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syntox's 2013 australian power rank predictions
 

Australian power ranks 2013




Didn't want to do a SEA power rank as I have no idea who the best players are/will be outside of Australia. I thought about including NZ aswell, but I really don't know who's good past Jazbas and Petraeus.


Terran:

Key Matchup: vs

Overall, I think terran players will perform better in 2013 as HotS could provide some much needed improvements to make terran a more versatile race. With the destablization of the TvZ matchup that will likely occur in the early months of HotS, I expect terran players who are able to develop a strong TvZ to perform very well. I think a weakened TvP will not disadvantage terran players too much, due to the lack of protoss players in the region.

From what I understand, deth has been playing mainly HotS for the past few months so this will pay dividends for him in the early months of 2013. I wouldn't be suprised if Rossi bested deth to be the better terran player in 2013 though, as I feel as though he will cope better with the changing metagame. iaguz is also a very strong terran player, and with Iaguz upping his practice regiment I expect him to be one of the best Australian terrans once again in 2013.

1. deth
2. Rossi
3. iaguz

Protoss:

Key Matchup: vs

Protoss will be the worst performing race in Australia in 2013, but that doesn't mean some strong individual performances won't occur. Protoss will have a more diverse range of PvZ openings in HotS, as opposed to being limited to the FFE. Innovative protoss players will be able to take advantage of this, and be able to develop some strong PvZ strategies. A favorable PvT will also play into the favor of Protoss players, allowing them to performing more consistently due the viability of stargate play and the defensive power of the mothership core.

delete will be the best performing protoss in 2013. Many people outside of the Sydney scene do not have an appreiciation for how good he is, and I believe that he will only improve further in 2013. His ability to articulate his understanding of the game will enable him to cope with the change that HotS provides faster than many other players. With the zerg dominance in the region, his PvZ ability will be crucial to his success. Light will still remain a top contender, and I expect to see some crucial PvP's in the later rounds of Australian tournaments. His success will depend on how well he can adapt his current strong PvT play to HotS, and whether he can innovate in PvZ. Yang hasn't played alot of starcraft recently, but apparently he is coming back for HotS. He was a strong player when he was practising heavily, and he will be a strong player when he starts playing again.

1. delete
2. Light
3. yang

Zerg:

Key Matchup: vs

Australian zerg players will once again perform the best overalll in 2013. This is of no doubt to anyone. The top zerg players are just of higher caliber than the terran or protoss players. I do think that the weaker zerg players will experience some trouble in HotS though, as the large range of options for Terran and Protoss players could prove difficult to deal with. zerg vs zerg as a matchup doesn't appear to have changed significantly in HotS, but if the burrow change sticks, I expect to see some insane early game roach ling baneling burrow micro. Whichever zerg player is able to find ways to improve their ZvZ play in 2013 through the changes that HotS provides should find great success.

mOOnGLaDe should remain the best zerg (and overall) Australian player in 2013. He will face some opposition from the newly arrived KingKong, and who comes out on top will depend on which player can overcome the luck factor to become a consistent ZvZ performer. I don't think many people outside of the sydney scene know how good Pokerface actually is. Pokerface will be right behind these top 2 players, and could prove a wildcard for best player of 2013. He had some solid performances in local lan events and SEA online tournaments while still completing high school, and I expect him to perform very well in 2013.

MaFia will still remain a top player, his overall dedication to practice and experience competing at a high level will help him to remain a strong contender. PiG recently switched to playing HotS full time, and this should help him remain within the top 5 zerg players moving into 2013. Placing Ninja and tgun at 6th and 7th respectively is by no means an insult to their skill. There are alot of good zerg players in the region, and I feel like any of the top 7 zergs could win a major tournament at any time. I hope tgun is able to prove me wrong and perform as one of the best 3 zergs in 2013, as he is a very inspiring player to watch due to his emotional investment into the game. Ninja has been a strong player for some time, but he needs to become more consistent if he wants to break into the top 3 Australian players. Myuu is a strong zerg player, who performs well alot of the time but seems to go unnoticed. He should continue performing well in 2013, and hopefully gain some more recognition for his skill. NXZ comes in at the bottom of this list of zergs, however he recently reached GrandMaster on North America, and if he keeps improving he could prove to be a strong contender in 2013.



1. mOOnGLaDe
2. KingKong
3. Pokerface
4. MaFia
5. PiG
6. Ninja
7. tgun
8. Myuu
9. NXZ


Overall top 15 for Australia in 2013:

1. mOOnGLaDe
2. KingKong
3. Pokerface
4. MaFia
5. deth
6. Rossi
7. delete
8. PiG
9. Ninja
10. tgun
11. iaguz
12. Light
13. yang
14. Myuu
15. NXZ





If you disagree with my rankings or think my opinions are shit, feel free to let me know. I am especially interested in what the top players think of these rankings.