Call of Duty League power rankings after CDL Dallas

❘ Updated: 2020-04-23T16:32:50

The Call of Duty League is back from its temporary hiatus, and with CDL Dallas out of the way, we’re back at work on our Power Rankings, with some interesting changes to boot.

The CDL was forced into ceasing operations for a limited time thanks to the ongoing global crisis, but set up an altered schedule and moved the league online which, while not the ideal situation, means the show can go on.

After Florida Mutineers beat Minnesota ROKKR in the grand final of Dallas Empire’s Home Series, we’ve updated our power rankings and, while there’s not been a lot of changes, there have been some interesting ones.

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12. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-1)

Guerrillas have struggled every step of the way during the Call of Duty League.

The Guerrillas didn’t have a great showing at CDL Dallas, but you can say that for basically every event they’ve attended so far. Admittedly, they didn’t have easy matchups at Dallas’ Home Series, taking 3-1 losses to Dallas Empire and winners Florida Mutineers, but they’ve failed to place higher than 7-8th (or, effectively, last) at any event yet.

Read More: Crimsix explains how ‘laggy’ CDL servers “were not ready” for online play

Their only series win so far was on opening weekend, a tight 3-2 victory over Florida. Even that seemed like it could have gone either way, and LAG have really failed to make an impression on the league thus far.

11. New York Subliners (-1)

New York continue to disappoint in the CDL, but other pros say they look much better with Mack in the starting line-up.

New York Subliners currently sit joint-bottom of the Call of Duty League standings, ahead only of Los Angeles Guerrillas thanks to their better series win percentage, although their map win percentage is still lower than that of LAG.

Their one win of the season came against Paris Legion at CDL London, though they quickly returned to their standard form and since then have lost to Paris, London Royal Ravens, Florida Mutineers and Dallas Empire with relative dominance. Bringing in Happy to replace Zer0 didn’t help, and seemed only to throw the team into further turmoil.

Now, though, Mack is on the team, and he’s going to need to bring his A-game to take down the likes of Chicago and Atlanta in Group A of CDL Chicago.

10. Seattle Surge (-1)

Seattle have failed to make the impact expected of them so far.

Seattle Surge is a team that really should have a winning record, especially when you look at the number of championships and insane talent on that roster. But, it simply isn’t working out for them.

They have just two wins under their belt and they’re both over none other than Los Angeles Guerrillas, which isn’t exactly that impressive, given their poor form. Switching out Enable for Pandur seemed to be an attempt at a quick fix but proved not to make anything better for Seattle. Apathy recently celebrated the arrival of his newborn daughter, so it’s possible he wasn’t at his peak for CDL Dallas, so we can maybe give them the benefit of the doubt for that one.

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9. Toronto Ultra (+3)

Toronto have looked disappointing almost every step of the way, but started to redeem themselves in Dallas.

Toronto Ultra are very up and down – sometimes they show real signs of hope, and others they look utterly hopeless.

Read More: Florida Mutineers win CDL Dallas: final placements, highlights, recap

They managed to pull off a win against Florida Mutineers in the group stage at CDL Dallas, which is genuinely impressive given that Florida went on to win, but it was their first series win since the opening match on Launch Weekend, which is a pretty depressing stat.

8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-)

These players will surely find themselves moving up the rankings even more over time.

OpTic Gaming were a serial disappointment in the first few weeks of the league, but they seemed to turn a stone at their March Home Series, finally finding some form and winning two series’, against Guerrillas and Minnesota ROKKR.

If they manage to keep improving, they’ll be the top team everyone expects them to, but there’s still work to be done and they’re still a far cry from where you would expect these players to be. Only time will tell whether they catch up with the top dogs.

7. London Royal Ravens (-)

London will need to start picking up wins sooner rather than later, especially after dropping Rated for Nastie.

London Royal Ravens weren’t present at CDL LA or Dallas, and so were unable to improve upon – or drop down in – the current standings. They’ve been very hot and cold since the start of the season, but they’re definitely a mid-table team, they’ll just need to work to prove they deserve to be on the upper side of the middle.

During the league’s hiatus, they brought in Byron ‘Nastie’ Plumridge to replace Rhys ‘Rated’ Price. Could this be what the team needs going forward?

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6. Paris Legion (-)

Paris had a great start to the season but need to rack up more wins to move upwards.

Paris were shockingly strong at the opening couple of events, breaking all expectations that they would be seriously underprepared heading into the league.

Read More: Karma hits back at CDL’s coverage of Seattle Surge

They’re clearly closer to the top end of the league than the bottom end, but their great performances have started to slow down and they’re really straddling the line. They’ll need to start really challenging the top sides to move up the rankings, but it’s looking less and less likely that they’re able to compete for championships right now.

5. Minnesota ROKKR(-1)

Minnesota still have a lot to prove despite solid performances.

Minnesota seem destined to win a championship at some point: they’ve clearly got the talent and the chemistry to get them there, and CDL Dallas seemed like the perfect opportunity since they didn’t have to face off against the likes of Atlanta FaZe or Chicago Huntsmen.

Obviously things didn’t go their way, but there’s no doubting this team has more to come, and are consistently one of the best teams in the league. It seems only a matter of time before they get the win.

4. Florida Mutineers (+1)

Florida’s win at CDL Dallas was somewhat of a surprise.

At CDL Dallas, Florida became the fourth team from four events to win a Home Series, proving that their second-place position at CDL Atlanta wasn’t a complete fluke. They beat Minnesota in the final, helping them move up above their opponents, but it’s not quite enough to move higher.

It’s got to be considered that CDL Dallas was played online, which can provide varying results to what would usually occur on LAN, and you have to consider performances throughout the year, which have been very up-and-down for Florida. A case could be made for putting the Mutineers as high as second due to their 2-0 record over Chicago Huntsmen, so there’s definitely scope for this team to move even higher up in the future.

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3. Dallas Empire (-)

The Empire struck back in CDL Los Angeles to take home the lion’s share of the points.

Dallas have been commonly named a top-three side since the inception of the league, and they proved it when they took home the win at CDL Los Angeles.

Read More: Rambo explains the reasons behind Dallas Empire’s success

They placed top 4 at their home event after a 3-1 loss to Minnesota, but will need to make more grand finals appearances to hold on to their top 3 spot here, otherwise they risk falling below the likes of Florida Mutineers in the coming weeks.

2. Chicago Huntsmen (-)

Can Scump’s team get another event win this season?

Chicago Huntsmen are without doubt one of the best teams in the game, but have had a few slip-ups since the start of the season, namely against Florida Mutineers who seem to be the only side that really has their number.

They’re yet to face-off against Atlanta FaZe, and it’s one matchup that fans are excited for, and that match will likely be what really settles the top two in our power rankings.

1. Atlanta FaZe (-)

FaZe took the win at their Atlanta Home Series, to almost nobody’s surprise.

It’s hard to dispute that Atlanta FaZe is the best team in the game right now. Initial concerns of a lack of veteran leadership on the team preseason were quickly squashed as the team proved that their age doesn’t define their talent, currently holding a near-flawless record.

Their one loss of the season so far came at the hands of Minnesota ROKKR in the CDL Los Angeles semi-final, a narrow 3-2 loss that really could have gone either way. Nonetheless, Atlanta look like a constant threat no matter what, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.

The overall standings has Chicago Huntsmen sitting at the top of the pack.

With CDL Dallas out of the way, players are now looking ahead to CDL Chicago from April 24-26, and the Hunstmen, in particular, will want to give their fans something to cheer for – even if they have to watch from home rather than in a venue.

The picture at either end of the power rankings is getting increasingly interesting, and we’re starting to reach the mid-point of the season where teams will be looking to reach their potential – and if things don’t change, many of them might be falling short.