Yes, what Top 10 list would be complete without the Godfather himself – Style!  I’m sure you’re all aware of my undying fondness of Neil and his skills, having ranked the man as #1 almost consistently since I started the Top 10 back in 2004.  Last year he lost out to Mystery, slipping to #2, and this year he drops one more point to #3.

But make no mistake – I was seriously considering ranking Style at #1 this year again.  After all, if you had a No-Holds-Barred Steel Cage match between Style, Brad P, and AFC Adam, I am convinced the only man left standing at the end would be Neil.  The sheer skill level this man has in social situations dwarfs anything seen by either Brad P. or Adam.

But alas, this ranking is not just about skill.  One of the unfortunate side-effects of being one of “the best” in the game is that you’ll naturally withdraw from the mere mortals who got you there in the first place.  Style was marginally quiet in 2008, mostly because he was writing some new books that had nothing to do with the Game.

However, through his Stylelife company, he still contributed a number of great works, and his seminars were amazing – crossing the “community” barrier to bring in speakers for various different aspects of a guy’s life, like health, fitness, work, time management, etc.

Neil also continues to pull some of the hottest girls I’ve ever seen, and considering that he’s getting older, not growing any more hair on his head, and still isn’t winning any modeling contracts, says a great deal about the guy.

I know Style has gotten a lot of flack recently – mostly from Barry Kirkey, but a good bit from Stephane and other haters as well – but darn it!  I still like the guy!  And I think he’s got a lot to offer others, when he wants to.  Probably the reason I ranked him at #3 is because Style is not as forthcoming as he used to be when it comes to interacting with the community, and we’ve seen very little innovation from the guy in 2008 (though he usually keeps his new stuff to himself, to be fair).

Regardless, there is still no one better in the community to study and learn from than Style, in my humble opinion.  I am still amazed at this guy’s skill, and he was just narrowly beat out this year by two rising stars.

Pick up artists will posses certain qualities which will put them far ahead of the rest…

1. Innovations.  This is what new outlook or techniques the PUA brings to the table.  It’s easy for any new guy to get good using Mystery Method or any other school of seduction, but then again, that stuff is designed to work!  So being innovative and bringing a new twist, spin, philosophy, technique, or whatever to the mix is also a big deal, because that means the PUA actually has something to contribute to his students and the community as a whole that no one else does.
2. Likability.  One of the things I base my ranking on is whether I actually like the PUA or not.  This is a subjective thing, but I feel its important, because there’s usually a reason I don’t like someone, and that reason has to do with them being a fake, fraud, evil bastard, or what have you.  I like to think I have a fairly decent “B.S. Radar,” so when I meet a PUA in person, I can usually tell if they are legit or not after getting to know them, which is why I tend to rank PUAs I have actually met in real life.  If I haven’t met them, I need to get good feedback from at least 3 sources I trust to make the decision to rank them in this category.
3. Contributions To The Community.  This is a measure of how much the PUA “gives back” to others in the seduction community.  This factor is all about the PUA’s willingness to help others, the knowledge and experience he’s willing to share, and the compassion he shows to those who need help.  Too many PUAs look down on people not as successful with women as they are, and that’s not what the seduction community is about, so giving back to it should play a factor, in my opinion.
4. In-Field Performance.  This is basically the skills the PUA displays in the field with women.  Most Top 10s deal with this factor exclusively, but I’ve found that just looking at a guy’s in-field performance can be misleading, since people have off-nights or can get lucky.  That said, their ability to use the techniques in field repeatedly and consistently to get results is a big, big factor in the ranking process.
5. Philosophy.  This comes down to the PUA’s outlook on life, women, and other men in general.  It’s about how they live their lives, and whether they’re consistent with it.  Some PUAs spout great philosophy, but don’t really believe in it or practice it.  But it’s that core foundations which will influence their students, so I believe this is important in factoring the rankings.
6. Teaching Ability.  This is how effectively the PUA can teach what he does to other people, and have them get similar results.  This is another important factor, because it weeds out the people who are just the lucky naturals, and finds the PUAs who have something to offer humanity as a whole.  After all, I don’t care if a guy gets laid a lot.  I care if that guy can get ME laid a lot – and I think the same is true for you.  That is why I factor in the PUA’s ability to teach others into the ranking.

Next time I’ll be telling you my opinions on the best pick up artists!