Sorry to bring this up, but I missed this discussion earlier, and I have a perfect example of a game on the 1v1 ladder where a
much worse player won a game in which they inarguably played badly against a top player.
https://www.warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=13745698Here blue makes only 3 picks, and lucks into a pick that borders Dom in Mexico. Then Dom calculates he can eliminate him as blue finishes EC. Then on turn 4 blue completely lucks into countering Australia while he expands into a wastelanded bonus.
I don't see any way to justify saying that that blue outplayed Dom in this game.