Last week, we decided to poll our wonderful staff to see who would make the cut for our very own Top 10 poll. Writers, commentators, admins, and just about any staff member was allowed to submit their own personal Top 10. If you're familiar with American college sports you'll already be familiar with the system - #1 gets 10 points, #2 gets 9, etc. all the way down to #10, who gets 1 point. Add up the points from each individual vote cast, and whoever has the most total points in the end is ranked higher. So, without farther ado, here's our first Top 10!
May '08 Top 10
#1) (T) Flash - 140 (14)
With all 14 of the #1 votes, Flash is our undisputed #1, and deservedly so. Since serving up an extra large can of whoop-ass to Stork he’s been near perfect in ProLeague play, going 7-1 with wins over Bisu, Mind, and free. He may not be bonjwa, but if he keeps playing like this, the title may soon be his.
#2) (Z) Jaedong - 104
Thanks to Hwasin, BackHo, and Casy, JD is looking much more vulnerable at the #2 spot than he would have just a month before. Lecaf’s ace is just 5-5 since March’s break and he’s already fallen out of the running for his second EVER OSL title, but he still remains near invincible in ZvZ’s, winning his last 10 in a row, and assuming his OSL Round 1 performance was merely a minor hiccup, he gets the nod for the #2 spot.
#3/4) (T) Mind - 81
Ever since winning the MSL, Mind has just been a model for consistency in the pro scene. He’s won 62% of his games and only fell in the MSL when he met Jaedong - which is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, Jaedong and Flash are the only barriers keeping Mind from breaking into the top 2 - he’s gone 1-5 against them lately. Once he can prove he’s in their league, he’ll being to inch farther up in this poll.
#3/4) (P) Jangbi - 81
If anyone’s been wondering what happened to Stork’s world class PvT when he played Flash, we may have found the answer in Jangbi. This kid has won 10 of his last 12 PvT’s and has shown improvement in his other matchups. While he breezed through his OSL group with two PvT wins, he’s going to have to show just how far his PvP has come to advance out of his pure Protoss MSL Round of 32 group.
#5) (T) Hwasin - 62
Just over two months ago it didn’t seem like things could get any worse for Hwasin. His play over the previous months hadn’t been anything to get excited about and he had just dropped out of his OSC group at the hands of Mind and HyuN. But what a difference 2 months can make. He’s come back from the break in play with a 5-1 record and has breezed through his MSL group, dominating Jaedong in two games along the way.
#6) (Z) Luxury - 60
Luxury’s departure from the Baucchus OSL at the hands of Stork was anything but pretty. His ZvT and ZvZ seemed top notch, but his PvZ leaved a lot to be desired. Since then, Lux has gone 3-1 in ProLeague (2-1 vP) and got redemption against Stork in the form of an ace match win to lead OGN over Samsung.
#7) (T) Sea - 41
Sea is SC’s most successful non-successful player ever. With a winning percentage higher than players that have achieved much more than he ever has, Sea seems permanently trapped as a good player that never makes it far in StarLeagues. Still, he remains in the running for both the MSL and the OSL, and has his team in the top 2 of the ProLeague - enough to grab a spot in the top 10.
#8) (P) Stork - 35
Stork Stork Stork. He may be eternally stuck at #2, but in our list, he’s #8. After an absolutely pitiful effort in the OSL Final, he’s gone just 3-3 in ProLeague play and appears to be a mere shadow of his former self. The argument can be made that he deserves to be higher, but with losses to marginal players like HiyA and Pure lately, he isn’t helping his case.
#9) (P) Kal - 33
Ok, so if you want to be ranked high in this poll, you have to make sure to be anything BUT second place in a StarLeague. Part of the second-best club after his MSL loss to Jaedong, Kal is the owner of some of the best PvT and PvZ our there. Kal is obviously going to be counted on as a key contributor for STX SouL this season, and at 5-3, so far he’s delivering, making STX a contender again.
#10) (T) NaDa - 29
Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, Lee Yoon Yeol, Tornado Terran himself is part of a top 10. Not only that, he’s on the hunt for his 4th OSL title and/or 4th MSL title after advancing through both of his opening groups. He’s playing well in the StarLeagues and the Proleague, so the question for both you and his opponents is this: Are you ready to enjoy NaDa’s game?
On the Brink: (P) Bisu - 23, (P) Much - 20, (T) Midas - 16
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