The most anticipated event of the Warcraft III calendar has finished with some completely unexpected results. Some big names fell early, some small names made surprises and, most shocking of all, an orc didn’t win it. But I want to run through the performances of three of the most important players at the event, starting with…

Weiliang 'Fly100%' Lu

Before this event, and right up to the final, Fly had a strong case for being the best player in the world. Honestly, I think WCG merely weakened his claim to the throne rather than destroy it altogether. Winning two out of three international tournaments, and finishing second in the third (er… brain hurts) is still massively impressive and still puts him ahead of every other player in my opinion.

The fact that he didn’t even play badly in the final adds to his repertoire. Sure, Fly lost, but he lost to someone playing the game of his life. He got outplayed and out-thought on the day. Even the best player in the world has to have a day off, it’s just a shame for him that it came on grand final day.

Xuwen 'InFi' Wang

Speaking of grand final day… it seems like Infi is almost as guaranteed to be there as Fly lately. He turned a 2nd place at IEF (against Fly) into 1st place at WCG (…against Fly). A quick look at Infi’s recent form here on SK tells you all you need to know about his performances lately:

WE|InFi
Form: W W W W W W W W W W

I’ve never been a big fan of Infi’s style, but he seems to have found something new in his game now. The reliance on towers seems to have subsided somewhat and his games are genuinely entertaining to watch. Invisible summons is not a new idea but it isn’t something we see very often. To pull it off in a grand final is pretty special.

But the question I want to ask the readers about Infi is whether you think he is the best human player now. Xiaofeng 'Sky' Li was very poor at WCG, placing even worse than the semi-retired Yoan 'ToD' Merlo (although they both lost to the same player). Hell, even Marc 'yAwS' Förster placed above Sky at this event. I know Sky just had one bad tournament but I honestly don’t see another human player even coming close to Infi right now.

Jae Ho 'Moon' Jang

The last time I said something bad about a popular WC3 player it lead to the then highest hitting column of all time on this website, but also the most flames as well. So with that in mind, I will preface this section by saying that Moon is still a very good player.

However, he is not the unbeatable demi-god he once was. I have vaguely felt this for some time now, but WCG proved it to me. Losing to the tournament winner at WCG is no shame but it has been a LONG time since Moon won an international tournament. IEF back in December 2008, to be exact. The better part of a year is like an ice age for someone like him to go without a victory.

It almost feels as if he just doesn’t care as much any more. When I wrote my brackets preview, it almost felt like Moon was destined to finally win a WCG. He breezed past Who in the first round, but that was to be expected. Against Infi he lasted a long time with a huge disadvantage on Terenas Stand but the Moon of yesteryear would have turned survival into a comeback. Where were the hidden moonwells and sly expansions?

Maybe, as has been suggested, he is practicing more for Starcraft 2 now. Or could it be that the huge wage he receives from WeMadeFOX has undermined his motivation? For a pure competitor like Moon, I doubt it, but something has definitely changed in his game. Still, he’s the kind of player that you cannot count-out in any tournament. After writing this I’ll probably watch him win the next event and gladly eat my words. An on-form, motivated Moon is nothing but good for Warcraft III.

The Zechs Files returns next Tuesday but you can follow me on Twitter for regular updates.