1. A method of encoding intra-predictions of a current block of a current frame of a video sequence, comprising: identifying and sorting into an ordered list a select number (N) of spatially best matches to a matching template for the current block within previously coded and reconstructed blocks which neighbor the current block of video within an encoder; encoding a selector which identifies which of the templates in the ordered list provides actual least predictive error between the current block and the block associated with each template within the list of best matches; and communicating the selector for receipt during a decoding process that performs the same identifying and sorting step and then selecting for use the best match in response to said selector communicated from the encoder for completing the current block prediction.