Fight Night: Bea5ty vs Faust Review

 The most anticipated Red Alert match in years took place on August 15th 2021.

The 2 players many consider to the best active players in 2021 clashed in a 1v1 Best of 15 battle for the ages.

Make no mistake about it, this was a monumental match in Red Alert History. 

For various bullshit political reasons, we never really got to see the top 2 active players compete in a series like this for decades in Red Alert during previous eras. 2021 was the first time I can remember in which the top 2 active players of the year clashed in a set 1v1 series format.

Kudos to both players for their sportsmanship and  bravery in stepping up to the plate. This generation got to see Beast vs Faust after being deprived of Ehy vs At0m1 or Ehy vs NastyNate, for example. 

Before my review, you can watch the match in full courtesy of K0bra1 who streamed the match live on Twitch:

*Spoiler warning**********

Well firstly, Congratulations to Bea5ty on a completely dominant, crushing 8-1 victory. This was merciless and his accurate aggressive play turned this into a total bloodbath. He knew exactly how to exploit Faust's weaknesses. In particular the Ribbon Isle game in which he sneakily managed to enter Faust's base with his 2nd group was the most impressive game. Bea5ty was in great shape and proved beyond any doubt that he is the best RA1 player in the world with this victory.

It has to be said, I was very disappointed with Faust's play. I expected so much better. Normally he plays much much much better than that performance. It is honestly the worst I ever saw him play. He made many basic mistakes when he is usually extremely precise and accurate. Something seemed amiss. Maybe the pressure of playing Bea5ty got to him. Whatever it was, he definitely played his D game. It is unfortunate that he played his worst on the biggest stage, but sometimes that happens in competition. 

I heard rumours he showed up to this match drunk/hungover which is very disappointing if true. He knew this was a legacy match in Red Alert and it was disrespectful to the fans and to Bea5ty if he showed up badly prepared and not in top shape. This was not some casual 2v2 tournament or ladder games, this was an era defining match in Red Alert so if you turned up not in top physical shape then you let yourself down more than anyone, Faust.

 I hope Faust can take some pride in knowing he has dominated every single other player over the last year and he is the clear world number 2. Sometimes you need to just take your hat off and say you lost to the better player and there is absolutely zero shame in losing to Bea5ty. Faust has been a fantastic ambassador for the game so let this defeat not diminish his legacy in Red Alert 1, especially his impeccable tournament record. 

Let this take nothing away from Bea5ty, he was ruthless and clinical and there was only ever going to be 1 winner. Because of the scoreline there is absolutely no need for a rematch as he has already proven his superiority. In my opinion there is only one player who has a chance against Bea5ty and we all know who it is. It is not Mclovin because he would have 0 chance vs Bea5ty on maps like Rasta, Pico, Kotg, HJK etc. It is not Nate because he gets trashed by Bea5ty in 2v2 let alone 1v1.

It is time for you to step up Mr "I am rusty I only played 375 ladder games in a week" AndrewFORD.

Stop being a depressive emo cunt and give the fans what they want. Everyone wants to see Bea5ty vs Ford as it is this generation's Ehy vs NastyNate. Do not be remembered as this generation's rubber ducky vagina which is what NastyNate is now best known as unfortunately.

*Disclaimer* some may say that Bea5ty already pumped Ford on ladder this month. I can assure you that Ford has been fucking around playing Ukraine all maps and doing troll builds. He even lost to me many many many times and I am shit. Those games mean nothing. A serious, locked in Ford playing as Germany would have a good chance against Bea5ty. In fact he is the only one who would have a chance at the moment*.

Right now, Bea5ty is the best RA1 player in the world after this victory over Faust and it is completely undisputed now. Nobody has the right to take that away from him so credit where it is due. If anyone questions it they can challenge him. Ford, be a man and step up.

Thanks for reading

Top 5 Asia Pacific Players

2021 actively only. Have not seen much of Yaunger, Pinky323 and other Chinese legends active this year which is why I have not included them. Pinky323 was a Starcraft player that I briefly played with years ago and was a friend of Sam-wk (he had played RA as a youngster on Chinese Gaming Arcade) . Witnessed him defeat At0m1 in 2v2 series without losing a game. He would probably be the best I have faced from this region in terms of raw ability were he a regular Red Alert player. However this list is based exclusively on 2021 current level.

5) Gravediga (New Zealand) 

Diga is still a very good player whose best performance this year came when winning a competitive 5 map 1v1 tournament in which he defeated players such as Yuzgen and Lordy en route to victory. It is true though that this was a rare gem in an otherwise average couple of years. Diga used to be a far stronger player around 4 years ago when he was playing more often. He has really cut down his playing time since becoming a father (pr0 life tip people) and it is true he is definitely not the force of old at present. He will tell you straight up he is not the same player who helped me to defeat Ford and NastyNate in 2v2 P4 as seen in the video 

Overall I think 5th place is an accurate ranking at present. Were this ranking done in 2017 Diga would probably even have been 1st.

2) RAM-Katsh (Japan) 

Katsh is still a wiley old veteran and a great match for anyone but the elite builders on CnCNet especially on maps such as V3 Rashowdown and HJK6. People might be surprised to learn that Katsh is actually extremely strong on maps such as Keep off the Grass and Pico. His micro management and raw speed are some of his great strengths and he is a veteran legend of our game. It is true though that his tanking ability does really hold him back and he is noticeably somewhat mediocre on a range of maps, particularly ore maps. On balance this ranking is fair. 

3) K1ckn (Australia) 

Kickn is an exceptional GQ player and a very strong soviet builder. He has had great tournament successes in the last couple of years as well. He is one of the strongest players in CnCNet (around top 10). However it is true that he is held back by his lack of willingness to learn popular maps such as Arena Valley Extreme, Path Beyond, Keep off the Grass etc. This is the only reason he is not ranked higher as I believe he is missing the overall range of skills and map knowledge which the top 2 possess. 

2) RC1985 (Singapore) 

RC has not been playing much in 2021 but has been spotted on the ladder more often as of late. He is one of the absolute best rush style players in all of CnCNet and I am qualified to say that as a certified light tank  cheeser. The weakest part of his game is definitely soviet building and I believe the others on this list are stronger in this department. However he more than compensates for this with his Germany play. He is extremely fast with production, scouting, attacking etc and can overwhelm the enemy. His map knowledge is also great as he can play all types of maps but he particularly excels on maps such as 4c and Ribbon Isle. Overall I think his ranking is fair at present as his rustiness means he is not performing to the same level of rank 1 at present. When in shape however RC is a match for anyone and probably the strongest 1v1 player from this region as proven by his 25-25 50 game series with Ford. 

1) R3sistant (Australia) 

One of the absolute best soviet builders in CnCNet, R3sistant has improved to rank 1 in this list because he has massively improved his tanking ability with SGQ training. He has also really upped his game by learning ore maps, path beyond etc and has now become a real all rounder and this has translated into impressive results in the last year - multiple team tournament finals and victories, a 1v1 match win over Blank and respectable performances against elite players in LCS. He is a stronger 2v2 player than RC1985 and I think right now absolutely deserves this ranking as he has massively improved as an overall Red Alert player and long gone are the dark days when he would only play P4 2v2 with Lauta all day. 

Thanks for reading. More to follow.