing at ASUS ROG where he dropped out of the Ro16 with losses to Solar and herO.
It's just hard to expect consistency from INnovation anymore. Despite being good enough to win big money at WESG and GPC 2019, he just hasn't looked like a real title contender in Korea—largely due to his inability to overcome top level Protoss players. While his legacy of greatness keeps him from leaving the rankings entirely, it seems like even his reputation is fading when you consider how he couldn't get voted into GSL vs. The World.
It's been a pretty slow month for herO, a 2019 regular in the lower half of the Power Rank. Once again, he did well in the tournaments he participated in, but not too well (really, the only time herO went above and beyond to dazzle us this year was at IEM Katowice, where he reached the top four with PvP trickery).
In Code S, he advanced to the Ro16 with unsurprising wins against Zest and soO. At ASUS ROG Summer, he went through Snute, PtitDrogo, soO and INnoVation on his way a quarterfinal elimination at the hands of eventual champion Stats. The results weren't bad per se, but they weren't good enough to see him maintain his previous spot in the rank—especially when compared to our newest entry.
TY has the honor of being the first commentator ever to enter a TL.net Power Rank, so congratulations! Since taking a side job as GSL caster (replacing the outgoing JYP), TY made a deep run to the finals of HomeStory Cup 19—notably beating Stats and Zest on the way. While he wasn't able to defeat Serral during their two clashes in the final rounds, he went a respectable 4-6 in maps against him, taking home HSC silver for his efforts.
Back in Korea, TY advanced into the Ro16 of GSL Code S, ditching his suit and the commentary desk to beat Impact and Maru in a strong performance. If he's able to maintain this level of play, his gig as commentator might become quite short-lived. Could TY become the first caster to win a title at BlizzCon since Artosis’ great Hearthstone triumph in 2013? And could he unintentionally kick-start the commentary career of soO, the next replacement down on the GSL desk?
Solar continued his upwards trend after re-entering the rankings last month based on his MVP-level performance in the Chinese Team Championship. While his online game wasn’t at its typically high level, his offline performances made more than up for it: acing his GSL Code S group (with wins against Patience and last season’s finalist Trap) and rampaging to the finals of ASUS ROG Summer 2019.
In Finland, Solar dispatched two strong foreigners in uThermal and Neeb, and then proved himself against his fellow Koreans by beating soO, INnoVation, GuMiho, and Zest on his road to the finals (racking up a ridiculous 14-1 map score in the process). Though he lost 2-4 loss to Stats in the end, it was still a great showing, regardless. Solar seems fired up to show us a great second half of the year, and could even play a role in the WCS Global Finals if he keeps this run going.
Without many tournament results to push him in either direction, this month's Power Rank finds Maru staying put in the same spot.
Having received an invitation to a surprisingly lucrative four-player tournament at WCG Xi'an, Maru secured the $25,000 bag by running over Reynor (x2) and Neeb. In Korea, he advanced from his Code S Ro32 group as expected, but it wasn't in the most impressive manner—he lost outright to TY, and defeated Super and Impact to advance (dropping a map to Super). While there is no shame losing to TY in TvT, his struggles against Super and Impact suggest Maru isn't completely recovered from his Ro32 elimination in Season 2. But stumbling in the group stages of Code S didn't prevent Maru from winning four of them in a row, so perhaps we shouldn't read too deeply into those results.
Without any international tournaments to attend, Trap had few opportunities to affect his ranking. He advanced to the Code S Ro16 as expected, though not in the convincing fashion of a finalist. He hit a speed bump in the form of a resurgent Solar, advancing in second place with wins over Patience and TaeJa. In online play, he kept up his typically strong form by winning two OlimoLeague Weeklies in a row and placing third in the monthly final (to no-one's surprise, online-Zest took first place).
While we are sympathetic toward Trap's lack of opportunities, he moves down a spot as we have to reward those who did manage to make an impact at big international events. On the bright side, Trap will soon have a huge chance to climb up the rankings. His toughest competition in July actually came from outside the game in the GSL vs. The World fan vote, where he barely secured enough votes to earn a spot at the event. If Trap is as good at StarCraft II as he is at campaigning, the #1 spot in the Power Rank could be his come September.
In the months following his second place finish at IEM Katowice, the Shield of Aiur was battered and dented by a series of mediocre tournament finishes: Ro16 in Code and Ro8 in the Super Tournament. But July became a month of redemption for Stats, returning to the Code S Ro16 (with wins over Hurricane and Cure), but more importantly winning the ASUS ROG Summer championship after filling in as a last-minute replacement for SpeCial.
Though ASUS ROG didn't have the biggest prize pool, it was a stacked tournament that brought together some of the best foreigners and Koreans. While Stats did drop a series to ShoWTimE in the group stage, he tore off a series of wins against Bly, Reynor, HeRoMaRinE, herO, Serral and Solar to win the title.
On the other hand, Stats was less convincing at the similarly composed HomeStory Cup 19, where he finished in the top 6 after losing to both TY and soO. All-in-all, we can say Stats reaffirmed that he is a championship caliber player at his best, but it remains to be seen how consistently he can bring his best to major tournaments.
It’s unfortunate for Classic, but his travel restrictions due to impending military service hurt him once more in these rankings. Falling down a spot isn’t his fault—he just missed out on opportunities that other people took.
In the tournaments he could participate in, Classic remained a strong force. However, he showed some cracks in his performances: his run into the Ro16 of GSL Code S was marred by a loss to Creator and his online results were rather poor for the player who held the 'best Protoss' spot for much of 2019. But overall, it was a tranquil month for Classic, without much reason for significant movement.
Now that the world turns its eyes back to Korea with GSL vs. the World coming up and Code S continuing, we’ll see Classic in action again, and will have some more results to really estimate his current position. For now, he remains a top contender in any tournament he enters.
Serral's performances at HomeStory Cup, WCS Summer, and ASUS ROG weave a complicated story for us to unravel. At WCS Summer, Reynor made Serral bleed once more by wresting away his second WCS Circuit title of the year. At ASUS ROG Summer, TIME pushed Serral to the brink in a best-of-five quarterfinal series, and Stats finished the job by kicking him off the cliff in the semifinals.
Compared to his legendary 2018 run, where he annihilated any and all opposition, Serral definitely looks diminished. However, it's always important to remember that it's unfair to compare Serral to his absurdly high ceiling from the past. It's a testament to his incredible results and skills that even a second place and semifinal appearance is considered disappointing. You almost forget Serral also WON a tournament in the past interval, taking the HSC 19 title with a 9-1 match record (24-8 map score).
Serral still hasn't experienced a real slump like many of the top PR players in the past, and he certainly heads into GSL vs. The World as one of the top candidates to win it all.
In a month where several players had limited tournament appearances, Dark stood out as being particularly inactive. By staying out of online competition (as is his usual approach), Dark gave us just a single matchday of results to go by: advancing from his Code S Ro32 group with wins over Bomber and RagnaroK.
But without any other player putting up results to definitively topple Dark, we had to maintain the status quo and return him to the #1 spot. Call it a fringe benefit of being the most recent champion of the most difficult and prestigious competition in Korea. If Serral had achieved a clean sweep, or perhaps went two-for-three at WCS Summer, HSC, and ASUS ROG, it may have been enough to push him over the top to #1. Unfortunately, he fell just short of the mark.
Still, Dark's grip at the top of the mountain is tenuous at best. With GSL vs the World and the Code S Ro16 coming up, we're likely to see a huge shake-up at the top end of next month’s ranking.
I do not think I can argue with that ranking - except I think Reynor belongs in the top 10. If you can beat Serral you belong in the top 10 by default.
On August 08 2019 19:33 MockHamill wrote: I do not think I can argue with that ranking - except I think Reynor belongs in the top 10. If you can beat Serral you belong in the top 10 by default.
As an Inno fan, I think swapping Reynor with him for 10th place makes sense. Inno's form hasn't been very good lately.
Reynor outside of top 10 is both weird and logical. There is no other foreigner than Serral in the top 10, so Reynor being able to beat foreigners (except HM at HSC) doesn't really help him crack the top 10. He beat Serral but then failed against multiple koreans, some of them not even in this top 10 (Gumiho), so there is no real reason to believe he belongs there. Plus he got beaten really badly by Maru, who is only #6 in this ranking, so it doesn't help his case.
INno top 10 is arguable, I don't think he is doing that bad considering the difficult patch, and his losses weren't to nobodies.
I think being awarded the TL GOAT tournament prize should have been reward enough this month for Inno and dropping out of the top 10 would have been fair enough
On August 08 2019 19:33 MockHamill wrote: I do not think I can argue with that ranking - except I think Reynor belongs in the top 10. If you can beat Serral you belong in the top 10 by default.
Serral will never win one of these. 1st, 2nd and semi in the 3 tournaments across the month.. Dark played two matches against D-tier competitors. Apparently we can ignore when Serral beats anyone not specifically born in Korea, cause beating foreigners doesn't count, but Dark can retain 1st by beating Bomber and Ragnarok who are clearly way worse than a stack of foreigners.
The second to last word in the article has a typo.
I would have overall put Serral at no 1; everyone else who didn't really compete dropped lower but Dark remains at the top? Makes little sense imo. Everyone on this list would've beat Bomber and RagnaroK lmao
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
On August 08 2019 20:50 Poopi wrote: Reynor outside of top 10 is both weird and logical. There is no other foreigner than Serral in the top 10, so Reynor being able to beat foreigners (except HM at HSC) doesn't really help him crack the top 10. He beat Serral but then failed against multiple koreans, some of them not even in this top 10 (Gumiho), so there is no real reason to believe he belongs there. Plus he got beaten really badly by Maru, who is only #6 in this ranking, so it doesn't help his case.
INno top 10 is arguable, I don't think he is doing that bad considering the difficult patch, and his losses weren't to nobodies.
Totally agree. For me there is no reason Reynor should be in the top10. Probably not even in top20. Just because hes good at ZvZ and can sometimes beat Serral does not mean his ZvP or ZvT is at the same level. Sorry fanboys.. That being said he is still very young and has lots of potential to be the new Serral. But hes not there yet.
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
Pretty sure Classic played and advanced from his Code S group.
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
Pretty sure Classic played and advanced from his Code S group.
With a loss to Creator and a map loss to Keen... that really doesnt cry for #2
EDIT: I would even go so far an put Stats #3 and Classic #4
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
Pretty sure Classic played and advanced from his Code S group.
With a loss to Creator and a map loss to Keen... that really doesnt cry for #2
EDIT: I would even go so far an put Stats #3 and Classic #4
I agree with Ej that the top 8 mainly depends on daily form and not everyone participate in the same tournament so they are hard to compare. We could say that dropping a series to Stats and especially dropping 2 maps (3 if there wasn't this game changing missclick from TIME) to TIME doesn't cry for #2 for Serral, or losing to Reynor, but it's kinda subjective.
I still see Serral capable of very good starcraft in the tournaments he is in so I don't mind him at #2 in spite of the losses (because having watched the games, it was not him playing badly, except maybe vs TIME on the beach map, but his opponents playing very well). Dark won the latest code S and cruised to ro16 so I don't see any reason he shouldn't be #1 either.
All in all good power rank, thanks for doing this they are enjoyable to read.
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
Pretty sure Classic played and advanced from his Code S group.
With a loss to Creator and a map loss to Keen... that really doesnt cry for #2
EDIT: I would even go so far an put Stats #3 and Classic #4
I don’t think either order is particularly outrageous, I like that the power rank does carry through previous months in lieu of more tournaments, with players dropping more with bad performances rather than inactivity, and Classic has had a stellar year.
Stats had a decent month and bar that series dropped was himself stellar at ASUS ROG, so I think either is alright in either position.
I feel like even though they’re nowhere near as stacked, winning WCS by beating Serral probably should put you in the rankings.
No one has beaten Dark and he’s still playing, so that’s fine I guess. herO seems too high to me, but that is what it is. Innovation is only on here because he’s got a ton of history.
For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
I also think Stats should be a bit higher. When I clicked on this PR, I was half expecting him to be #1 based on his fantastic play and recent championship. I think I tend to value more recent results than the writers when it comes to PR.
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
On August 09 2019 00:04 Duceman wrote: I feel like even though they’re nowhere near as stacked, winning WCS by beating Serral probably should put you in the rankings.
No one has beaten Dark and he’s still playing, so that’s fine I guess. herO seems too high to me, but that is what it is. Innovation is only on here because he’s got a ton of history.
The same Reynor who didnt make it out of group stages at ROG? Also the same guy that got absolutely dumpstered by Maru who did the same build every single game? Hes improving but hes not there yet.
On August 08 2019 19:33 MockHamill wrote: I do not think I can argue with that ranking - except I think Reynor belongs in the top 10. If you can beat Serral you belong in the top 10 by default.
So what you are saying is, that Demuslim should be in the top 10 as well?
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
Well then, Stats is top 2 for sure and Solar is a bit up
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
Well then, Stats is top 2 for sure and Solar is a bit up
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
Pretty sure Classic played and advanced from his Code S group.
With a loss to Creator and a map loss to Keen... that really doesnt cry for #2
EDIT: I would even go so far an put Stats #3 and Classic #4
Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
Obiously should be a factor. But even if Maru or Serral don't play any relevent matches for a month, I'd still put them higher than say a Trap or Solar, who have been on fire but don't have the history.
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Definitively INno does not deserve #10 more than Zest, but overall I am pretty ok with this PR.
If it is to be read as who we think has more probabilities to win GSL vs the World, I would have swapped some names in the top 6: Maru with Classic and Stats with Trap.
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Hard to say when he's only been "in form" for two tournaments in his whole career.
On another note guys. What was the tourney everyone in Korea chose to play their song. Was that proleague? I remember I instantly became a Dark hardcore fanboy when he chose Radioactive by Imagine dragons 😎
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Hard to say when he's only been "in form" for two tournaments in his whole career.
At least three if you don't count WCS, you cannot ignore HSC XVIII, rightfully a Premier tournament now . It's not worse than saying "when the other top pros are in form they seem to beat him": just no.
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
Well then, Stats is top 2 for sure and Solar is a bit up
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Same with Maru, Inno, Stats, Dark, Rogue. They've all won 100% of the tournaments where they were in form. When they lost it was because they weren't playing at their best.
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
Well then, Stats is top 2 for sure and Solar is a bit up
He said "just enough", not "almost entirely".
yes, thats why I said what I said
Not really, Stats and Solar didn't do much before this month to justify such a high placement; Stats #2 and Solar higher on the list is fine it you just take into consideration the latest period.
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Same with Maru, Inno, Stats, Dark, Rogue. They've all won 100% of the tournaments where they were in form. When they lost it was because they weren't playing at their best.
Their in-shape period must really be very erratic, of brief duration and oddly specific, then! Thanks for the enlightening insight.
The statement I am responding to is "when the other pros are in form, they tend to beat Serral"...come on!
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Same with Maru, Inno, Stats, Dark, Rogue. They've all won 100% of the tournaments where they were in form. When they lost it was because they weren't playing at their best.
Their in-shape period must really be very erratic, of brief duration and oddly specific, then! Thanks for the enlightening insight.
The statement I am responding to is "when the other pros are in form, they tend to beat Serral"...come on!
Almost like when Serral was in form he beat everyone or something.
Like whatever, people have their preferences, not sure why some actually seem to long for Korean supremacy and taper their positions accordingly.
Serral is unbelievably consistent, no foreign player has ever come close to how he stomps the foreign scene ever. Even early Wings Pros who played in Korea didn’t dominate the foreign scene like Serral does now (despite some losses to Reynor)
Top Korean pros say he’s the best Zerg in the world, but like whatever what would they know?
On August 08 2019 23:47 Shathe wrote: Zest with the recent good runs is defineatly better than Hero. Classic being 3rd is questionable, Maru at 6 seems low
Honestly, I'm like the biggest Maru fan, but Maru at 6 to me seems about right. At first I even thought it was a bit too generous. What's he done lately? Looked shaky in GSL Ro32 and trashed Reynor. Maybe these two things kinda sorta cancel each other out, but his performance in GSL has left me with an overall sense of shakiness in his play still.
He's weak at GSL group stages and I feel like we still don't know 100% what kind of form he's in ATM. He's about to hit the group of death, so we'll have a real test soon. But is he favored even in GSL vs the world? There's a very real possibility he'll bomb out twice in a row in his next appearances.
On August 08 2019 21:29 Xain0n wrote: This power ranking is for sure consistent, I also think Reynor could have been #10.
If Serral wins GSL vs The World he should eventually be #1.
He won GSL vs The World and didn't get #1 here.
even after beating Blizzcon he didn't. Lol.
On August 09 2019 07:59 UtherTruthBringer wrote: How the hell can you not put stats as number one?
They change the goal posts every PR. Sometimes someone new wins a tournament and shoots to rank 1-2, sometimes someone remains high after poor results. I doubt the PR team actually does a mathematical, weighted scoring system to determine a ranking and instead goes off biased opinions on who they feel is good. I would love to be surprised though!
On August 08 2019 22:17 Argonauta wrote: imho Stats deserves the second spot. He at least has won something lately
On the other hand, he lost to soO at HSC in a disappointing fashion and didn't look super crisp in GSL.
IMHO it comes down to daily form in the top 6 (or even 8) and you can justify almost any placement there.
Dark and Classic are the only ones who didn't have a really dissappointing performance this year so they should be #1 and #2 imo. After that I agree.
Disagree with downgrading Classic just because he didn't play in that much. Last year they kept Serral at #5-#6 for months despite him playing no relevant competition.
"No relevant competition" is how you see it, Serral was playing games unlike Classic did last month.
Pretty sure Classic played and advanced from his Code S group.
With a loss to Creator and a map loss to Keen... that really doesnt cry for #2
EDIT: I would even go so far an put Stats #3 and Classic #4
Meanwhile Serral almost lost to Time
Context is important dear friend. And what does almost lost even mean? Cause I'm pretty sure he won
Context part: Classic only played very few games and looked super shaky in those. Serral played a whole lot of more games, won stuff, placed top 4 in some other stuff and really lost what? a final and a semi final.
Your post is like the whole Meomaika drama again: Maru won 4 GSL but lost to Meomaika,so he must be really bad
EDIT: The PR team will NEVER satisfy all of us. It is impossible. Cut them some slack I'm just glad they continue, cause PR's are always fun discussions
On August 09 2019 07:59 UtherTruthBringer wrote: How the hell can you not put stats as number one?
Out of the top players on this list he beat just Serral. While Dark still has his Code S title and no hiccups. Let's not forget that he didn't win the ROG with the cleanest way possible either. So, uh, yeah.
Based only on recent form Serral over Solar is outrageous. However based on track record it’s totally reasonable. I do think stats should be #2 or no worse than #3 though. He beat a lot of very good players and did it in dominant fashion. His control was just at a higher level.
On August 09 2019 04:10 MarianoSC2 wrote: Serral should be barely top 5 this time imo. His play against the real opposition (and Reynor) has quite diminished his unbreakable status. Yes he won HSC (barely), but then lost to Reynor, Stats and was very lucky not to get swept by Time 3:0.
My ranking would be: 1. Dark; 2. Stats; 3. Trap; 4. Classic; 5. Serral; 6. Solar; 7. Maru etc.
Reynor truly has no place in the top 10. He only got the mention because he beat Serral. His ZvT and ZvP are good for WCS standards, but very sub-par for GSL standard.
What real opposition is this? In the relatively recent past he’s taken out soO and TY at HSC, he convincingly beat Inno in brackets at ASUS ROG.
Stats and Serral probably have the most similar recent results of anyone in this list, a title apiece in tournaments and a top 4 and top 6 respectively where they both played, runner up and Ro16 in the most recent action in their circuit tournament.
Stats probably shades it due to triumphing whenever they’ve met in tournaments recently, I don’t think there’s much of gap otherwise.
Granted, I value Serral very high because he does not seem to have slump periods like other pros. But when the other top pros are in form (Inno and soO at the start of the year, Stats now), they seem to beat him in those periods.
I would be very intrested how Serral would perform if he had 1 year in GSL. If he would make RO8 consistently, or seem to struggle at times as well against better opposition.
Yea, and when Serral is in form, he just never loses "Almost losing" is just like "almost winning", it doesn't really count.
Same with Maru, Inno, Stats, Dark, Rogue. They've all won 100% of the tournaments where they were in form. When they lost it was because they weren't playing at their best.
Hey Dark has lost tournaments while being in his best form at the time
On August 08 2019 21:29 Xain0n wrote: This power ranking is for sure consistent, I also think Reynor could have been #10.
If Serral wins GSL vs The World he should eventually be #1.
He won GSL vs The World and didn't get #1 here.
even after beating Blizzcon he didn't. Lol.
The one and only reason Serral wasn't at the #1 spot on a power rank after BlizzCon was because we didn't do a power rank until March 2019. You know, after IEM Katowice, WESG and WCS Winter.
On August 09 2019 07:59 UtherTruthBringer wrote: How the hell can you not put stats as number one?
They change the goal posts every PR. Sometimes someone new wins a tournament and shoots to rank 1-2, sometimes someone remains high after poor results. I doubt the PR team actually does a mathematical, weighted scoring system to determine a ranking and instead goes off biased opinions on who they feel is good. I would love to be surprised though!
The rank is an aggregate, average ranking based on the lists submitted by the individual writers.
On August 12 2019 04:16 Fango wrote: Hey Dark has lost tournaments while being in his best form at the time
On August 08 2019 21:29 Xain0n wrote: This power ranking is for sure consistent, I also think Reynor could have been #10.
If Serral wins GSL vs The World he should eventually be #1.
He won GSL vs The World and didn't get #1 here.
even after beating Blizzcon he didn't. Lol.
The one and only reason Serral wasn't at the #1 spot on a power rank after BlizzCon was because we didn't do a power rank until March 2019. You know, after IEM Katowice, WESG and WCS Winter.
On August 09 2019 07:59 UtherTruthBringer wrote: How the hell can you not put stats as number one?
They change the goal posts every PR. Sometimes someone new wins a tournament and shoots to rank 1-2, sometimes someone remains high after poor results. I doubt the PR team actually does a mathematical, weighted scoring system to determine a ranking and instead goes off biased opinions on who they feel is good. I would love to be surprised though!
The rank is an aggregate, average ranking based on the lists submitted by the individual writers.
On August 12 2019 04:16 Fango wrote: Hey Dark has lost tournaments while being in his best form at the time
Yeah that's a bit harsh ;____;
Well, technically you released a Power Ranking right before HSC XVIII(ehm...). And the first PR in 2019 was published immediately after Katowice if I remember correctly, before WESG and WCS Winter finals.
On August 08 2019 21:29 Xain0n wrote: This power ranking is for sure consistent, I also think Reynor could have been #10.
If Serral wins GSL vs The World he should eventually be #1.
He won GSL vs The World and didn't get #1 here.
even after beating Blizzcon he didn't. Lol.
The one and only reason Serral wasn't at the #1 spot on a power rank after BlizzCon was because we didn't do a power rank until March 2019. You know, after IEM Katowice, WESG and WCS Winter.
On August 09 2019 11:36 youngjiddle wrote:
On August 09 2019 07:59 UtherTruthBringer wrote: How the hell can you not put stats as number one?
They change the goal posts every PR. Sometimes someone new wins a tournament and shoots to rank 1-2, sometimes someone remains high after poor results. I doubt the PR team actually does a mathematical, weighted scoring system to determine a ranking and instead goes off biased opinions on who they feel is good. I would love to be surprised though!
The rank is an aggregate, average ranking based on the lists submitted by the individual writers.
On August 12 2019 04:16 Fango wrote: Hey Dark has lost tournaments while being in his best form at the time
Yeah that's a bit harsh ;____;
Well, technically you released a Power Ranking right before HSC XVIII(ehm...). And the first PR in 2019 was published immediately after Katowice if I remember correctly, before WESG and WCS Winter finals.
You're right, Katowice was before WESG and Winter, got my events mixed up!
On August 08 2019 21:29 Xain0n wrote: This power ranking is for sure consistent, I also think Reynor could have been #10.
If Serral wins GSL vs The World he should eventually be #1.
He won GSL vs The World and didn't get #1 here.
even after beating Blizzcon he didn't. Lol.
The one and only reason Serral wasn't at the #1 spot on a power rank after BlizzCon was because we didn't do a power rank until March 2019. You know, after IEM Katowice, WESG and WCS Winter.
On August 09 2019 11:36 youngjiddle wrote:
On August 09 2019 07:59 UtherTruthBringer wrote: How the hell can you not put stats as number one?
They change the goal posts every PR. Sometimes someone new wins a tournament and shoots to rank 1-2, sometimes someone remains high after poor results. I doubt the PR team actually does a mathematical, weighted scoring system to determine a ranking and instead goes off biased opinions on who they feel is good. I would love to be surprised though!
The rank is an aggregate, average ranking based on the lists submitted by the individual writers.
On August 12 2019 04:16 Fango wrote: Hey Dark has lost tournaments while being in his best form at the time
Yeah that's a bit harsh ;____;
Well, technically you released a Power Ranking right before HSC XVIII(ehm...). And the first PR in 2019 was published immediately after Katowice if I remember correctly, before WESG and WCS Winter finals.
Should have done the full Rogue and won Katowice then
On August 09 2019 00:17 stilt wrote: For once, I feel like you overestimated serral xD I mean, top 2 could be fine but stats played so amazingly to beat him that I think he should be above him.
Previous power rankings are taken into consideration.
I've always said that most PR disputes boil down to the exact amount of past credit people feel like a player deserves
Players who have won many championships in the past usually have the potential to keep doing it, so it makes sense. The idea of a PR should be an indication of who's most likely to win a championship if one was played this month.
To prove my own point, I disagree
While I think some people might prefer a version of the PR where Maru and Serral were top two for an entire year, I like the inclusion of just enough 'what have you done for me lately?' to keep things moving.
Well then, Stats is top 2 for sure and Solar is a bit up
He said "just enough", not "almost entirely".
yes, thats why I said what I said
Not really, Stats and Solar didn't do much before this month to justify such a high placement; Stats #2 and Solar higher on the list is fine it you just take into consideration the latest period.
Well Stats won Asus Rog and Solar got placed second and both won their respective GSL groups. Giving the fact there was no other significative competition in this time spam, despite that invitational that Maru won, i think is enough to push them higher and mix the Power ranking a bit more.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
Depends if they wait for the RO16 to finish or not considering it's being played during the last week of August and the first one of Sep.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
Depends if they wait for the RO16 to finish or not considering it's being played during the last week of August and the first one of Sep.
They should, but even Dark stomping his group in Code S wouldn't be enough for him to keep his #1 spot after losing in the ro16 as GSL's reigning champion against a player ranked #29 on Aligulac, in my opinion.
Maru sits at #6 in this Power Ranking and while he looked horrendous in his 0-3 loss against Stats, his Code S group is the group of death and advancing convincingly may net him some position on the next PR.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
Depends if they wait for the RO16 to finish or not considering it's being played during the last week of August and the first one of Sep.
They should, but even Dark stomping his group in Code S wouldn't be enough for him to keep his #1 spot after losing in the ro16 as GSL's reigning champion against a player ranked #29 on Aligulac, in my opinion.
Maru sits at #6 in this Power Ranking and while he looked horrendous in his 0-3 loss against Stats, his Code S group is the group of death and advancing convincingly may net him some position on the next PR.
If Serral win GSL vs World, there is no doubt they will place him on the top of ranking this month because he will not play against any Korean GSL player onwards (beside Nationwar) until before Blizzcon. So, his performances wont change so much that it will affect the ranking.
Another possibility, Stats will ascend to the top if he win the GSL vs World provided that he must get out of the ro.16 bracket in the next GSL. Stats must overcome two more hurdles in order to be in the top compared to Serral who needs to win GSL vs World only.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
I mean, if Dark doesn't completely botch his spine crawler placement on g1, Dark sweeps the series 3-0, and instead of talking about how hurt Dark's pride should be, we would all be talking about how Elazer the foreigner truly didn't deserve his spot and how Scarlett would have done so much better and what a crime it is that he "stole" that spot from her. The only game I think was truly embarrassing for Dark was game 1.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
I mean, if Dark doesn't completely botch his spine crawler placement on g1, Dark sweeps the series 3-0, and instead of talking about how hurt Dark's pride should be, we would all be talking about how Elazer the foreigner truly didn't deserve his spot and how Scarlett would have done so much better and what a crime it is that he "stole" that spot from her. The only game I think was truly embarrassing for Dark was game 1.
trust me, a lot more than a spine crawler placement was needed for a 3-0 LUL he isn't serral
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
I mean, if Dark doesn't completely botch his spine crawler placement on g1, Dark sweeps the series 3-0, and instead of talking about how hurt Dark's pride should be, we would all be talking about how Elazer the foreigner truly didn't deserve his spot and how Scarlett would have done so much better and what a crime it is that he "stole" that spot from her. The only game I think was truly embarrassing for Dark was game 1.
trust me, a lot more than a spine crawler placement was needed for a 3-0 LUL he isn't serral
But he literally won g2 and g3. The spotted spine crawler killed his chances of winning g1. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that he would have easily won g1 if that hadn't gotten spotted, especially considering Elazer admitted in his post-game interview that he was nervous and did not expect Dark to cheese.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
I mean, if Dark doesn't completely botch his spine crawler placement on g1, Dark sweeps the series 3-0, and instead of talking about how hurt Dark's pride should be, we would all be talking about how Elazer the foreigner truly didn't deserve his spot and how Scarlett would have done so much better and what a crime it is that he "stole" that spot from her. The only game I think was truly embarrassing for Dark was game 1.
trust me, a lot more than a spine crawler placement was needed for a 3-0 LUL he isn't serral
Had he placed the spine properly in g1 there's a decent chance he wins, so given he stomped games 2 and 3, yeah
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
I mean, if Dark doesn't completely botch his spine crawler placement on g1, Dark sweeps the series 3-0, and instead of talking about how hurt Dark's pride should be, we would all be talking about how Elazer the foreigner truly didn't deserve his spot and how Scarlett would have done so much better and what a crime it is that he "stole" that spot from her. The only game I think was truly embarrassing for Dark was game 1.
trust me, a lot more than a spine crawler placement was needed for a 3-0 LUL he isn't serral
Had he placed the spine properly in g1 there's a decent chance he wins, so given he stomped games 2 and 3, yeah
Assuming the other two games go the same and the two players don’t alter their approach based upon how game one went.
If it’s a set 5 and it’s the decider then yeah, you can say if x player did this better they’d have won.
If it’s the first set then I don’t think you can just add that game to what happened subsequently and come up with a 3-0. Maybe Elazer plays safe in set 2 to avoid an early loss again and Dark gets corners for greed and goes for a simple 2-0, or maybe Dark decides to play greedy with a 1-0 and Elazer decides after a cheese loss to say fuck it and cheese game 2 and evens it up.
Sure people have their plans going into a series but they’re influenced by how the series is going as well.
On August 15 2019 17:59 swarminfestor wrote: I guess the next ranking will hurt Dark a lot.
And also Maru. Dark clearly underestimated Elazer and got outplayed 4 out of 5 matches, so i don't think he should drop that much. His ego got him eliminated, while Maru looked completly lost and outplayed by Stats.
I mean, if Dark doesn't completely botch his spine crawler placement on g1, Dark sweeps the series 3-0, and instead of talking about how hurt Dark's pride should be, we would all be talking about how Elazer the foreigner truly didn't deserve his spot and how Scarlett would have done so much better and what a crime it is that he "stole" that spot from her. The only game I think was truly embarrassing for Dark was game 1.
trust me, a lot more than a spine crawler placement was needed for a 3-0 LUL he isn't serral
Had he placed the spine properly in g1 there's a decent chance he wins, so given he stomped games 2 and 3, yeah
Assuming the other two games go the same and the two players don’t alter their approach based upon how game one went.
If it’s a set 5 and it’s the decider then yeah, you can say if x player did this better they’d have won.
As will always be the case when guessing how a series would have gone given a different opening. But the idea that Dark had no chance at a 3-0 is still wrong imo. Games 2 and 3 were stomps, game 1 was a free win for Elazer due to Dark's missed spine placement.
Odds on Serral getting #2 and <pick a random Korean> taking #1? I'm willing to give it 20:1 odds for Trap or Dark to take #1 over Serral, because reasons