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.