5 Greatest StarCraft Players of All Time

StarCraft is one of the leading eSports in the world and over the years a number of stars have crafted a name for themselves both inside and outside of the gaming community. Although still very much an alternative type of sport, StarCraft tournaments attract millions of viewers and that has allowed the leading players to make bundles of cash.

In fact, according to tournament earnings, StarCraft: Brood War champion Lee Young-Ho is the second richest gamer of all time with more than $400,000 in earnings. This standing in the StarCraft universe has earned Young-Ho legendary status across Korea, but he is not the only player to court the attention of the masses.

Over the last ten years, a slew of StarCraft grinders have appeared in TV commercials, aligned themselves with major tech brands and even enjoyed success in other gaming arenas. Although there is a plethora of ways to rank the top StarCraft players, we have rounded up some of the names that have reverberated through the online community over the years. From multiple time world champions to cult figures with larger than life personalities, our countdown of the greatest StarCraft players of all time captures the finest tactical minds to ever play the game.

Kim ‘FruitDealer’ Won Ki

A professional Brood War player before turning his attentions to StarCraft II, Ki earned his nickname after a stint working on his parent’s fruit stall. Although an established figure in the gaming community before his StarCraft success, Ki’s identity in the Beta days of the game was closely guarded.

However, after he topped the Asian league table, he was invited to play an exhibition match against ‘Maka’. After taking to the stage, his identity became public and people saw for the first time that ‘FruitDealer’ was actually champion Brood War player ‘Cool’.

A stint with oGs was followed by a spell with Team SCV Life, during which Ki was able to take down the inaugural GSL Open Season Tournament. A string of high-profile wins followed before Ki split with TSL to take up a coaching role with Team StarTale.

Guillaume ‘Grrrr…’ Patry

The first Westerner to make a name for himself in the StarCraft community was Patry. After dominating the general arenas from his bedroom in Canada, Patry then decided to move to Korea and focus specifically on the Protoss race. It was here that he became a leading light in the community thanks to his innovative strategies and techniques.

Implementing moves that few players had ever considered let alone tried before, Patry was able to win dozens of events, including the StarCraft World Championships in 1999 before eventually slipping down the rankings. Although a new breed of player was soon able to surpass him, the mark Patry left on the game was indelible. Although many now point to ‘Garimto’ as a pioneer in Protoss, he has credited many of his strategies to Paltry’s early innovations.

After quitting the game, Paltry joined fellow StarCraft convert, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier in the poker community. However, his time as a professional card player was short lived and today he works a normal job away from the spotlight.

Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier

There have been few StarCraft players from the west who have courted as much affection from the Korean community as ‘ElkY’. His quirky dress sense and brightly coloured hair made him a star both inside and outside the game. Hailing from France but snapped up by AMD Dream Team, Grospellier, like Paltry, was one of the first non-Korean faces to make a name for himself in the world of eGaming.

Although Grospellier wasn’t as accomplished as ‘Grrrr…’, he was able to earn the title as the second most successful foreign player in history. The Frenchman’s biggest achievement in Korea was reaching the semi-finals of the SKY OS. Battling against ‘Boxer’, the Emperor at that time, ‘ElkY’ showed he was a tough player to beat in a best-of-five semi-final match in front of thousands of spectators.

Ultimately, the event caused controversy among the gaming community after Boxer used an allied-mine trick. That forced a restart at a crucial period and ultimately led to Grospellier’s downfall. In the end, ‘ElkY’ lost to Boxer in the semi-finals, before a poor display against Yellow in the third-place playoff left him with a fourth place finish on his record. Regardless of the result, getting as far as he did as an individual player was enough to cement Grospellier’s reputation as a legend.

After leaving the StarCraft community, ‘ElkY’ went on to use his tactical skills to make millions in the poker community. Initially starting off as an online player, Grospellier was soon drafted as a member of PokerStars and their team of pros. Since then, he has not only broken online poker records, but won dozens of tournaments for a total profit exceeding $10 million.

Jang ‘MC’ Min Chul

Despite appearing somewhat unassuming on the outside, Chul has proved as charismatic as he is skilled. Known as one of the top-performing Protoss players of all time with two GSL titles to his name, Chul wowed fans in 2011 by taking part in the MLG Providence Pro-Circuit dressed as a Murloc. After crushing his opponents, the Korean native performed a ceremony for those in attendance.

In addition to achieving national acclaim for his performance in the StarCraft universe, Chul has also won more than almost any other player. According to his official stats, Chul has earned $490,692 playing StarCraft II, of which $10,827 was made online and $479,865 came from live tournaments. By some people’s measuring stick, Chul could be the greatest grinder of all time. However, with Young-Ho in the mix, it’s tough to give him the number one spot.

Lee ‘By.FlaSh’ Young-Ho

By many gamers’ standards, Lee Young-Ho (known as By.FlaSh) is one of the greatest players in the StarCraft universe today. In fact, such has been Yong-Ho’s success in the game that his popularity has transcended the StarCraft community and he is now one of the biggest stars in South Korea.

With earnings of more than $400,000 and endorsements with major companies, such as Razer, Young-Ho is undeniably a major celebrity in the gaming world. However, while the young champion may have won over the crowds in his native Korea, there are many former heroes who have taken their StarCraft skills and become celebrities in a different arena.

Much of Young-Ho’s success has come courtesy of his defensive capabilities. Enabling him to win some of the biggest events in the game, and even take down the seemingly immortal ‘Jaedong’, Young-Ho is quite rightly one of the leading lights in the industry. While some will argue he’s too early in the game to be considered an all-time great, there’s no doubting he’s got the skills to top our list or any other list.