| Rank |
Player |
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High |
Description |
| 1. |
Bisu
(P) (stats) |
+2 |
1 |
Power Ranking in Starleague offseason is usually a messy affair. The absence of best-of series is perfect camouflage for boys amongst men and streaky flukes amongst legitimate contenders. Fortunately for me, Bisu exists.
Unlike other gamers in this rank, Bisu only needs eight Proleague and two MST games to firmly re-establish his position as StarCraft's main man and most legitimate contender. Since losing to Fantasy in the Batoo OSL Ro4 (a result which is looking more and more out of place in Bisu's recent match history), Bisu has gone 9-1 while cracking the Avalon MSL and leading SK Telecom T1 to PL R4's best record. "On another level" isn't really sufficient to explain Bisu's dominance over these 10 sets. He's climbed out of massive holes to beat Light and BackHo, comfortably cheesed his way past Leta for his 40th PL win, and utterly embarrassed Calm, Zero, and Effort.
Yeah, have you watched a Bisu PvZ lately? The guy is making this matchup look so cut and dry that OGN has started bribing him into cute tricks like attacking his own zealots, just to maintain a minimum entertainment level for non-Bisu fans. Slaying Zergs is what Kim Taekyong does, and a skill that will take him far in today's Zerg-friendly map pool — but Bisu's other matchups are looking beyond monstrous as well. How to survive this juggernaut? In his most recent interview, Bisu says: "practice longer than me, have faster hands, and understand Protoss well". You wouldn't suspect it given the confidence pervading his in- and post-game statements, but Bisu is trying hard to seem humble. A more accurate answer would have been "you just can't", and he knows it. |
| 2. |
Fantasy
(T) (stats) |
+2 |
1 |
Fantasy 2-0d his MST group (he's apparently immune to cheese) and he's 5-2 in R4 of PL including that ridiculous win over Jaedong on Heartbreak Ridge...blah blah blah we all know Fantasy is a monster. Instead of harping on his beastliness, I'm going to use this space to dispel some myths about Fantasy with this simple truth: Fantasy's strongest matchup is and always has been Terran versus Protoss.
Fantasy has always been most confident in his TvP — and with good reason. From the beginning of his Proleague career with T1, when his coaches sent him out on Protoss-friendly maps Katrina, Andromeda, and Colosseum, right through to his lip-smacking-good whomping of Movie last night, Fantasy's vs. Protoss play has been just a cut above his other matchups. As he said in his post-match interview two days ago, "Whether it is practice or live, I am always calm when I play against Protoss. I don't really feel as though I will lose. It's just easy."
That Fantasy's forte is clearly TvP — even given his revolutionary TvZ and his much-touted TvT — is strong support for Fantasy as the world's most formidable Terran all-arounder. |
| 3. |
ZerO
(Z) (stats) |
- |
2 |
It's official: for the first time since December 2007, Jaedong is not the Power Rank's highest-ranked Zerg (holy crap, December 2007). Why?
Have you visited Zero's TLPD page lately? Things are beginning to look a bit crazy in there. Aside from 4-0ing his OSL group with infested Terrans for style, over the past month Zero has unleashed a ferocious beatdown on his fellow Zergs to prove that his Lost Saga MSL practice hours have made him a premier ZvZ player to rival even the Legend Killer. Zero's position over Jaedong may be short-lived, but he's earned it: 12-2 since the last PR (losses to Bisu and Leta), rock-solid ZvZ and ZvP play, and a dash of un-before seen confidence could mean Zero is setting up to have a field day with this Starleague season's Zerg-heavy field. |
| 4. |
Jaedong
(Z) (stats) |
-3 |
1 |
Jaedong's teammates at Hwaseung aren't helping his image much — they'll highlight each of his losses by throwing the match instead of bailing him out. Image issues aside, all it takes is a few VODs of Jaedong's recent games to conclude he has actually slipped a bit since his brilliant Batoo OSL victory. JD just seems to be pushing his favorite strategies too hard and playing far too riskily for his skill level (nowhere was this more apparent than in his PL loss to Fantasy). However, I don't think Jaedong fans should be too worried: the Starleague offseason is an ideal time for a reality check (and as I wrote this bit, JD emerged from the loser's game of his MST group to qualify, 2-1). |
| 5. |
Leta
(T) (stats) |
- |
1 |
With Yarnc channeling his brother's sucktasticness in Proleague, Leta has enjoyed a smooth return to his role as Hite's undisputed ace. He's had perhaps the toughest April-May schedule of any player in this rank, yet emerged with nine wins and a fearsome new level of two-port wraith which has Zergs everywhere squirming uncomfortably. Leta makes this immensely fragile build look nigh-invulnerable — impressive, even for a player who's seeded into the MSL Ro32 and just qualified for the OSL Ro16. |
| 6. |
Effort
(Z) (stats) |
- |
1 |
CJ fans rejoice: Effort is ready to assume Savior's mantle. Since his rather pathetic loss to Jaedong in WL Finals, Effort has been on a tear that's landed him amongst R4's top performers, a slot in the Avalon MSL's Ro32, and an upcoming OSL Ro36 appearance. With a few more legitimate opponents in his last month's schedule or a better performance against Bisu on Heartbreak Ridge two days ago, I might consider Effort above even Jaedong — but as it stands, MJY's prodigy will have to prove his mettle in Starleague play before he can vault further up the Power Rank. |
| 7. |
SkyHigh
(T) (stats) |
+2 |
7 |
Skyhigh is raw talent run amok, on an unprecedented scale. To understand what I mean, you need only watch three of his recent games: vs. BeSt2 on May 13, vs. Yarnc on May 2, and vs. Flash on April 16 (they're all good, promise). On one hand, Skyhigh is toying — toying — with the game's biggest names. On the other, he's making outrageous mistakes: consistently losing tanks unnecessarily to Flash (and smirking it off), figuring "ahh, screw anti-air" against a Zerg with mutas spawning.
Despite a boldness bordering on recklessness, Skyhigh has put up massive results over the past month. He's comfortably through to the Avalon MSL, alive in GOM, and propelling CJ in PL (filling Iris's shoes somewhat). Beware: Skyhigh is about to shake up the Avalon MSL. |
| 8. |
Flash
(T) (stats) |
-1 |
1 |
The KTF MagicNs are a sinking ship in Proleague, but, like any captain who isn't a dumbass epic-movie hero, Flash is not about to go down with them. He's 5-3 thus far in R4, but each of his losses should be attributed to immaculate play from his opponent (Effort, Hiya, and Battle Royal OversKy). Although an abysmal record versus his S-classmates has lost Flash much of his Ultimate Weapon luster, he remains one of the game's most reliable, mechanically sound, and consistent players. |
| 9. |
KeSPA
() |
- |
9 |
Considering his impressive OSL qualification run — including a clean, macro-powered 2-0 win over Iris — and ACE's recent Proleague success, I was strongly considering GoRush for this slot. However, GoRush's sloppy OSL Ro36 performance left him victim to a far more powerful force within the Korean StarCraft scene — a force now so formidable it is unquestionably more deserving of an appearance in this Power Rank. Yes, KeSPA.
The Korean eSports Players Association has been simply dominant over the last month — claiming more games (4) since April 16 than either Lost Saga MSL finalist Luxury (3) or JangBi (2). After kicking off its remarkable April-May run with a brutal destruction of RuBy in MST play, KeSPA solidified its position as one of BW's rising stars by upsetting Leta in the 2set of April 28th's STX-Hite match — a game that played a crucial role in STX's eventual victory. KeSPA's 2-0 dismantling of GoRush in the OSL Ro36, the latest in its undefeated streak, only demonstrated what astute SC fans have known for some time now: KeSPA is a veritable menace, tearing through professional BW and leaving distraught (but powerless) gamers and outraged fanboys in its wake. If KeSPA keeps up this frantic pace, it will easily claim a top 30 position in its own June rank. |
| 10. |
Thezerg
(Z) (stats) |
- |
10 |
A truism that's even truer in between Starleagues: the PR's tenth slot is damn hard to fill. Especially this month, I feel the world's top nine BW players are a hefty cut above the rest. That's why I decided to use this spot to throw a bone to the guy I think is far and away the PL R4's most improved player, and a key contributor to its top team. Yay, it's Thezerg!
Thezerg reminds me of Kramer's horse — he loves the slop. Thezerg's play has been far from pretty, but it's produced results: 5-1 in PL (with wins over Hiya and Jangbi, before we figured out he's awful now) and a very respectable OSL Ro36 appearance. Enjoy your month in the sun Thezerg, and kudos for proving T1 is aware there are more than two races in StarCraft. |
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United States12607 Posts
CBNC
 Calm - please see my comment here.
HoGiL is actually Thezerg's stiffest competition for the 10-spot. He's come out of nowhere to go 5-1 in PL R4 including wins over Fantasy (who played a silly game) and Thezerg himself. Unfortunately, outside of those two huge games for Hite, Hogil hasn't had any trying opponents. Unlike Thezerg, he's also had the luxury of splitting Proleague duties with another decent Zerg. If Hogil gives us a good show in the OSL Ro36, though, he may be on his way to a spot in next month's PR.
GoRush and  Casy survived OSL Offline Qualifiers and have been ACE's two most solid contributors in R4, but neither has done anything spectacular (in all fairness, GoRush did look like he was on his way to losing to BackHo in the OSL). Casy has a great shot at the OSL Ro16, but I can't credit him for matches that haven't been played yet. The funny thing about ACE is that their recent ascendance to mediocrity has truly been a team effort. Everyone's sitting at 60% winrates, and it's impossible to single out any one player who has been carrying the team (GoRush seems to me to be the secret ingredient, though). Also, for all their 3-1 wins in PL, I still just don't think ACE's players stack up against the best of the best in individual play.
by.great is Samsung's best player. W-w-w-w-whaaat? It's only too bad KHAN is playing so poorly right now, even their ace isn't good enough for PR.
BaBy has shown us some excellent games in GOM (especially against JangBi) and is beginning to make more appearances in WeMade's lineups, but he still has a whole lot of that "I'm a talented, but mechanically and strategically unrefined player" about him. If you need to know what I'm talking about, just watch the 2set of him vs. Modesty at GOM. Losing that game was pretty pathetic.
Canata beat sKyHigh to land in the OSL Ro36 and 2-1d his MST group. He's also back in T1's lineup for week 6 of R4 (over BeSt). Canata is playing pretty well lately (albeit in his "boring" style), but if a significant portion of your recent games are against RorO...you are not PR-worthy.
 Shuttle is having a quite successful spring, but, like Canata, he doesn't have enough recent games under his belt to belong here. I wish STX would send him out more often in PL — he looked on point against Bisu on Neo Medusa. YoonJoong has a nontrivial chance of upsetting Flash in his OSL Ro36 group.
JangBi, Luxury, Stork, and by.hero: what happened to these guys? They're not close, I'm just mentioning them to point out they've all fallen off the face of the earth in one way or another since their appearances in last month's PR. Luxury is 0-5 in ZvZ in R4...what the hell is going on. And I feel you by.hero fantasy owners, your boy apparently isn't good enough to play for STX in PL (or beat his helpless teammate Kal in GOM).
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Valhalla18444 Posts
YEP
mad props to JWD for stepping up to bat
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LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
KESPA LOL LOL LOL
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United States11390 Posts
The SKT fanboyism doesn't show.
At all.
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...... ya bad I don't mean to troll but I disagree with almost all of your placings, I think that a lot of these players should be on here but def switched around a bit
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While I find the Zero above Jaedong move a little ballsy I like this rank far better than last months, great job JWD!
Edit: btw Kespa needs its own tlpd page seriously its had more wins than jangbi in the past month.
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United States12607 Posts
On May 15 2009 12:14 Harem wrote:
The SKT fanboyism doesn't show.
At all.
T1 is destroying the Proleague, and this ranking is substantially based on Proleague games. What do you expect? I made a conscious effort to avoid letting my fandom sneak into this rank - if you can point out specific problems with my rank, by all means! But I think a blanket statement about "T1 bias" isn't really productive. Honestly, show me the players that are better than Bisu/Fantasy right now, or read CBNC and find someone who deserves the 10-slot more than Thezerg.
I've got to run out for a few hours, but I'll be back to defend my rank shortly!
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GAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA KESPA
I seriously laughed out loud for 15 minutes there.
You win, JWD.
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No Firefist in CBNC? He's up 1-0 on KeSPA.
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Who got that image for Kespa up there hahaha
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I approve putting Kespa in to the Power Rank.
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United States13896 Posts
Thezerg ... no. Just no. Most overrated, overhyped Zerg right now. And there's a lot of them to.
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lol at Kespa but seriously, Zero above Jaedong? What were you thinking? Zero using infested was cool, it was new, but not something difficult and definately not something the #1 Zerg cannot pull off. Ok, I admit him beating Kal, Luxury, Lomo was an achievement but beating the other scrubs is not impressive.
I agree with Bisu #1 though. He deserves it. I'm ready to call him the first Protoss bonjwa
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lol at Kespa. yeah bisu #1 again 
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I don't like the idea of Zero above Jaedong. I mean, Bisu made Zero look like a noob when he played him. Not to mention OSL finals weren't all that long ago.
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disagree with all... -.-
Bisu First its ok, but fantasy number 2???
look at JD and Fantasy last 10 games...
imo:
1 bisu
2 jd (close to bisu)
3 fantasy
4 zero
5 effort
6 leta
7 flash
8 skyhigh
9 dnt know
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I agree with mostly everything on the list. I didn't expect to see Thezerg in the 10th spot, but you're right about there not being someone who clearly fits in there.
KeSPA is a definitely a formidable opponent. I doubt that any of these players can stop KeSPA by himself alone. I mean in every game that KeSPA has claimed, the victim made a very tiny mistake which KeSPA immediately capitalized on without hesitation or mercy. I don't see anything stopping KeSPA from reaching the #1 spot next month unless it stops itself.
Great writeup
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LOL at Kespa, but I really think Great should be number 10. He's been Khan's strongest player and came up with a ingenious build to beat both Free and Bisu. I would put him at 10 just because he has had harder competition than TheZerg.
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Look how happy KeSPA looks in his photo... That's the mark of a true winner. Someone who really enjoys doing what he does.
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EPT
