| Rank |
Player |
Prev |
High |
Description |
| 1. |
Bisu
(P) (stats) |
0 |
1 |
As excited as everyone likes to get over a stray loss or two, the fact remains that Bisu is still the best player in the world. Beyond being the two-time, defending MSL champion, he is into the Ro16 of the MSL and started off the OSL with an embarrassingly one-sided win over GGPlay. |
| 2. |
Hwasin
(T) (stats) |
+3 |
2 |
Hwasin is 18-6 since August, with huge wins over huge opponents and a WCG Korea title. But WCG Korea is not a Starleague, and Hwasin has yet to prove himself as a player who can take down the best of the best when the stakes are at their highest. That caveat aside, Hwasin is playing better than he ever has. He’s even showing the stylistic flickers of intense brilliance that define a star, moments like his “goliath bomb” against Light in their epic TvT. |
| 3. |
sAviOr
(Z) (stats) |
+3 |
1 |
Savior’s suffered some difficult losses as of late, but they’re been against the cream of the crop, players like Sea, Hwasin, Light, and Flash. Looking at the big picture, Savior is into the MSL Ro16 and 1-0 in the OSL, to say nothing of his third-place finish at WCG Korea. It’s hard to fault a player over a few losses when he’s posting such consistent results. |
| 4. |
Stork[gm]
(P) (stats) |
0 |
1 |
I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone when Stork beat July and lost to Hwasin at WCG Korea, but that doesn’t change the fact that Stork is 12-6 since August with easy wins in the MSL and OSL. |
| 5. |
Iris[gm]
(T) (stats) |
-3 |
2 |
Iris is a huge question mark for me this month. He’s only played six major games since his OSL loss to GGPlay, but I can’t help but remark upon the fact that he missed the MSL with an 0-2 loss to SangHo[Shield] in the very first round of the offline qualifiers. Losses like that don’t inspire much in the way of confidence. I don’t mean to slight SangHo—he’s very good, to be honest—but Iris is a perennial Starleague contender; we have to hold him to a higher standard. |
| 6. |
GGPlay
(Z) (stats) |
-3 |
3 |
Putting GGPlay at the #6 slot this month feels like an insult to him, but in reality, it’s a testament to how good the top four look at the moment. If GGPlay wants to retain such a high slot in the Power Rank, however, he’s going to have to show stronger play than he did against Bisu. GGPlay has never been a strong ZvP player, but a domination of that magnitude is bound to raise some eyebrows. |
| 7. |
Sea[Shield]
(T) (stats) |
+2 |
1 |
With his staggering Proleague record, respectable WCG performance, and spot in the MSL, Sea was an easy choice for the #7 slot this month. What concerns me about Sea, however, is that his MSL group consists of three hyper-aggressive Zergs. Sea could find himself in trouble if he continues to rely upon his fast expansion builds. |
| 8. |
Jaedong
(Z) (stats) |
-1 |
1 |
Jaedong is ZvT. If someone asked me to define ZvT while I was watching Jaedong play, I would simply point to the screen and say, “That’s it right there. That’s the definition of the matchup.” Jaedong is 10-0 in his last ten ZvTs, with wins over Boxer, Xellos, Light, and Hwasin. He executes in a way that no other Zerg has managed to mimic. Jaedong’s problem, however, is that his ZvP is atrocious. But he’s in luck! There are only three Protosses in the OSL, and neither Stork nor Rock is known for his PvZ prowness. As long as he manages to avoid Bisu, Jaedong could make an enormous splash this season. |
| 9. |
Light[aLive]
(T) (stats) |
- |
2 |
Light has looked amazing since July, going 11-6 with losses only to Savior, Bisu, Hwasin, Jaedong… and Rock. And in that same frame of time, Light has beaten Savior, Bisu, and Hwasin. He's also in both Starleagues. Could this be the season in which Light realizes his full potential? |
| 10. |
free[gm]
(P) (stats) |
- |
3 |
With his strong showing at WCG and easy move into the Ro16 of the MSL, Free is deserving of the #10 slot this month. My problem with Free is his consistency. Though I shudder at the thought, Free reminds me of a Protoss version of Midas; he’s as likely to beat himself as he is the other player. |
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United States2766 Posts
Close, but no cigar…
July – With all the love for oov’s wins over a cheesy Bisu, a slumping Nada and Reach, and a never-was ForU, everyone seems to have forgotten that you’re 6-2 since August and in <i>both</i> Starleagues. You need to tread carefully, though; you have the dubious honor of being in the OSL “group of death” with Iris, Hwasin, and Light.
Oov – If you’d made it through the ODT, the decision to add you to the Power Rank would have been made for me. As is, I’m having a hard time overlooking your recent losses to Up, Luxury, and Lomo.
Flash – I hate to keeping saying it, Flash—actually, I love saying it—but your overall game management just isn’t that good. You clearly know how to macro, but your game sense and late-game management betray your lack of experience.
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United States10774 Posts
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I knew that light would make top 10.
Free also looks good in top 10
Nice read.
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Well I have to say that if you must go out, go out with a band and I think you accomplished that. You put out a good powerrank that raised a lot of good points. Thanks for all the time you spent writing the power ranks and hf with your newly acquired time!
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Valhalla18444 Posts
I agree from top to bottom, same order and everything
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id like jaedong to be higher just because of the amount of ass he is about to kick
but everyone above him has accomplished more recently so i guess thats fair.
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On October 02 2007 11:07 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote:
I agree from top to bottom, same order and everything
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Meh, I disagree with that particular order, but I can't really say the analysis is wrong. I need to see some games from July before I feel good about him, same with Iris (but I'm not sure I'd notch Iris down so much... Sangho isn't a huge slouch). Flash... I wouldn't drop him quite so far, given his Proleague results have been about on par with Free's, and he's still in OSL. He also got knocked out of MSL by Bisu of all people.
Other than that, Stork's PvZ looks sharper, and I feel really shaky about Savior despite the results. I feel pretty meh about Light too.
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On October 02 2007 11:12 IdrA wrote:
id like jaedong to be higher just because of the amount of ass he is about to kick
but everyone above him has accomplished more recently so i guess thats fair.
agreed from here too. other than that, nice read! and its a hella nice thing that protoss players are reaching higher up these days.. and savior's trying to claw back in good shape as well.
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Live2Win
United States6657 Posts
Excellent writeup. I'm sure we all know how that feels Etter (I definately do). We're all thankful for your devotion and the entertainment you've brought here. The Power Rank is probably one of the most simple, yet popular feature offered at TLnet.
As always your analysis is pretty accurate. Whenever I question a judgement I'll read your reasoning and end up being satisfied with those reasons.
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Top 6 are P,T,Z,P,T,Z
pretty even considering 3rd placed Z is going through a slump and there's another Z (jaedong) about to charge up the rankings.
Who said SC was imba?
In regards to Savior... well we all know what a Genius Nada is. I mean, if you want someone to defeat an IMPOSSIBLE UMS just call him (as vouched for by Rekrul). The guys an APM machine and he's very knowledgable about Starcraft. But then, why is he not top? Simple... SC is a mindgame. Where as in FPS a good aim can save you, in sc no amount of APM can save you against a perfect counter. We see it all the time with 300 APM players going down to 120 APM players and such.
So, I would like to propose that Savior's lost the mindgame. Opponents are getting used to him and his style of play. They can get inside his head and guess what he's about to do. This is particularly easy for lower rank players who've been able to analyse saviors game, but have not played that many televised games themselves. This is why you see someone like Oov trudge through a set of extremely skilled players and then lose to lesser known/shittier players.
It's the circle of life. It's what keeps SC new and fresh. Coz if you think about it, all these players have similar/same APMs. What sets them apart is their star sense and style of play.
Cheers DJ and FakeSteve.
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yay for a new power ranking I especially like the bottom four for some reason.
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is awesome32268 Posts
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HonestTea
5007 Posts
July July
People forget
Some vintage ZvT
Would jog memories.
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Many thanks for an awesome Power Rank commentary over the months DJ. I fully expect to see Fakesteve be just as hilarious and accurate in his own way. GL to both, and I agree with the PR of this month. Hwasin and Jaedong are going to have an interesting time.
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Nice PR. I definitely agree that Jaedong seems to be playing extremely strong ZvT right now. It's awesome to see him match up against Hwasin.
Nice showing by Savior, GGPlay and Jaedong! ^_^ Zerg Power! (and those other races too :p)
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On October 02 2007 12:31 IntoTheWow wrote:
I want oov to go up!
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Valhalla18444 Posts
On October 02 2007 11:25 zer0das wrote:
Meh, I disagree with that particular order, but I can't really say the analysis is wrong. I need to see some games from July before I feel good about him, same with Iris (but I'm not sure I'd notch Iris down so much... Sangho isn't a huge slouch). Flash... I wouldn't drop him quite so far, given his Proleague results have been about on par with Free's, and he's still in OSL. He also got knocked out of MSL by Bisu of all people.
Other than that, Stork's PvZ looks sharper, and I feel really shaky about Savior despite the results. I feel pretty meh about Light too.
There were only two people on par with free in proleague last season - Stork and Sea. Flash was a reliable ace, but he's more readily likened to Calm than to Free, as Free saw a lot more games than Flash did.
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EPT
