| Rank |
Player |
Prev |
High |
Description |
| 1. |
Jaedong
(Z) (stats) |
+2 |
1 |
There was a pernicious fear in the back of my mind at the beginning of March. Jaedong wasn't being... Jaedong. His play seemed sloppy, his execution wasn't stellar... I said that he'd lost his edge. And from that proclamation forward I've been eating my words. I don't know what's changed, but Jaedong's been turning back into the fearsome monster that we know and love. Jaedong is the Tyrant, and this past month-and-a-week has been a rewind to mid-2009. Multitasking. Decision-making. Micromanagement. What. A. Monster.
Remember, in no way is Jaedong playing perfectly--but in a season where it's harder to do well in liquibet than it is to score big on the lottery, this month belongs to Jaedong. Interestingly enough, Jaedong has won this month almost solely off his ridiculously impressive ZvT. However, with the MSL continuing on, and the OSL starting soon, I'm sure we'll be seeing the revival of JvZ and JvP as well.
+ Show Spoiler + |
| 2. |
Bisu
(P) (stats) |
+6 |
1 |
Choosing between Bisu and Flash is like choosing between vanilla and chocolate ice cream. They're distinctly different, both have their supporting parties, and sometimes you just want both. Or at least, I do because I like the option where you can get the swirl. Anyway, for this Power Rank Bisu barely edges out Flash for the second slot. Both players are currently playing very well (with no obviously glaring faults or shortcomings), and given the paucity of games played in the past five weeks, the salient differences become even more profound. And what it really boils down to is the losses, seeing as both players have shown incredibly convincing wins.
Yes, Bisu did lose to Flash twice in the MSL Round of 32, but both games werethe final set was very close--to the point of a single obstacle being the deciding factor between Bisu winning and losing. Also, even though I like Jaedong more than I like Bisu, I believe that had Bisu gotten the chance to play Jaedong, he would have been advancing. Of course, that is a moot point, and it's one that I won't have to worry about for a while. Besides those two losses to Flash in the MSL, the only other loss was to ZerO in an Ace match--and by Jove that game was ridiculously close, even though Bisu was pretty much doomed when he couldn't deny zerO's expansions. Overall, I currently think Bisu is just playing a cleaner game of Starcraft than Flash is, though once again with sparse data it's really hard to definitively say so. I still think Bisu's PvP is suspect, but since he won the two PvPs he played this month (and what a comeback against Free, even if it was slightly lucky) I can't really fault him on that. |
| 3. |
Flash
(T) (stats) |
-2 |
1 |
Wait, would Bisu be chocolate? Or would Flash?
...
And now that I'm back, eating strawberry ice cream, let's continue with this Power Rank. As I said earlier, I think both Bisu and Flash are playing great Starcraft right now. Truth be told, the deciding factor in ranking Bisu over Flash was Flash's loss to Much. Yes, in the grand scheme of things that was nullified by his Ace win over ggaemo, but really... It wasn't as if Much used some baller sneaky build to win. Flash went for the push, didn't get the Nexus, and lost. In the same sense, Flash just kind of lost to BeSt. Now, I know that BeSt is 5-5 against Flash, but if you consider the form BeSt was in, I'm really surprised that Flash lost that. I'm not going to fault Flash for losing to Jaedong twice, seeing as how Jaedong decided he was going to start being all out of bubble gum again.
Now this may sound like I'm hating on Flash, but I'm not--I'm just trying to highlight the discrepancies between Flash's and Bisu's losses. In no way is he playing poorly--view the series against Really and the games against ggaemo and Hydra as evidence that Flash can still just straight up kill somebody. Still, the major thing that Flash has on Bisu is the fact that he is still in the MSL. And man, if he and Jaedong both make it to the finals again... You may be sick of FvJ, but when there's a golden badge appearing regardless of the winner, that's something that's... actually never happened before. While Flash did beat out Bisu in the Group of Death, and though he's still in the MSL by virtue of slapping Really out of it, this time around I'm going to say that Flash just isn't playing as solidly as I've grown used to. Still, skill manifests itself over time, and I'd expect Flash to overtake Bisu again come next Power Rank. |
| 4. |
Inter.Mind
(T) (stats) |
- |
3 |
Are we seeing a resurgence from the Rommel Terran? While he's nowhere on the same level as the first three in this Power Rank, Mind's a clear fourth. The Scholar has played a fantastic month-plus of Starcraft. While I'm not a fan of Mind (I still think he's kind of boring), I can't deny that he's been playing very well recently. His comeback against Light following an amazing first game (even if you aren't a fan of TvT, watch this game--seriously) was nothing short of a smash, what with the star sense in game 2 defending against Light's cheese and then repaying it in kind in game 3. Furthermore, somewhere along the way, Mind seems to have gained the ability to TvP, stomping over all four of his Protoss opponents this month. And in his single TvZ of the month (played last night), Mind had some clutch defensive marine micro to take the game against Hydra. Granted, Hydra played sloppily, but I'm giving credit to Mind where credit is due.
Interestingly enough, with his win over Hydra Mind has set a new ELO peak for himself, breaking into the 2200 club, and is currently the fourth-highest Terran by ELO, after Flash, Fantasy, and BaBy. As if it weren't evident enough that Mind's been on a tear lately, it looks like he's might be breaking into KeSPA top 10 soon (he's 14 right now).
He still kind of scares me though! Does anybody else look at Mind when he's playing and see a serial killer? |
| 5. |
Neo.G_SoulKey
(Z) (stats) |
- |
3 |
The contestants for the next three rankings are all neck-and-neck with one another, and I'm probably going to take some fire for my ordering. In particular, tt seems odd that I'd be putting Soulkey over Leta (and Hydra), especially since Leta and Hydra are the two that have advanced to the quarterfinals in the MSL, but frankly, Neo.G_Soulkey has been more impressive to me than either of them. I'm not discounting the series between the two, though the games were very close--and with the slightest changes could have gone either way. Here's the thing though, outside of the MSL Soulkey has been much more impressive than Leta. Though he hasn't played any ZvP in over a month (his March game against Bisu really impressed me, though he really shouldn't have let Bisu expand), his ZvT is looking as sharp as ever, and his ZvZ is looking solid. Also, Queens. If I had to give accolades to somebody for a single game, it'd be to Soulkey for his stunning use of Queens against Fantasy in the final set of the Round of 32. |
| 6. |
Leta
(T) (stats) |
- |
1 |
This season so far hasn't been Leta's best... though it's definitely getting better. After a disastrous January, Leta's been slowly but surely bouncing back. Though he's only 4-4 in this month-point-two-five, that doesn't tell us the entirety of the story. After an epic series against Neo.G_Soulkey, Leta overcame the scrappy Zerg to advance to the quarterfinals. Honestly though, despite his 3-1 head-to-head over Soulkey recently, Leta's not been holding his weight in Proleague, and his last-night loss to random Protoss P7GAB (Wooki!) shows that his TvP is still... alarmingly bad. Seeing as how Leta did overcome an in-form Soulkey three times this month, I do feel bad placing him below Soulkey--but since that's all that he has over him. |
| 7. |
Hydra
(Z) (stats) |
- |
2 |
Despite beating Stork to make it to the quarterfinals of the MSL, Hydra has not been impressing me recently. I kind of feel guilty for not writing this a week ago, since if this had been done at the beginning of May Hydra would be rank 4. However, since the start of the month Hydra just has just not been playing well. His micro has been sloppy, and his decision-making slightly questionable. Last night's game against Mind sealed the deal in my mind for Hydra dropping from 4 to 7. That mutalisk micro was just... not good. The real difference between Soulkey, Leta, and Hydra wasn't the matches they played, but how they played them. Leta and Hydra have comparable win/loss ratios and have advanced to the quarterfinals of the MSL, but Soulkey has just shown much more impressive play, and has a better record to boot.
I like Hydra. I'm just sad that he's not playing as sharply as he should be. Luckily, he'll have a chance to redeem his ZvT in his MSL quarterfinals match against Mind, and I'm looking forward to that match.. |
| 8. |
ZerO
(Z) (stats) |
+1 |
2 |
ZerO is still ZerO. And that's why we love him, right? There are consistent players who are boring, defined by those like RorO... and then there are are players like ZerO. Wildly inconsistent, with wickedly wild highs and dastardly dismal lows. Beat Bisu, lose to Jaehoon--the epitome of ZerO. He does get points for taking a ZvZ series 2-0 to make it to the quarterfinals of the MSL, even if it is over hero. Seriously though, if ZerO ever wants to get back in to the upper tiers of the PR, he'll need to start demonstrating some much-needed consistency. |
| 9. |
Iris[gm]
(T) (stats) |
- |
2 |
I love it when ACE players do well, and I'm very happy for Iris. While the players he's faced hasn't been the cream of the crop, they're still respectably good players. Here's to ACE sweeping the rest of the Proleague season. Seriously, if ggaemo, firebathero, and Iris could all simultaneously get their games together, think about just how strong Air Force ACE could be.
Isn't that something? |
| 10. |
Movie
(P) (stats) |
- |
5 |
Oh the curse of the tenth spot, especially in a month where there weren't many games played. Other solid candidates for this slot included Fantasy, FBH, and BaBy... but out of four Movie's balance between looking good and being able to produce results is the best. He's got some solid wins over Midas, ggaemo, and ZerO and only one loss to boot. Granted, being as he didn't make it into the MSL, he didn't play that many games, but I'm liking Movie's form right now. |
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FREEAGLELAND26781 Posts
Close but No Cigar
 BaBy
His form's looking phenomenal... but he needs to learn how to finish games. With not many games played this month, BaBy couldn't showcase his true potential. Therefore, he can only be on CBNC.
Fantasy
Had a tough roster to fight this month, but ended on a good note with his wins over Reality and Stork. I wish Fantasy could have held on to his KeSPA ranking, but getting killed by Soulkey's queens twice isn't going to cut it for the PR.
firebathero
Though he's 4-4 in the month, the players he have lost against are pretty strong versus Terran. firebathero's still looking pretty strong, though Iris kind of stole his thunder this month.
Light
Light had a tough roster for the month, and I liked his wins against BaBy and Fantasy. His games against Hydra were not very impressive, and not having a good showing in the second and third sets against Mind kept him off of PR.
Shoutouts
 BeSt
Welcome back! And what better comeback victory could be possible?
Grape
What a rookie! He's still in the MSL, and has taken out PvP champion Horang2 in the process. He's not looking particularly hot in Proleague though.
Reality
This kid's got potential. If you don't believe me, watch his series against Jaedong if you haven't yet--so amazing.
 s2
Pretty much this is just for 3-killing KT to spearhead his team's victory in the Winner's League final against KT Rolster. If he had kept it up through the rest of April instead of pretty much losing to everybody, he might make it higher. However, he's still just an SKT Zerg.
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I'm a bit disappointed... I mean I knew that Jaedong was going to be #1, but I feel like you haven't really painted how much of a bonjwa he actually is 
Movie making a reappearance is always a great sight too.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/R1CH/Happy2.gif)
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I haven't had time to watch all the games but i can't complain about the PR from what i've seen. Pretty good write up.
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FREEAGLELAND26781 Posts
On May 09 2011 06:35 Nikon wrote:I'm a bit disappointed... I mean I knew that Jaedong was going to be #1, but I feel like you haven't really painted how much of a bonjwa he actually is Movie making a reappearance is always a great sight too.
Whaaaaat are you telling me that
+ Show Spoiler + isn't an apt description?
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Nice PR! Even though it's a bit delayed, it's alright if the quality is as good as this 
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I wanted to write a really long and detailed post explaining how the Tyrant has revived himself this month but I think this will suffice.
+ Show Spoiler +EEEEEEEE JAEDONGGGGGGG!!! Hell yes, that is what I want to see! 
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Estonia4504 Posts
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Pretty good PR, but I have two criticisms:
1.) Light should have been mentioned IMO. I don't know why you think otherwise.
2.) I'd hesitate to give Iris a spot. Yes he went 5-1 but even if you look deeper at the stats... none of his wins were against players over 2150 ELO (none over 2100 vs T), and none of those players are what I would precisely label as "solid" right now. Not to mention that Iris's TvP has been utterly atrocious lately.
Personally I would have put Light at 8 and Iris on CBNC, or else if you have a reason not to rank Light, then Light on CBNC and move Movie to 9, FBH to 10, and Iris to CBNC. That's my take.
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I like how this:
equals 200th PL win, beating Flash twice, 2-0-ing the Group of Death, and playing damn entertaining starcraft.
I think we should just change JD's TLPD pick to the above ^^
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JAEDONG!!!!! Great PR, I was waiting for this to see sweet sweet JD on top again.
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JD back at the top, fuck yeah!
Would've preferred Flash over Bisu though. =/
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The Tyrant finally takes back his rightful place at the throne. Jaedong... it's been too long.
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On May 09 2011 07:03 Holgerius wrote:JD back at the top, fuck yeah! Would've preferred Flash over Bisu though. =/
As would I, but it will make it all the more pleasant when Flash reclaims nr 1 with a golden badge.
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Should have given a shoutout to Anytime for his win :D
Although I wanted Mantoss to win 
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Yay Jaedong! Yay Mind!
Also I agree with Bisu #2 and Flash #3.
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FREEAGLELAND26781 Posts
On May 09 2011 06:53 Mortality wrote:
Pretty good PR, but I have two criticisms:
1.) Light should have been mentioned IMO. I don't know why you think otherwise.
2.) I'd hesitate to give Iris a spot. Yes he went 5-1 but even if you look deeper at the stats... none of his wins were against players over 2150 ELO (none over 2100 vs T), and none of those players are what I would precisely label as "solid" right now. Not to mention that Iris's TvP has been utterly atrocious lately.
Personally I would have put Light at 8 and Iris on CBNC, or else if you have a reason not to rank Light, then Light on CBNC and move Movie to 9, FBH to 10, and Iris to CBNC. That's my take.
Oh, my bad--I forgot to input him for CBNC. He's had a tough roster for the month, and I liked his wins against BaBy and Fantasy. His games against Hydra were not very impressive, and Mind despite playing a very entertaining TvT against Mind in the MSL, Mind kind of killed him in the second and third.
Actually, in retrospect now I kind of do think I could have put him over Movie. I still stand by my choice of Iris though. Call me biased, but you have to admit that it's more impressive when ACE players do well--just consider the lack of practice partners. Since I'm not wont to change the PR after putting all the ranks in, I'll keep him back on the CBNC.
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Revival of the tyranny, resurgence of the revolution and the waning of God are always music to my ear. This month has been
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Leta is not putting in a 6th-on-the-power-rank performance for my FPL.
Woo Jaedong!
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Not convinced Leta should be so high after seeing him lose game after game in proleague, but I do love Movie's inclusion at #10
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Great PR as always! I like the way you balance subjectivity and objectivity. However, I don't think that the games that Bisu played against Flash were close: Flash outplayed him imo. But you're probably right in putting Bisu at #2 because of Flash's strange losses recently.
I really think Light should be somewhere on the ranking.
seeing as how Jaedong decided he was going to start being all out of bubble gum again.
I'm so happy that Jaedong is the uncontested #1 this month. It warms my heart. Also that Mind is high on the ranking.
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EPT
