| Rank |
Player |
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High |
Description |
| 1. |
Effort
(Z) (stats) |
+5 |
1 |
Deliberation on the June Power Rank's number one spot should begin and end with this simple rhetorical: if Effort's performance over the past month isn't enough for PR #1, what is?
In case you haven't visited Brood War lately: Effort's record in the current SC season (PL R5, GOM S3, Avalon MSL, Bacchus OSL) is 25-3 — a ridiculous mark that is by far the best in progaming and amongst the most impressive hot streaks of all time. Since May's Power Rank, Effort has lost one game while reaching the Ro16 in all three Starleagues and averaging more than one win per CJ Entus Proleague match. Wait, what?
In the past month Effort has edged both of last season's most feared ZvZers, completed July's precipitous fall from OSL grace, and made everyone who picked a certain seven-point T1 player for their by.Fantasy Proleague team look pathetically uninformed. Though (unlike most other members of this rank) he's thus far avoided all four of the world's most-feared Terrans, satisfyingly straight-up wins over both Stork and Jaedong should be enough to convince even TL's most vicious skeptics that Effort is capable of destroying well-established members of StarCraft's elite. Given that he is dismantling every A-class player he faces with a perfect combination of surgical precision and Maestro-esque flair, Effort's eventual Starleague series opponents should desperately hope he's lying when he says "I think my games turn out better when I face top-class players". |
| 2. |
Bisu
(P) (stats) |
-1 |
1 |
HiyA, Jaedong, Stork, JangBi, and JangBi again is a week so hellish that I find it impossible to come down hard on Bisu for (perhaps foolishly) trying to 4-gate his way past JB from cross positions in the MSL last night. As for his four Proleague outings: though Bisu looked totally unprepared for unfavorable spawn positions on Shades of Twilight and displayed some uncharacteristically sloppy shuttle micro against JangBi, he pulled off just enough clutch play to manufacture two critical ace game wins. If watching Bisu struggle a bit on two days' practice versus KHAN makes you suspect KTY isn't sufficiently invincible for this rank, it's time for a reality check: Stork and JangBi are at very least the third- and fourth-best Protosses in the world. And if you're not convinced of the massive distance between Bisu and anyone outside of StarCraft's S-class, amuse yourself by watching him embarrass HiyA's "Dragon-slaying" PvT on Destination.
Bisu is playing well enough to turn a 30-second delay in spire timing into a one-sided victory over Lee Jaedong — in other words, easily well enough for this rank's number two spot. |
| 3. |
Jaedong
(Z) (stats) |
+1 |
1 |
Jaedong is the only man with a list of recently-defeated Proleague opponents to rival Bisu's, and fresh off reinforcing his entitlement to every Hwaseung ace game appearance with a sick macro-powered win over sKyHigh. The Legend Killer is fast running out of weaknesses; games since May 15 ought to eliminate Jaedong's (mech-induced) reputation as a player who has difficulty adapting to unorthodox play. Against both Leta (whose cowardly SCVs would rather hide inside bunkers than repair them) and jjonga in GOM, Jaedong flawlessly adjusted his play in response to early pressure on Heartbreak Ridge.
Is Jaedong's accidental spire cancel a major reason he's not immediately below Effort in this rank? Absolutely, and especially because it cost him a game to Bisu. Furthermore, anyone who refuses to judge Jaedong based on that mistake is committing an equally crucial one. JD had a chance to defeat his PvZ rival, hand T1 a crushing loss, and climb the Power Rank. He blew it. Jaedong's loss to Bisu is just a reminder that even to a god like JD, StarCraft is still a mouse-and-keyboard game. Several thousand proper clicks and keystrokes stand between me and a win over Bisu — for Jaedong, the tally may be just 1. |
| 4. |
Flash
(T) (stats) |
+4 |
1 |
If you haven't seen the 3set of KT-Hite (the best regular season Proleague match of all time?), a) you're either insane or too busy ogling at Liquipedia b) go watch it before reading another word here you may now continue reading. Looking on in awe as Flash desperately tried to hold on to his bases at 3 o'clock against Leta's much superior ground army, I thought "If Flash wins this game, it will be by sheer force of will". I don't think Flash's talent has ever been in doubt; what has been, at least in my mind, is his command of the Art of StarCraft — that certain elusive quality that separates Champions from robots. Flash's comeback against Leta was made of that stuff, and, if he can bring it with him to the Avalon MSL and Bacchus OSL S2, it may yield a second Starleague title. |
| 5. |
Leta
(T) (stats) |
0 |
1 |
I got a kick out of the KT-Hite crowdhacking episode not only for KeSPA's usual bumbling, but because Leta probably could have beaten Forgg blindfolded (à la Boxer). Instead of another shot at Flash (and his spot in this rank), Leta picked up his sixth win since last month's PR. However because his most notable win in this stretch was probably versus Calm (who Leta 2-port wraithed to death, in style), it's actually his two losses — to Flash and Jaedong — which are the best evidence he deserves to remain at number five. Considering how far back failure to repair that bunker set him against Jaedong, both of these games were extremely competitive and thus excellent expositions of Leta's skill. |
| 6. |
Violet
(P) (stats) |
- |
6 |
With only a few weeks of Proleague play, a handful of GOM matches, and three MSL games to consider, ordering the bottom half of this month's rank is tough. These players are each clearly a cut below the top five, but extremely difficult to differentiate.
Violet's 13-2 record this season is obvious indication he belongs somewhere in this rank, but his wicked play versus Luxury, Bisu, HyuN, and HoGiL is what makes him worthy of the 6-slot. Playing from 6:00 on Neo Medusa, the position KTY himself said "sucks" relative to "any [other] location", Violet outperformed Bisu in every way to take a hard-fought win and help keep T1 from their 9-2 goal for R4. This set remains the most convincing defeat of Bisu since Fantasy's 3-0 shocker almost three months ago. Games with Luxury, HyuN (especially), and HoGiL were wildly impressive PvZs which showcased Violet's solid game management. I'd love to give Violet another crack at this season's OSL and MSL offlines — with the way he's stepped up his game of late, is there any doubt he'd qualify? |
| 7. |
SkyHigh
(T) (stats) |
0 |
7 |
Skyhigh maintains his rank mostly because of how the players around him performed this month. While he remains a serious threat in the Avalon MSL (especially in a group with an aggregate skill level which proves at least 33 people misclicked when voting in the current poll) and continued his dominant play in GOM by sweeping both index and the somewhat over-hyped BaBy, losses to Really and Jaedong demonstrate that Skyhigh's game still needs polish before he will be an S-class BoX threat. Pursuing a FE despite a gas steal and zero scouting information is typical Skyhigh...typical Skyhigh lost to BackHo. |
| 8. |
Fantasy
(T) (stats) |
-6 |
1 |
Fantasy has had a disappointing month. He fell to Flash's superior micro early in the game that was supposed to make up for their WL Roshambo, and then went on to suggest Flash would've crushed him in a macro war anyway by playing a pretty uninspired game against Lomo. Fantasy's saving grace is his harass-driven PvT, which did exactly as a pet matchup should by giving him a much-needed win over JangBi last night. Because his strength is tactics, Fantasy shines in series play. I expect him to return to the Power Rank's top half once he battles through group stages in the OSL and MSL. |
| 9. |
Jangbi
(P) (stats) |
- |
1 |
JangBi began this PR period by riding his ever-impressive PvT to a solid win over Flash on Destination, but he's 1-4 in his last five — so what the hell is he doing here? Loss one was to some well-executed cheese from Fantasy PL phenomenon Much, and loss four to fast DTs from Kal (fair enough). Losses two and three are the reason JangBi is on this rank. He fell just a hair short of victories over both T1's titans, and was probably one poor attack at Bisu's choke from handing KTY his ninth loss on Medusa (in 29 games). JB's recent performances don't quite have that mechanical precision which characterized the early stages of his Lost Saga MSL run, but they're solid enough for #9. |
| 10. |
Stork[gm]
(P) (stats) |
- |
1 |
Stork has played just fifteen games since his 0-3 loss to JangBi in the Lost Saga MSL Ro8, and just five games since the last PR. Of those, he's won four — but two of those were against BackHo, who threw away his first reaver-laden shuttle, and free, who is throwing away all of his recent games. Because Stork's image as "a pretty damn good player who posted pretty damn good results last season" is shared by several players above and below him in this rank, his position basically comes down to two games: wins over Flash and Bisu. In both outings Stork did an excellent job at abusing map features to impressive victories — in particular, making Shades of Twilight's positional imbalances for PvP look as brutal as Katrina's.
However, to put it simply: over the last two months Stork has done nothing that JangBi couldn't. This is the reason JangBi was Coach January's choice for both of Samsung's recent ace games (a crucial point), and the reason Stork must be below JangBi in this rank. |
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United States12607 Posts
 Kal is 7-3 in his last 10, and coming off of a very surprising 2-0 run through the dragon's lair (MSL Group B). But hold up, let's check who Kal has been playing lately: free twice...holy crap, free is awful lately...Horang2...alright, that might be worth something if Horang2 didn't literally give him the game by losing his first shuttle...Casy? Jaehoon? To claw his way back into the PR after an abysmal spring, Kal needs to show us several solid victories against top-tier players, not a few wins against Fantasy PL's most popular anti-team choices. And I know July's ZvP is "forever perfect", but a top 10 player should simply not be losing BoX series to players who aren't in either major Starleague and are making no Proleague appearances. Pause for a moment and just think about whether Kal would really stand a chance against, say, Bisu - a player who 6, 8, 9, and 10 have all beaten recently.
 Kwanro is the only other player I seriously considered for a spot in this rank, but, like Kal, he seems a substantial cut below Stork at 10 and hasn't played any powerhouses lately - in particular his 4-0 run in the OSL Ro36 looks pretty pathetic considering how much Casy has fallen off in PL R5. Getting curbstomped by ZerO in GOM doesn't help Kwanro's case much, either.
KeSPA didn't eliminate any players this month, despite rearing its ugly head twice at the KT-Hite match (in the 2set and 5set). With players fast adjusting to its cheesy tactics, KeSPA will need to step up its game (institute some absurd new rules) to crack the PR again.
 Canata hasn't been playing much lately, but he's been doing pretty damn well when he does. Somehow he's in both the MSL Ro32 (and in a group with 3 Terrans and one washed-up Zerg) and OSL Ro16...actually, his OSL matches against HoGiL and UpMaGiC were both quite impressive. However Canata's other recent wins seem pretty flukey - he'll have to surprise us in at least one Starleague before he sees some Power Rank love.
Much is still alive in GOM and is playing the role of savvy veteran by pitching in crafty Proleague wins for CJ, but with only 6 games in the past month (and 2 of those against Falcon) it's hard to justify him above more proven Protoss staples like Stork and JangBi. If he continues his winstreak in Proleague and shows a very strong performance in his MSL group, Much could sneak into next month's rank.
Calm is still one of SC's most solid Zergs and a smart ace choice for STX, but he's really struggled in the past few weeks - going 4-5 with losses to GoRush in PL and HoeJJa's very questionable ZvZ in GOM. He had a chance to prove himself against Leta in Proleague, but put on a disappointing show (come on Zergs, figure out how to play against Leta's 2-port!).
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9070 Posts
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woot!! finally! nice work!
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Sweet, don't know if I agree with EffOrt #1 but he's definitley top 3 atm.
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9070 Posts
btw congrats on the TL icon 
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Kennigit
Canada19447 Posts
I 100% agree with effort. He is such a beast right now
spoiler MSL Group A
+ Show Spoiler +
watching his game vs lux and hiya last night reminded me of the same "spark" and ridiculous sense of just....knowing that savior had in his prime.
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FUCK YEAH EFFORT!!!
I think Violet should be above Leta though :o
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I do like this month's PR.
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Woah, JWD is blue. Nice list, but I would definitely put Stork over Jangbi.
Hopefully Effort won't be another Leta, I'm excited to see where this goes.
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Great PR JWD! I agree pretty much with every single place. Maybe Srork at 9 and Kal 10 instead of Jangbi? I really enjoyed reading your argumentation
I would say Kal definitely should be in CBNC.
Ps. Good luck battling the Jaedong fans who will be furious for placing their heroe 'only' at the 3rd spot 
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United States12607 Posts
On June 12 2009 08:40 ESPORTS wrote:I 100% agree with effort. He is such a beast right now spoiler MSL Group A + Show Spoiler +
watching his game vs lux and hiya last night reminded me of the same "spark" and ridiculous sense of just....knowing that savior had in his prime.
haha, silly ESPORTS! No need for the spoiler, I talk about these results extensively in the rank anyway
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I am a Jaedong fan and agree with JWD. He blew it.
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Russian Federation1381 Posts
Alright, i'm much more satisfied with this than with your first one JWD. Looks ok, time will show can effort and violet(!) maintain their skill.
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I hope we'll see Kal and maybe Kwanro in the CBNC. :o
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wait what happened to FS 
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Great to have the new rank up!
Effort is an interesting and probably accurate choice for #1.
The last 5 are so hard to place that I just won't comment on their order. I do however feel that there might have been other players more deserving than Stork.. I'm gonna have to edit this post tomorrow morning once I sleep on this
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Korea (South)3086 Posts
I have no problems with this month's PR. Looks damn accurate.
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Hungary11300 Posts
Placing Effort first is both bold and logical - good job there.
Rank 9 and 10 might be a bit questionable. I sympathize strongly with Jangbi, but I don't see him getting the cutting edge he had earlier this year back yet. He is not in the OSL, he is one loss away from dropping out of the MSL too and in GOM he was disposed off by Baby. You can say that all his opponents played very well and that it were close losses, but that's exactly what seperates a great players from a good player - being able to win under critical conditions.
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EPT
