Player of the Year 2017

Upgrade angels to 121 and reach 116 on a blitz Jebus Cross—with a good layout, I think many could do it. But not everyone can play like FTS)

Agreed, many can actually play out a "chocolate" layout beautifully, but in my view, skill is most vividly demonstrated specifically in trash layouts.
I once observed one of Ivan's games on 6LM. The layout was such that a good half of the players would have written гг as early as the first week. Complete garbage in terms of objects, resources, and roads. The only plus was having a Necromancer hero (either Septienna or Charn). Non-crit, building chains with surgical precision, winning complex battles with tiny armies. By the 3rd week, Dragon Utopia is taken; few ducks from hives and other fodder are sent into the meat grinder without regret, and the Mage Guild is rebuilt multiple times. He finishes 137 like this: the entire army is about 400 bones. But he has leveled supports and control. Then two papal turns—and the purse is already such that it's hard to oppose anything at all...