It's time for the top 5. Some may disagree on the exact order I have placed these players in - it's subjective and open to debate. Remember this is a rankings based on my own perspective in 2v2 from playing or partnering these guys, factoring in how difficult I found each opponent based on their skillset. This is a 2v2 rankings not 1v1. Whatever you think, I'm sure many would agree that the 5 players I am about to name are very worthy and deserving to be in the top 5 2v2. So here we go... Let me know if you agree 👍
5. Bea5ty (Kosovo) 48/50
Perhaps Bea5ty is featured lower than some people might expect. After all he is an extremely strong player. I gave him full marks for unlimited ore, gem maps, tactics but unlike the top 4 I had to take away some points for ore maps (he's still great just not AS great on ore maps) and also teamwork. When I think about top 5 I think of cyborg type players who are extremely difficult to beat and wins are rare. Sometimes Bea5ty does have the tendency to make some weird plays or even semi-trolling, whatever it is - he doesn't have the same killer instinct and ruthless precision as the 4 higher ranked players and that does matter at the most elite of levels. If i had a must-win game I would rather see Bea5ty on the other 2v2 team instead of these 4 other guys and that's what it boils down to - he is slightly more beatable in my experience if that makes sense.
4. Dynamic (Germany) 48.5/50
Dynamic is a ruthless machine who plays the game correctly mathematically. Full marks on ore maps, gem maps. I gave him only 9/10 on unlimited ore because at least when I was actively playing his p4 game wasn't quite top tier. That might have changed in the last 18 months but at least in my experience in 2v2 he wasn't quite the complete finished article like he was in 1v1 where he wins 95% of his games and is a true monster. Still obviously a phenomenal player and there's no shame in being 4th 2v2 when you consider who the remaining 3 are. Again this is based on my own personal perspective and I do think this is about right.
3. Faust (Germany) 48.5/50
It was very tough to separate Dynamic and Faust. Dynamic is maybe just that tiny bit better mechanically, but Faust has better teamwork - in fact I gave Faust 10/10 for teamwork and Dynamic only 9/10. Part of this is down to Faust's phenomenal performances in tournaments during 2020-2021 where he showed beyond any doubt that he was the king of 2v2 at that time. Again, he has the ruthless precision and win at all costs mentality that just separates him from Bea5ty in 2v2. The recent series i witnessed between San/Faust Vs Bea5t/Dynamic was also informative and showed just how strong Faust is in a teamgame situation where he is one of the toughest opponents you could face. He always tries his best and plays to his partner's strengths better than anyone.
2. Ford aka Gganbu? (Canada) 49/50
It's not official but I am 99% certain these are the same player based on pattern recognition and playstyle. In reality you could throw a blanket over 3-5 as they are all interchangeable. Ford aka Gganbu separates himself from 3-5 and is slightly better because he basically has no weaknesses. He also has a genius and profound exact scientific understanding of the game. If Gganbu is trying his best he is a phenomenal player. I saw a close BO11 series between Gganbu/Jacob against Beast and Dynamic and Gganbu took Jacob to game 11 (5-6). No disrespect to Jacob who is an amazing player but i don't think he is making it to 9 games (3-6) with either of the other 2 players as his partner. I took away minor points on P4 for not quite A+ soviet stamina, that's the only small criticism. Ford/Gganbu is almost the complete and perfect player but he's just not quite the dominant legend of number 1...
1. Ehy (Finland) 49.5/50
Well this was always going to be obvious wasn't it ? I get the argument that the game may have modernised and play level may have improved in the 10 years since Ehy retired. However, you can only "beat what's in front of you". I am very confident Ehy would have adapted to the modern era. At the time of Ehy's peak he was universally considered the strongest player by far and it wasn't even a debate. Nowadays there's 2-3 names in contention for example. If Ehy tried seriously he won, pretty simple. The level of his domination over his peers was unprecedented so much so that he retired out of boredom after even games against the formidable NastyNate (clear 2nd at the time) became not challenging enough for him. The only 0.5 I took away from Ehy was teamwork as it did annoy me sometimes when he would make unserious plays when he was on my team. That's the only small blip on his otherwise perfect score. It's all relative and when you consider games between the other top 5 could all be pretty even, I am supremely confident that were a prime Ehy still around today, he would still be the clear best 2v2 player.
Hope you enjoyed the series
Thanks for reading.
Wise Master CrushyBoo.