[sral]

For me, personally, it’s all about longevity – and consistency over an extended period – the ability to beat and compete among the very best there are.

You’ll find several dominant textcees who remained at the pinnacle through their eras. The likes of Aloe, Fracture, Resin etc in the battle world. The likes of Richard Corey, Tali Rodriguez and ThaTalent in the topical realm.

It’s all subjective, of course, but the likes of those named are generally thrown around when the topic gets brought up. I think it’s largely due to their longevity in the game, and their styles being so well honed, that makes me think of these as some of the GOATs in their fields.

Yes, some have beaten them, but in a one-off battle I honestly believe anyone can beat anyone on their day providing they’ve done this a short while enough to understand what works. This doesn’t mean you’re also a great. And here we head back to my initial point about consistency. These guys have beat and competed against the very best, consistently, over a number of years and come out on top. These are the elite of the elite tier. The best of the best. And that, to me, makes them join the GOAT tier.

Who the very best are is another subjective thread for another time, but that’s how I define my GOATs. Of course, some have done this 10+ years and still suck. There’s no hope for them if they’ve deluded themselves this long.

No shade thrown, just opinion.