Call of Duty League Power Rankings entering Stage 4
by Nerd Street Gamers
Between shocking, landscape-altering Rostermania moves, a competitive major filled with twists and turns, and a fun all-star event over the weekend, Stage 3 felt anything but grindy for the Call of Duty League.
Now, all of a sudden, it feels like the playoffs are beginning to come into focus, too. Four teams are separated by 40 points for the No. 2 through No. 5 seeds, while the battle for the final two postseason berths may very well tighten should some recent trends continue.
And here to make sense of whose stock is rising or falling as the CDL comes barreling into the second-to-last stage of its season are our power rankings, which are all about showing where the momentum is at this critical juncture. Ahead of the start of Stage 4 on Thursday, here’s how we think the teams stack up.
12. Seattle Surge (Previous ranking: 8)
4-15 W-L record | 26-49 map record | 50 CDL points
They appeared to be on the verge of figuring things out before going winless in Stage 3. Now, the Surge seem more dysfunctional than ever.
11. Paris Legion (Previous: 11)
5-13 W-L record | 25-43 map record | 60 CDL points
Crazy-but-true stat: Legion are 3-1/10-6 against Florida this season, 2-12/15-37 against everyone else. They haven't won a match against another opponent in over two months.
10. Los Angeles Guerrillas (Previous: 10)
7-14 W-L record | 34-49 map record | 90 CDL points
Martin "Cheen" Chino was a fine addition in Stage 3, particularly for Search & Destroy, where he immediately cracked the top six in kills per round (0.78) and kill-death (1.18). The change hasn't meant much for the win column, however.
9. Minnesota ROKKR (Previous: 4)
8-10 W-L record | 32-40 map record | 130 CDL points
A one-and-done in two of three majors this season, it's fair to say we vastly overrated the ROKKR last time around. The talented roster is still held back in no small part by its miserable Hardpoint (11-22).
8. London Royal Ravens (Previous: 12)
6-14 W-L record | 32-47 map record | 70 CDL points
With four wins in their last six matches, the Ravens have officially crawled out of the cellar. It begs the question whether yet another lineup change -- Alex "Alexx" Carpenter in for Alex "Zaptius" Bonilla -- was the way to go here.
7. Florida Mutineers (Previous: 9)
10-13 W-L record | 39-46 map record | 120 CDL points
The definition of average. Since Major I, the Mutineers are a perfectly even 9-9/33-33.
6. Los Angeles Thieves (Previous: 7)
13-12 W-L record | 48-48 map record | 170 CDL points
The opportunity to add Cuyler "Huke" Garland proved too good to pass up, but benching Thomas "TJHaLy" Haly appears to have been bad for team chemistry. The Thieves are 1-3/6-9 since the acquisition after winning six of their previous eight matches, prompting the club to reverse the move ahead of Stage 4.
5. Dallas Empire (Previous: 2)
14-11 W-L record | 52-50 map record | 230 CDL points
Someday, somebody is going to have to explain what really went down with Huke in Dallas. Since his departure, the Empire are 2-3/6-12 and already moving on to a second replacement -- Reece "Vivid" Drost, last seen with the Guerrillas.
4. OpTic Chicago (Previous: 6)
15-11 W-L record | 56-43 map record | 200 CDL points
Consistency has been a huge issue. Yet, for as much flak as OpTic have been getting from fans of late, their mini run in the elimination bracket at Major III showed the squad is still plenty dangerous.
3. New York Subliners (Previous: 5)
16-9 W-L record | 55-44 map record | 240 CDL points
Once everything is said and done, Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez might turn out to be the best pick-up of the season. He's currently third in the CDL with a 1.13 K/D, while NYSL is 6-2/22-14 with a trip to a major grand final since his arrival.
2. Toronto Ultra (Previous: 3)
17-11 W-L record | 67-50 map record | 225 CDL points
Ultra have won 14 of their last 18 matches -- including nine straight at one point -- with three of those losses coming at the hands of FaZe. Safe to say their Major II championship was no fluke.
1. Atlanta FaZe (Previous: 1)
22-4 W-L record | 79-36 map record | 340 CDL points
For a moment, it looked like FaZe might be falling back down to earth a bit. Nope! Still in a class of their own, winning eight of their last nine matches en route to their second major championship of the season.
