Pick Up Artist

Another mainstay on the Top 10 is Zan, who drops this year to #9 from #7.  Why the drop?  Well, its not because Zan has gotten worse or diminished in skill in any way.  Its just that there were 8 others who I felt had more to contribute than Zan did in 2008.

The fact remains that Zan is still one of my all-time favorite teachers of the art of seduction.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a man more awesome than Zan.  The dude is always positive, always glowing with great energy, and always supportive.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who did NOT like Zan, which is quite a feat considering the politics in the seduction community.

When it comes to philosophy and life outlook, Zan is hands-down #1.  His attitude puts all the others to shame.  The only reason to rank Zan so low is because his strengths as a PUA are SO philosophical, they are hard to teach.  That’s not to say Zan can’t teach them – he does, and quite well I might add.  But someone who does not have good confidence in themselves will be hard-pressed to put them into action.

Zan is also the second oldest person on the list, yet I always see him with very attractive young women.  I’m sure most of you know Zan is famous for having 6 girlfriends, all at one time, who knew about each other AND had sex with each other (and him of course).  Very few PUAs can inspire that kind of behavior in women, and Zan is one of them.

Zan was also very busy traveling in 2008, making appearances at a number of community events.  Zan has always been great at “giving back” to other guys, even when there’s nothing in it for him, which makes him a superstar in my book.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to rank him higher next year.

Like Style, no Top 10 list would be complete without Mystery!  The original Grandmaster Poo-Ah of the community is still alive and kicking, though he did drop out of the #1 spot from last year down to number four.  Why such a drop?

Well, I don’t think anyone can argue that 2007 was Mystery’s year.  But 2008 saw very little of the man.  The second season of his TV show came and went without much fan fare, the only major product his company released wasn’t even made by him, and he lost the lawsuit against his former business partner, and his company was forced to admit they misrepresented their claims against them.

On the brighter side of things, Mystery actually was back out in the field teaching workshops again, however, because of his celebrity the argument can be made that he doesn’t have to work too hard at it anymore.

Plus, we have seen almost NOTHING new from Mr. Marchovich in 2008.  He’s still dressing in the same clothes he was three years ago, he’s still teaching the same method he was back in the day, and very little has changed.

However, when it comes to pure raw talent with the ladies, personality, and teaching, it is hard to say there is anyone better than Mystery.  The guy pioneered many of the techniques that have been used and co-opted in other people’s systems.  In fact, I’d say that about 85% of all the material taught out there can be traced back to Mystery.  So even if he falls short on innovation, he’ll always have a solid standing because of the fact that almost everything taught in the community stems from his teachings.

I would really like to see Mystery contribute more to the community in 2009, and have him show us something new.  I think if he could do that, he could re-claim the top spot next year.

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!