I would say that pball does have a skillset required. The amount of micro required to be the best at this would be a lot. The other thing that goes along with a map like this is to have a single minded focus on learning only one map. Smeagol's greatest attribute and quite possibly biggest detriment is that he was able to consistently play only this map. To think that anyone in this era of w2 would have the ability and the patience to accomplish both is pretty egotistical. As tk has hinted, there aren't enough pball players. It would be hard to get in the volume required just to achieve the muscle memory to be considered great. Time is also another issue here. Does anyone who still plays w2 and has the requisite traits to become great at pball have the time for it? The answer is closer to no than anything else.
The skillset for pball is quite small and smeagol has obviously peaked for his ability. Developing micro to that level would be inefficient if you were a player of many maps. Because maps require so many other skills, especially bnes, it is not shocking at all that it isn't easy for someone to just randomly play a map for 2 days and beat smeagol. However, there is no way that a player who specializes in only pball should try to compare themselves to a "gow" player. While you may have a micro advantage, the peak of being a micro only player is somewhere around BHC-Hawk level. Is that commendable? Yes and also probably because hawk is a nice guy. On the other hand, he is nowhere near the top of any list for being a great player.
What does it all mean? Nothing really. Smeagol enjoys pball and is being attacked for no reason. I ask that "gow" players lay off him. Let him enjoy w2. Also for Smeagol, understand that gow is a lot more intricate and requires a lot more of a well rounded skillset. I came from a customs background and with time, you get to understand that everything has different versions and requirements of how to use a skillset. My high apm has been an advantage in late games but I do not have your micro skills so it is something I have had to spend time developing. There is also resource management that comes into play in maps such as these. In a map as developed and played as gow, you have to be at least very good at all aspects of w2 to be a "great" player. Understanding what is possible due to amount of units built/build orders/building placements and time requirements takes time. You also have to pattern map your enemies to win the situations that are normally 50/50 or less for yourself. Just as I and others can see alot of nuances in gow, there are surely things you do/think that we don't see. Understanding that, you can have a greater appreciation of how big w2 can be and maybe branch out and give other things a shot. Perhaps, you'll also find some extra pball players that try to take you up on your challenge. Embrace the new faces and don't do what the gow community has done to new players. You can't change the gow community anymore but as the leader of pball you can surely up the fun factor for those new to it and possibly find yourself new challenges and many more games.
Cliff Notes: Lol why you read this far?
You're absolutely right that pball puds definitely have the potential for great micro skills within the limited spectrum of variable situations that such maps provide. However, you don't need a royal flush to beat one pair. In other words, in order to be the best at something you only need to be a step ahead of the competition, not at the top of some imaginary skill-set ceiling (unless the competition is within par). Of course you already know all of that. Really why I'm saying it is I'm trying to get at what it comes down to which is I think you have a false perception as to the reality of the pball community's skill set. It seems as if you're entirely overrating smeagol's skills. I don't know from where, because unless his UC was extremely impaired in every single game I've ever seen him play (including recent replays), then he has average micro at best for what's possible in pball. Other than being a little quicker than average on the grab, his UC is very weak.
I think you should see for yourself, probably even play with him to get the full feel. He'll most likely beat you of course, but if you don't notice within the first few games that his uc is poor even for that map, then I'll be surprised. My bet is that you'll play him and realize you yourself could beat this guy with very little practice. If you do decide to play, they seem to common the 45 unit map one with mages, peons, archers, balistas, knights, skellies etc. And I can almost guarantee you'll be catching tons of his important units, and getting him beat down to 5-10 units right out of the gate in your first games with very little all time practice under your belt, and almost no warm up that day. And you and I both know, the potential for such a map within that limited spectrum of micro skills and basic defense/attack tactics is pretty high, so if the map were anywhere near "perfected" then a truly great player at it would absolutely smoke other players. I seriously would like you to take this challenge and come back here and tell me if you still think the same afterwards.
Again, I get your point about the potential for such maps maybe being a bit downplayed here, but I just feel like you're mixing the potential up with the reality of where smeagol and other such players skills are currently at for such maps.
I really don't mean to make this about xxxsmeagolxxx so much either, as it really about pball and he's just acting as the spokesman for it. He also just happens to apparently be the best at it, and so he's probably the player who should be analyzed.
