The 2022 Call of Duty League Championship Weekend is now finished, with four new players adding their names to the elite list of Call of Duty world champions.
Everything changed for Call of Duty fans following the 2019 CWL Championships, with the esport moving to a franchised model that saw 12 teams purchase a place in the newly-minted Call of Duty League.
Since then, the end-of-year spectacle has undergone several different formats and iterations, but one thing has remained the same: every player in the CDL wants to get their hands on that trophy and their championship rings.
There have now been 10 crowning world championship events in Call of Duty, dating back to 2013’s Black Ops 2 when Karma, KiLLa, Parasite, and Mirx dominated the competition and became all-time CoD greats. Fast forward to 2022, and while those players have long since retired, a new batch of players are joining the elite club, following LA Thieves’ emphatic victory.
1. Karma – 3x
When you think about three championship rings, it’s hard not to immediately jump to Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, one of the most decorated CoD players ever, and the first man to win three Call of Duty World Championships.
The Canadian won his first ring back in 2013 with Fariko Impact and went back-to-back in 2014 with a dominating victory with Complexity. Karma had to wait three more years to get his third and final ring so far as part of the ultra-popular OpTic dynasty squad, but after disappointing World War 2 and Modern Warfare seasons, he called time on his legendary career in June 2020
2. Crimsix – 3x
Dallas Empire’s 2020 victory means Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter joins long-time teammate Karma on three championship rings and marks the first time he has won one without the Canadian.
The pair teamed up for Complexity and OpTic’s triumphs, however, following their split heading into the 2020 season, Crimsix found new success with young guns Huke, Shotzzy, and iLLeY, while reuniting with Clayster.
3. Clayster – 3x
It seems like championship victories are like busses for James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. He waited 1,400 days for a major tournament victory, but two Call of Duty World Championships arrived back-to-back for the fan-favorite, cementing his legacy as one of the game’s true greats.
Clayster led the Denial Esports pack to their 2015 Advanced Warfare title and ended his four-year drought with eUnited in 2019 against 100 Thieves. Reuniting with former Complexity teammate Crimsix, Clay now has a third ring on his hand, marking a true renaissance in his career.
4. ACHES – 2x
Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price is a controversial figure in the Call of Duty scene, but there’s no denying his immense success. A two-time World Champion, ACHES was a constant during Complexity’s domination at the pinnacle of Call of Duty esports, and was part of the underdog Evil Geniuses squad who stunned the scene when they won the 2018 edition of CoD Champs.
5. JKap – 2x
Another two-time World Champion is Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan, winning back in 2015 with Denial Esports, and repeating the feat in 2016, on Team Envy. He has featured in a record four Grand Finals, coming up just short in 2013 and 2017.
It might not be added to his list of accolades here, but JKap also was the head coach for LA Thieves in their 2022 world championship run, his Champs mettle being instilled into his players and guiding them to the top.
6. Apathy – 2x
Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov rounds is another two-time champion, having won in 2016 on Team Envy and 2018 on Evil Geniuses. He is famed for coming close to retirement before an incredible resurgence saw him add two championship rings to his collection.
7. Simp – 2x
After being named the 2021 CDL MVP, Simp was able to give FaZe its first World Championship, and give him a second ring.
Already boasting a strong reputation before he was even 18, Simp joined eUnited from their cadet team midway through the 2019 season. Simp was eU’s most important player at Champs 2019, helping the team to a championship while earning a much-deserved MVP for himself. Simp proved his rookie year wasn’t a fluke in 2020, making it all the way to the grand finals, before winning in 2021 and getting to the grand finals again in 2022.
8. aBeZy – 2x
Few can match aBeZy’s talent, gunskill, and reaction time. Still very much a youngster in Call of Duty esports, aBeZy is already regarded as one of the better SMG players in the game.
The two-time champ took home the 2021 CDL Championship MVP in FaZe’s victory. In 2019, the young gun played a key role in eUnited’s first-place finishes at CWL Finals and Champs.
9. Arcitys – 2x
After leaving the Huntsmen squad to join Atlanta FaZe, Arcitiys was quickly praised as the leader the team was missing. The AR slayer played a huge role in FaZe’s 2021 World Championship run, capturing his second ring.
eUnited would not have their 2019 rings without Arcitys. He didn’t always get the spotlight on eUnited’s star-studded roster, but everyone knew of his importance to the team. That importance showed at Champs 2019, as his stellar play in the Assault Rifle anchor role helped them win the whole thing.
10. KiLLa
Adam ‘KiLLa’ Sloss is a legendary figure in the Call of Duty scene, and was part of the Fariko Impact squad who took home the top prize in the first Call of Duty Championship back in Black Ops 2.
11. Parasite
Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte is a controversial figure among Call of Duty fans, but there’s no doubt he has one of the sharpest minds in the game. Parasite was part of the Impact squad that made history in Black Ops 2 and went on to play for teams like FaZe, OpTic Gaming, and Complexity.
12. MiRx
Marcus ‘MiRx’ Carter was also a part of the Fariko Impact roster that won Black Ops 2’s World Championships. He was most recently a part of Orlando Reapers, but has not featured on a competitive team since January 2019.
13. TeePee
Tyler ‘TeePee’ Polchow was a part of the fabled CompLexity roster that won the Ghosts World Championship in 2014. Since his retirement, he’s seen major success as a caster and analyst, as a coach for OpTic Gaming, and has become a full-time streamer thanks to his incredible skill at CoD battle royales Blackout and Warzone.
14. Attach
When you think about Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, it’s hard not to think about his incredible run as part of FaZe Clan, which spanned four Call of Duty titles. His association with the legendary organization came to an end at the start of the Call of Duty League when he joined New York Subliners, but his sole World Championship actually came as part of Denial Esports in 2015.
15. Crowder
James ‘Crowder’ Crowder also won his ring on Denial in 2015 but decided to take a hiatus from playing until his return with FaZe during World War 2. Crowder went on to become one of the best coaches in the game, lending his expertise to 100 Thieves during their successful Black Ops 4 season, before returning to Atlanta FaZe to coach their young guns to second place in Call of Duty League 2020.
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16. SlasheR
Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat won his ring in 2016 with Team Envy, then made it to the finals of the 2017 world championships with the organization. He also made the finals in 2019 with 100 Thieves but came up just short against eUnited.
17. John
A truly dominant SMG player, Johnathon ‘John’ Perez won his World Championship in 2016, on Team Envy. He was also the MVP at the tournament, regularly putting up insane stats against the best teams in the world.
18. Scump
Seth ‘Scump’ Abner is regarded as one of the best SMG players of all time. He won his World Championship at the fifth attempt, at 2017’s Infinite Warfare tournament, to cement OpTic Gaming’s dynasty status.
19. FormaL
Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper exploded onto the competitive Call of Duty scene following his transition from Halo back in 2013. He won his ring at the 2017 CoD Champs and was also named MVP at that tournament.
20. Assault
Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia won the MVP award for his performances at 2018’s World Championship, as Evil Geniuses shocked the CoD community to take home the $600,000 grand prize.
21. SiLLY
Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer was another member of Evil Geniuses’ 2018 Championship winning roster. Prior to that, he spent nearly 2 years on eUnited, where he experienced moderate success.
22. Prestinni
While he may not always put up the best stats, Prestinni played an important role for eUnited during their 2019 Champs victory.
Along with his twin brother Arcitys, Prestinni was eUnited’s longest active tenured player and brought the organization the game’s biggest crown in his final match for them.
23. Huke
One of the most naturally gifted FPS players in the world, Huke’s skill across Halo and Call of Duty show just how good he really is.
Regarded as one of the best players in Call of Duty since he burst onto the scene in 2015, Huke had found championship glory elusive before the Modern Warfare era, but finally earned the world championship his immense talents deserve with Empire’s 2020 CDL Championship Weekend victory.
24. Shotzzy
Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro is a history maker in his own right, becoming the first player to win world championships in multiple FPS titles. The 2018 Halo World Champ got off to a rocky start in his debut year as a Call of Duty pro, but the 2020 season quickly became the year of Shotzzy, putting on incredible performances as Empire won three Home Series events and the CDL title. To top it all off, the 19-year-old was crowned regular-season MVP, putting a stamp on his fantastic turnaround.
25. iLLeY
CDL teams quickly learned not to sleep on iLLeY, who was a major force behind Dallas Empire’s run to the 2020 World Championship. The Canadian was predominantly a Search and Destroy star before he made his move into the CDL, but quickly settled into his new surroundings, pulling off incredible plays on the road to his first ring.
26. Cellium
McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel, is known for his movement in-game. The youngster was a walking highlight reel for FaZe throughout the 2021 CDL Championship, leading the team with a 1.32 K/D.
In the 2022 season, he earned the regular season MVP award, but his FaZe side failed to win a trophy, despite a lowest placement of 3rd all year, and they went on to be runners up at the world championships.
27. Octane
Octane was widely considered to be one of the greatest Call of Duty players to have graced the esport without winning a world championship ring.
That was until he helped LA Thieves pull of an incredible turnaround in the 2022 Vanguard season, winning back-to-back championships at the end of the year, including the Call of Duty Championship.
28. Envoy
With an emphatic grand finals performance, Envoy more than earned his championship ring in 2022, beating the growing Atlanta FaZe dynasty with some incredibly clutch plays.
Despite question marks over his potential and ability as a player throughout the Vanguard season, Envoy proved his doubters wrong and ended the year on as high a note as possible.
29. Kenny
Much like Octane, fans had long believed that Kenny was overdue a world championship victory prior to actually winning it in 2022.
He was the post-season MVP, too, etching his name into the history books as one of the true Call of Duty greats.
30. Drazah
Drazah is still relatively new to the scene, at least in comparison to some of the other world champions on this list, having only made his debut in 2020’s Modern Warfare season.
He’s been recognized as a great talent, though, and the Alaskan Assassin added his name to the history books in 2022, winning a world championship with the LA Thieves.
Who misses out?
There are not that many noticeable absences from this list, given the fact that the overwhelming majority of big names have, at some point, won a championship.
There are several top players who failed to win CoD Champs, both retired and active. The likes of Nadeshot, ZooMaa, Dashy, and Gunless are all names that arguably had all the makings of world champions — be it insane individual ability, dominant teams, or even a mix of both.
Nadeshot will no doubt have been happy to see his LA Thieves win it all in 2022, but the likes of Dashy and Gunless will definitely still be waiting in the wings for their time to shine.