003's revisted and updated "best Tankpit Tournament players"

[003]

I haven't played a whole lot of tp2 tournies due to scrubs and having other priorities. At one point, I 99'd three tournies in a row but didn't cup any of them due to cheaters and scrubs which also played into me not thinking real highly of tp tournies.

This may be why my list appears to be "old player heavy" but still, I've been around since the beginning of TP and I've played enough to get a good picture of the good players. Rev's documentation has also made it easy to keep up with the tourney scene and some of his recent threads inspired me to bring back my list from March found here viewtopic.php?f=170&t=17636 and give it a go again. Overall, I do really enjoy this aspect of the game. I also do STRONGLY think that most of the best tourney players don't play anymore or not very often, which is a shame.

Most weight is given to perceived tourney skill/abilities but achievements also have to play a role as well. Really we already have a list for achievements though (tourney points thread) so this is my attempted unbiased (at least I try to be) attempt at ranking the best tourney players Tankpit has seen. This is contrary to my previous list which favored achievements more heavily than trying to isolate players by skill more solely. TP1 play is included in my observations.

I like controversy and rankings so I encourage critique and other lists as well. This time, I'm giving everyone their own ranking instead of giving in and giving people ties. May edit in the future or after hearing some thoughts from others. If most of these players still played, the tourney points these days would be quite different.

That said, I think it can be argued to the contrary and I'm interested if anyone who has been playing tournies consistently from Day 1, 2012 to now thinks differently.



25. Kacy -- A very skilled and consistent player but very small sample size unless I'm missing something. I don't know/haven't seen enough to know where he should be ranked.

24. Zub -- I didn't realize how consistent he's been in tournies.

23. Blueghost -- A solid player with solid results.

22. Weekend Nachos -- He's gone beastmode in the cup department but he's also played a hell of a lot of tournaments.

21. The Revelation -- The tourney mod himself listed all the way back at 21? Preposterous! Surprisingly, Rev is one of the few players I haven't actually witnessed as much as I would like to. He could deserve to be higher but I need some analysis/input from others.

20. Tournament Jesus (PP) -- He has consistency and skill but has earned most of his cups without most of these players listed ahead of him playing. I wouldn't anoint him "Tournament Jesus" yet but maybe he could be a disciple or something.

19. TdK -- The definition of a beast.

18. Kylemac (BF-2) -- A beast in the main map and in tournaments.

17. Cujo -- Pretty solid and consistent.

16. PD3 (ASCENDENCY) -- Having a player like PD3 this far back shows how good the TP tourney players have been.

15. Soiled Garments -- Underrated as fuck but didn't put only played for a short period of time hurting his spot.

14. Liquified -- If he didn't cheat and acted/played like he gave a shit (basically if he lived up to his potential) he'd probably be a top 10 tourney player.

13. Kirby -- He's not a sleeper anymore. Watch out for the Kirbs.

12. lefty -- A confirmed cheater, it's still hard to ignore lefty's tournament abilities. He's more of a pph master in main-map play than tourney play but he's no slouch in tournies either.

11. BLOODSHED (South Park) -- One of several cheaters to make the list but people look to cheaters to cup their tanks because they're good...

10. what's his name -- what's his name is a wildcard tainted by a cheating spell but you can't deny he has great tourney skill. He often comes back from an early death or blunder to still finish near the top.

9. PRIDE -- PRIDE/okisme is one of the best natural video game talents I've ever played with. He could probably be higher (he was easily top 3 early in TP) but time away spent playing other games probably makes it hard to stay in top shape.

8. Viper Katzman -- A player that doesn't seem to miss a step. He's proven himself an amazing player and doesn't seem to lose a step when he comes back after an absence.

7. Wardog -- If you are in a tournament wondering who the mysterious tank running away with the point is, it's probably this guy. He finds time to play the occasional tournament in between shifts at his taco van.

6. KILLER12 -- Kenny was the first tourney king in tankpit before he was passed up later on. Despite his amazing skill, he falls outside the top five due to some consistency issues. Where the other players in the top five could recover, K12 would often fall behind and have a bad tourney or two. Overall though, he was beast that few could keep up with.

5. UNBREAKABLE -- If he decided to give his best and not mess around, he was his namesake: unbreakable. He deserves a top five ranking.

4. Atelo (Megatron) -- He's basically a guarantee to be near the top of the leaderboard whenever he plays. Steady and consistent are two of the best words to describe Atelo. He may not break a pph record but he'd give it a good go and he almost never makes mistakes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tier 1

3. Sunwolf -- No surprise that the TP dev has a near perfect understanding of the game. Despite spending most of his time developing and running the game rather than playing it, SW never slouches when he decided to give a tourney a go.

2. Knocky (ELEGANCE) -- It's a shame Knock has been turned away from this game. He is basically on his own level in terms of tournament skill. When he cupped, he got gold.

1. 987 -- He's just too consistent and too good while also proving it with results. Sean has a complete understanding of how to maximize efficiency in tournaments. If you include possible secret tanks, he probably easily has 50 total cups between tp1 and 2. He has 45 recorded cups and ranks No. 2 in total cups in tp1 and tp2. And all that comes with him disappearing for huge chunks of time.

Seeing a group of such amazing players doesn't make me feel as bad about not being on the list but it would be nice to make some more noise in tp2 tournies.

[shermanfrombf]

alright, now do a list with players that have actually played more than 10 hours in the last 6 months.

this list is fine and good like all the previous ones, but the same players always make these lists and most of them haven't even touched the game in months. once I saw it was a list of the top 25 tournament players, I had already subconsciously guessed 21 of the 25 of who would be on the list just from lists from 2011. lists are boring if it's always the same players from everyone, pick some fresh faces for these lists of people that actually play today and take out the veterans that don't even play. they shouldn't even be a factor if they don't even play.

katzman? atelo? pride? sunwolf? knock? lefty? pd3? etc... do any of these people even exist as players anymore? some of these people listed I don't even know who they are and I have a rusty.

c'mon guys, spice it up.

[003]

alright, now do a list with players that have actually played more than 10 hours in the last 6 months.

this list is fine and good like all the previous ones, but the same players always make these lists and most of them haven't even touched the game in months. once I saw it was a list of the top 25 tournament players, I had already subconsciously guessed 21 of the 25 of who would be on the list just from lists from 2011. lists are boring if it's always the same players from everyone, pick some fresh faces for these lists of people that actually play today and take out the veterans that don't even play. they shouldn't even be a factor if they don't even play.

katzman? atelo? pride? sunwolf? knock? lefty? pd3? etc... do any of these people even exist as players anymore? some of these people listed I don't even know who they are and I have a rusty.

c'mon guys, spice it up.

This is partially my reason for doing this. In an era where everyone wants the latest and greatest, and forgets what someone did a year ago, it's nice to bring up the past occasionally. And I think this is especially true for tournaments. If we had a tournament with these 25 players, that would be a cup to be proud of.

If you want to see who's been good in the last few months, there are plenty of places to look at that already. If you want to look at who is the best overall, you have to make controversial lists like this comparing players that played at different times.

With all the focus on the present and the future, we can't deny the past. If you want a list of players solely from the present/past couple months, players like TJ, WN, Rev and Wardog would probably be near the top. So how does the competition these days compare with the past? What about players like BG who were going ham at the beginning of TP2 but were nonexistent in TP1 and nonexistent now? Is it fair to label most of the best players from the beginning eras from TP? Is it too harsh to penalize players that win/won cups in easier eras? How to the beasts of December 2013 compare to the beasts from even six months ago?

Interesting stuff but obviously my opinion heavily favors the classic players/early tp players. That doesn't mean it's "right" though!

[X-HayS-X]

It's cool you made a list, however, your list is far from reasonable.

[Jordann]

It's cool you made a list, however, your list is far from reasonable.

ill agree with this. The list doesnt really take into account longterm consistency. More so a 'top 25 list of people i like and or seen ordered in a fashion that is about as accurate as the true top 75-100

[-Kirby-]

In general I don't think any one person is fit to have a list of theirs considered anywhere near accurate. I myself don't feel as though I could make a decent top tournament players list, and would only "trust" (if you could even call it that) the lists of maybe 1-2 other people on the forum. The right/necessary perspective can be very difficult to attain.

That said, I don't really place much value on 90% of player-created lists.

[Cdub]

Its obviously his opinion who he chooses to have in the list and I think he did a fairly good job of ranking people, I agree with including ppl that rarely still play them because it motivates ppl that currently play them to aspire to make these lists. People like myself who are dozens and dozens of tourneys from sniffing these lists, I'd say it gives motivation to try and become better.

Solid work Steff hope to see you in tournies soon

[PRIDE]

the only thing i would change is making it two tiers not 5. i really do think sw,knock and 987 are on another level than pretty much everyone else, but after that everyone is pretty much just as good as everyone else, some slightly better than others but not good enough to be put in a different tier. kylemac can beat me in a tournament easily for instance and you have him in tier 5

and i havent followed the tournament scene lately either, id like to know who the good tourney players are these days

[zubby]

tier 1: sean

tier 2: every1 else

[delivery]

You guys are also forgetting Kacy. Sure his sample size is small but if he wants to win he does.

[003]

It's cool you made a list, however, your list is far from reasonable.

ill agree with this. The list doesnt really take into account longterm consistency. More so a 'top 25 list of people i like and or seen ordered in a fashion that is about as accurate as the true top 75-100

I think you're right. I didn't give as much credit to long terms consistency as I should have, but remember this list is supposed to be a skill ranking. SW has won just about 11 cups (not including possible secret tanks) but does anyone argue he's not top 3?

As far as Hays, I not only accept criticism, I encourage it. But I would like reasons and arguments rather than basically just saying "cool, but it sucks".

In general I don't think any one person is fit to have a list of theirs considered anywhere near accurate. I myself don't feel as though I could make a decent top tournament players list, and would only "trust" (if you could even call it that) the lists of maybe 1-2 other people on the forum. The right/necessary perspective can be very difficult to attain.

That said, I don't really place much value on 90% of player-created lists.

I totally agree. Even if someone played 100 percent of Tankpit tournaments, it would be impossible to truly distinguish between some of the players. That said, lists can still generate discussion and even subjective lists like this I think can at least paint a good picture. Of course it takes the opinions and analysis of many people to make a near-perfect one, not just one person.

It seems the general consensus so far is fairly negative, which is to be expected. This isn't meant to be perfect. And there are probably not enough people who have been around since the beginning to truly make a list like this I guess. Most people try to avoid stuff like this but I would be interested to see a list from someone like WN who seems to have played the most tournies out of anyone.

I made my first edits moving Cujo up and removing tiers except for the first one. I'll continue to edit as well based on criticisms and reevaluations. With the way this is headed though, I doubt it will receive many more comments

[987]

nice list and thread

If I'm still #1 (which I doubt), this is the weakest and least definitive I think I've been at #1 that I can recall

the margins seem to get slimmer and slimmer overall over time imo

e/ also there is no doubt in my mind that bloodshed is top 10

[003]

Edited again based on comments, SW's new stat recording dealio, etc.

-Kyle moved forward
-Zub added, Afgoo removed (still not sure where Kacy should fall in this. Still considering where/if to add him)
-DL moved back
-Bloodshed moved way forward

[Jordann]

nice list and thread

If I'm still #1 (which I doubt), this is the weakest and least definitive I think I've been at #1 that I can recall

the margins seem to get slimmer and slimmer overall over time imo

e/ also there is no doubt in my mind that bloodshed is top 10

youll probably go down as the tiger woods of tournaments. Doesnt really matter how you do now, or later, past consistency will keep you relevent at the top for probably for ever lol.

[987]

nice list and thread

If I'm still #1 (which I doubt), this is the weakest and least definitive I think I've been at #1 that I can recall

the margins seem to get slimmer and slimmer overall over time imo

e/ also there is no doubt in my mind that bloodshed is top 10

youll probably go down as the tiger woods of tournaments. Doesnt really matter how you do now, or later, past consistency will keep you relevent at the top for probably for ever lol.

shouldn't be like that imo

anyone still playing/active should be judged both by past and present, although obviously with "present" having some depth and "past" weighted accordingly

e/ and you should probably be on this list somewhere I think at least, although for sure this obv is 003s and not mine

[tournamentJESUS]

yeah that list is way too inconsistent and erratic.

kylemac should be way ahead, and rofl@betatron at #4. yes the same guy who has a grand total of 11 cups despite playing
every single tournament during the first 8 months of the game's return.

jordan should also be on the list somewhere, and right now i would place kirby at #1 and sean probably outside of the top 3 maybe even 5.

different players experience different swings during tournaments and i don't agree with the idea of lining people up based on 9 month old reputations (k12, unbreak). a list like this would probably take up an ever changing look because that's just the nature of tournaments; players get hot and then have streaks where they settle down to only prove themselves once again.

[003]

yeah that list is way too inconsistent and erratic.

kylemac should be way ahead, and rofl@betatron at #4. yes the same guy who has a grand total of 11 cups despite playing
every single tournament during the first 8 months of the game's return.

jordan should also be on the list somewhere, and right now i would place kirby at #1 and sean probably outside of the top 3 maybe even 5.

different players experience different swings during tournaments and i don't agree with the idea of lining people up based on 9 month old reputations (k12, unbreak). a list like this would probably take up an ever changing look because that's just the nature of tournaments; players get hot and then have streaks where they settle down to only prove themselves once again.

Another true statement. That's why all the major sports sites only do current power rankings. That's what people want. They don't care about who was good early on in the year, etc.

Short memories unfortunately although the present is obvs what is most relevant i guess. In the future, I'll probably let this idea die, and do some sort of power ranking if I feel the need.

[wardizzle]

If you don't like the list, why don't you suggest corrections rather than just bitch about it?

[tournamentJESUS]

tournament power rankings

top 10:

1)kirby
2)wardog
3)pkush
4)sean
5)blueghost
6)kylemac
7)
8)
9
10)

a bunch of other elite tournament players like ascendancy, sunwolf, knock etc don't play anymore so this list is very diluted and only contains players who have been active recently (~3 months)

[Jordann]

sheer consistency...

1)kirby
2)kacy
3)sean
4)kylemac
5)wardog
6)cujo
7)liquified
8)zub
9)picta
10)nachos

thats a current players list, others could be included like what's his name and pkush but i dont know pkushs tanks and what's his name is very sketchy.

[Envy]

sheer consistency...

1)kirby
2)kacy
3)sean
4)kylemac
5)wardog
6)cujo
7)liquified
8)zub
9)picta
10)nachos

thats a current players list, others could be included like what's his name and pkush but i dont know pkushs tanks and what's his name is very sketchy.

I beat kirby out in almost every single tourny we played together. He has video proof.

[tournamentJESUS]

sheer consistency...

1)kirby
2)kacy
3)sean
4)kylemac
5)wardog
6)cujo
7)liquified
8)zub
9)picta
10)nachos

thats a current players list, others could be included like what's his name and pkush but i dont know pkushs tanks and what's his name is very sketchy.

I beat kirby out in almost every single tourny we played together. He has video proof.

i highly doubt that, at least not in some of the more recent tournaments...

[Jordann]

sheer consistency...

1)kirby
2)kacy
3)sean
4)kylemac
5)wardog
6)cujo
7)liquified
8)zub
9)picta
10)nachos

thats a current players list, others could be included like what's his name and pkush but i dont know pkushs tanks and what's his name is very sketchy.

I beat kirby out in almost every single tourny we played together. He has video proof.

you might be right, but kirby has far mor volume (atleast what I thought) unless you have alot of secret tanks I dont know about.

[Envy]

I havent played a tourny in month or more. But every one we played together he was no match for me.

[Jordann]

I havent played a tourny in month or more. But every one we played together he was no match for me.

you should make a list and put yourself ahead of him then.

nobody cares for a cry baby.

[X-HayS-X]

Rome should be top 5 if it's based on results played. Guy was a force. Envy should be T10. Kirby top 5. atelo around 25. You have a bit of favoritism when it comes to tournies. The list should be based off of results and attempts. The best way to measure a person isnt by how often they win, but in the way that they lose.

[003]

Rome should be top 5 if it's based on results played. Guy was a force. Envy should be T10. Kirby top 5. atelo around 25. You have a bit of favoritism when it comes to tournies. The list should be based off of results and attempts. The best way to measure a person isnt by how often they win, but in the way that they lose.

I was trying to make a skill list, not a results list. That can be found in tourney points or other various threads. Even if it was just results, Atelo would be top 10, probably top 5 still. Remember tp1?

I would need to see the winning percentages for Rome and Kacy. How many tournies has Kacy played? If he is 4/4 that's pretty good but that's still a really small sample size.

Anyways, now that I'm playing consistently again, I like this power ranking idea and it seems like others do too. The obvious plus is that it is in the present and it compares people to each other playing at the same time rather than different eras. Maybe a monthly power rank?

[X-HayS-X]

truthfully, atelo wouldnt make a t25 list at all for me, I remember shady cups with 1-1 death often for him just because he had the highest points. I'm not saying he's a cheater, just his actual ability to balance kills-points was skewed. Who he was then and now are different, you base people on every aspect of their game. If they are shit now, then it balances out if they were amazing at one point. Again, I'm not saying he is shit. Still good, but atelo never reveals what his tank was unless he wins. That is a trend that Kacy himself follows suit.

Where as Rome would come in and tell us his rank and place every tourney in aow chat. He consistently cups. At one point the guy cupped 5 out of 5 tournies in a row. And was 8 for 9. He has never been anything short of spectacular.

Kirby is another one that just slides under the radar, and it's hard to judge how good he is, unless you're a part of aow and get to hear his post tourney placements.

Nachos is another hit or miss player that I would place around 12-15, because he has maps where he balances very well(and could be considered top tiered) and some he doesnt.

Kylemac went from being basically blah(another average points player) to being very good.

Wardog should be basically top 3. Sure he has his tournies where he just dies a million times, but when he is competitive, he wins. I remember my tourney I was trying to cup SORROW, I was top pph and exchanging with him on Charizard or whatever, and he kept repassing me, and then I began searching for a kill. Yet, so was he, but he maintained his placement and I dropped 2 numbers to 4th. That ability makes him in the top with 987.

what's his name would be around 20th for me only because he never mentions his failures and they are numerous the guy plays every tournament. Out of 200 tournies, he's probably been in 185. Most of the time he's top points is when he's assuming that a kill will happen via die downs or last minute raids. Not a bad strategy, but now that tournaments are getting cleaner, this will become less plausible. (That's actually accurate, i'd assume)


Again, I could break down every single player and base them out of what I've seen, because believe it or not, I've played at a very high level in tournies when I joined aow and took a few personal tips from 987, and applied them to how I've played. After cupping SORROW, I quit playing as much, maybe entering the odd tourney every 15 or so, but now I'm going to try and ramp back up.

I filled in des tourney today and left. There is a reason I ask certain players for tips, even what's his name is a good player to watch for points and aspects of game play for the first 50 minutes.


Getting top pph is basically easy as hell, it's keeping it and balancing the hunt for kills and the pph level that separates the good players from the weak. I in no way could ever place myself anywhere near the level of Rome, kirby, 987, or even Bloodshed(Again a player that rarely reveals his many losses)

These players are in another class at balancing. I'm glad you made the list and all i'm saying is to help get maybe your idea of consistency to make a more thorough list, because the way to judge a player is through their losses and less of just the number of victories... (Judging ho they obtain the victory is a solid plan.)

[wardizzle]

Recent rankings per my opinion:

1. 987 - guy seems to constantly find that sweet spot in the tournament to grind out a top placement. I speak for everybody when I say that if there's anyone that can be cause for concern no matter how well you think you're doing, it's this guy. Even in maps where people tend to struggle, this guy always (annoyingly) finds a way to grind out a competitive run.
2. Kirby- solid player. If 987 is #1 at knowing the mechanics of a tournament, Kirby is in close 2nd. When you play with him, you can count on having to put up an aggressive fight to hold on to your spot. Plays smart and is one of the few able of playing a very tactical competition to take full advantage of situations.
3. PKUSH- guy came out of nowhere and surprised the hell out of me. Fell into my radar from left field and ran like a top dog.
4. Jay- liar, cheater, and I find him annoying. Regardless, even when he doesn't cheat he still puts up a solid fight.

Honorable mention:
goober- wouldn't throw him on a top ranking just yet but I don't think it'll be long before the guy surprises everyone. Needs practice for consistency and needs to learn tournament strategy but the two times I've seen him nail it, he's done it like a pro.

[Krusty]

#1 - sean
#2 - atelo
#3/4 - cujo/BG
#5 - me
#6 - UB
#7/8 - KnOcK/kirby
#9/10/11/12/13/14 - VK/Seb/PRIDE/Kacy/TdK/zub
#15/16 - Kenny/BLOODSHED
#17/18 - SW/Kyle
#19/20/21 - pd3/DL/TheRev
#22/23 - lefty/liq
#24 - nachos
#25 - pp

Just used the names from your list, I can think of other tourn beasts tho. Just correcting your opinion because its wrong.