The second Major of the Season ended with Atlanta FaZe raising the trophy. In one of the best tournaments over the last handful of years, many of the star ARs players battled in tense, high-stakes matches.
Now in the midst of the Major 3 Qualifiers, Breaking Point has updated our rankings for the AR Player of the Year race. Players are ranked based on their performances from the season so far. These rankings will continue to change, as new maps have the potential to spice up the competition, but this piece serves to give a great insight into how the season has gone so far!
Previous Rankings
Post-Major 2 - Mar 26th
Mid-Major 2 Qualifiers - Feb 27th
Entering Major 2 Qualifiers - Feb 14th
Best Performance of the Qualifiers - Jan 23rd
Opening two-week performance - Jan 9th
Storylines to watch
The Ladder has had its first major change in a couple of weeks. Cellium has retaken the top spot from Scrap, which he held since January. Atlanta has just 3-0 swept Toronto and is looking untouchable so far, while Toronto hasn't looked like the team that won Major 1. This week FaZe takes on the Subliners, while the Ultra match up against the Royal Ravens. If Scrap wants to retake the throne, he'll have to bounce back against a hot Carolina team.
Honorable mentions: Attach (6th), Skyz (7th), Ghosty (8th), Insight (9th), Sib (10th)
1) McArthur "Cellium" Jovel - Atlanta FaZe
Team Record: 22-4 Series Record, 73-29 Map Record, 325 CDL Points (1st)
Next Match: Sunday, April 28th vs New York Subliners at 6:00 pm EST
His case for AR Player of the Year: Cellium leads the League in Overall KD, Respawn KD, SND KD, and Control KD while being 4th in Hardpoint KD. He is efficient with getting damage and assists in all three modes. This season, Cellium has even led the team in Hill Time per 10 minutes (70.6) and focused much more on the objective.
His individual success hasn't hindered the team either, has they have the best record in the CDL and won Major 2. With Atlanta's form continuing to rise, while his rivals have struggled as of late, MC has retaken the top spot. If FaZe can win another Major and keep the 1st place spot in the standings, Cellium will have a very strong case at AR Player of the Year in Modern Warfare 3.
Advanced Season Stats
Overall
KD: 1.23
Slayer Rating: 74.8
aKD: 1.27
TES: 63.3%
Hardpoint
KD: 1.15
Kills per 10 minutes: 20.2
Hill Time per 10 minutes: 70.6
Damage per 10 minutes: 3983.2
SND
KD: 1.37
Kills per round: 0.73
ADR: 184.3
Opening Duel Win Percentage: 70.0%
Control
KD: 1.31
Kills per 10 minutes: 18.3
Caps per ATK Round: 1.4
Damage per 10 minutes: 3760.5
2) Thomas "Scrap" Ernst - Toronto Ultra
Team Record: 19-6 Series Record, 61-29 Map Record, 275 CDL Points (2nd)
Next Match: Saturday, April 27th vs Carolina Royal Ravens at 4:30 pm EST
His case for AR Player of the Year: Scrap has arguably the best case for the award if the Ultra can regroup for another Major run. This season Scrap has been the hero for the Ultra, leading the League in damage & slaying numbers across all three modes at points this year. He's gotten Toronto a Major victory, 2nd place in the standings, and a 19-6 series record while two players on the team have been in a slump for a decent amount of time. While Atlanta & Texas' ARs have a great case as well, one could argue that the team's around them have performed at a higher level, making their jobs easier. Scrap hasn't had that luxury as of late. A strong end to the year makes him the prime candidate for AR Player of the Year.
Advanced Season Stats
Overall
KD: 1.16
Slayer Rating: 84.5
aKD: 1.13
TES: 61.0%
Hardpoint
KD: 1.16
Kills per 10 minutes: 23.9
Hill Time per 10 minutes: 59.8
Damage per 10 minutes: 4565.2
SND
KD: 0.99
Kills per round: 0.71
ADR: 199.3
Opening Duel Win Percentage: 45.9%
Control
KD: 1.23
Kills per 10 minutes: 21.0
Caps per ATK Round: 1.6
Damage per 10 minutes: 4280.1
3) Zack "Drazah" Jordan - Atlanta FaZe
Team Record: 22-4 Series Record, 73-29 Map Record, 325 CDL Points (1st)
Next Match: Sunday, April 28th vs New York Subliners at 6:00 pm EST
His case for AR Player of the Year: Drazah has been exactly what FaZe has been looking for over the past couple of seasons. With Cellium playing more objectively focused, they needed a high-damage output flex that could handle themselves in all three modes. Enter Drazah. He is well above average in damage output this season in all three modes while on a team of three stars. Drazah leads the team in ticks per attacking round in SND, is second in slaying in both Hardpoint & control, and is 25-17 in opening duels on the attacking side in SND.
He's doing it all for the team, while they are currently on a tear with a major championship in the bag already. The only knock on his chances to win the award are his teammates. If Toronto or Texas win another Major or two, then Scrap or Dashy/Kenny will have a better chance to win than himself. If Atlanta continues their run, he will have to have more impact than Cellium. It's a hard road ahead but Drazah cannot be doubted.
Advanced Season Stats
Overall
KD: 1.08
Slayer Rating: 77.3
aKD: 1.06
TES: 59.9%
Hardpoint
KD: 1.05
Kills per 10 minutes: 21.9
Hill Time per 10 minutes: 59.7
Damage per 10 minutes: 4118.9
SnD
KD: 0.96
Kills per round: 0.65
ADR: 174.7
Opening Duel Win Percentage: 56.8%
Control
KD: 1.16
Kills per 10 minutes: 19.3
Caps per ATK Round: 2.1
Damage per 10 minutes: 3697.7
4) Kenneth "Kenny" Williams - OpTic Texas
Team Record: 19-8 Series Record, 65-43 Map Record, 265 CDL Points (3rd)
Next Match: Sunday, April 28th vs Miami Heretics at 4:30 pm EST
His case for AR Player of the Year: While Kenny's individual numbers don't leap off the page, his impact can NOT be understated on this OpTic Texas team. He has rejuvenated the squad and fanbase, as his leadership and playmaking ability have shined bright thus far into the season. He has terrific objective numbers in all three modes and has the most damage output in both Hardpoint & Control.
There are two things though that must happen in the second half of the season for Kenny to climb this ladder. For starters, Atlanta & Toronto both have a Major championship, which puts their star ARs ahead of the trailing OpTic duo for now. Winning either Major 3 or 4 would go a long way. Secondly, Kenny has to improve a touch in SND. He currently has the lowest KD and kills per round on the team, while not having much impact in opening duels. If OpTic win a Major and Kenny shows better form in Search & Destroy, he will be a strong contender for AR Player of the Year.
Advanced Season Stats
Overall
KD: 1.02
Slayer Rating: 76.7
aKD: 0.98
TES: 59.2%
Hardpoint
KD: 1.06
Kills per 10 minutes: 22.5
Hill Time per 10 minutes: 59.4
Damage per 10 minutes: 4294.7
SnD
KD: 0.88
Kills per round: 0.62
ADR: 158.8
Opening Duel Win Percentage: 46.8%
Control
KD: 1.01
Kills per 10 minutes: 18.0
Caps per ATK Round: 2.6
Damage per 10 minutes: 3760.3
5) Brandon "Dashy" Otell - OpTic Texas
Team Record: 19-8 Series Record, 65-43 Map Record, 265 CDL Points (3rd)
Next Match: Sunday, April 28th vs Miami Heretics at 4:30 pm EST
His case for AR Player of the Year: Much like Kenny, Dashy has had a great individual year but lacks in KD compared to his usual standard. He leads the CDL in hill time per 10 minutes (87.0) and is 2nd behind Kenny in Ticks per attacking round in Control (2.5). While his damage is above average, his slaying is below average so far this season. Texas also hasn't been able to win a Major this season, but they have looked hot as of late so that could change soon. If OpTic takes a Major with Dashy performing like a star player, he'll be a great candidate to win the award.
Advanced Season Stats
Overall
KD: 1.05
Slayer Rating: 71.9
aKD: 1.04
TES: 60.0%
Hardpoint
KD: 1.04
Kills per 10 minutes: 20.2
Hill Time per 10 minutes: 87.0
Damage per 10 minutes: 4192.4
SnD
KD: 1.03
Kills per round: 0.67
ADR: 168.4
Opening Duel Win Percentage: 37.7%
Control
KD: 1.07
Kills per 10 minutes: 16.7
Caps per ATK Round: 2.5
Damage per 10 minutes: 3541.5
