BP MW2 Power Ranking: Strengthens and Weaknesses
Major IV gave us yet another great tournament this CDL Season, as the LA Thieves took down OpTic Texas to win their first tournament of the season.
Heading into the final qualifying cycle of the year, the team decided to look at each team’s strengthens and weaknesses in their game. Whether on the macro or micro level, each team has something they need to work in the final part of the season.
How the teams are ranked : The writers, stats team, and content team at Breaking Point were polled to rate each of the 12 teams — putting more weight on recency instead of the entire season. The previous week of play is weighed the most, followed by the rest of the stage, and then Major III results. Each ranks the teams 1st through 12th. After collecting the rankings from the BP team, each team would be given points for each vote, as seen below:
1st – 11 points
2nd – 10 points
3rd – 9 points
4th – 8 points
5th – 7 points
6th – 6 points
7th – 5 points
8th – 4 points
9th – 3 points
10th – 2 points
11th – 1 point
12th – 0 points
Here is a link to the previous rankings from Stage 4:
April 11th Power Ranking: MVP for Each team
April 18th Power Ranking: X-Factors for Major IV
The Breaking Point Power Ranking
1st: Los Angeles Thieves 
Previous Ranking: 2nd (
1)
Average Points Received : 11.0
Average Ranking Placement: 1.0
CDL Points : 255
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Saturday May 6th, 7:30 pm EST vs Toronto Ultra
“Strength: Hardpoint Map Pool
LA Thieves during the entire Major IV cycle have wins on all five maps in the Hardpoint map pool. They have a winning record on four of the maps, while sitting at 2-2 on Hotel. The rank in the Top 4 in break percentage on all five maps, including the 2nd best overall break percentage of 38.3%. LA also holds the #1 hold percentage with 77.0% overall, while having the #1 on Embassy (94.1%), #1 on Hydro (83.3%), and #2 on Mercado (80.0%). They are a force to be reckoned with in Hardpoint.
Weakness: SnD Map Pool
One possible weakness for the Thieves could be their SnD map pool. This one is harder because they didn’t play Hotel during the Major IV cycle due to it being their auto-veto. They were an impressive 5-0 combined on El Asilo and Embassy, meaning any team will have to pick their poison between these two maps. But then they have a 1-2 record on Fortress and lost Hotel SnD to OpTic in the finals of Major IV. This leaves no clear 3rd best map in sight for the Thieves in the mode. This leaves their SnD map pool possibly a little thin going into the next stage, but with the players on this roster this weaknesses doesn’t seem too concerning.”
– Easy Mac
2nd: OpTic Texas 
Previous Ranking: 1st (
1)
Average Points Received : 9.9
Average Ranking Placement: 2.1
CDL Points : 270
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Friday May 5th, 4:30 pm EST vs Las Vegas Legion
“Strength: Breaking… & Holding in Hardpoint
OpTic went an incredible 13-3 in Hardpoint during the Major IV cycle, tying the record for most hardpoint map wins in a row (11) and only losing HPs to LA Thieves in the finals. This form was powered by their insane breaking ability that they showcased. For the stage they finished with a 48.9% break percentage overall with the #1 on Fortress (40.0%), #2 on Hotel (56.3%), #2 on Mercado (50.0%), and #1 on Hydro (42.9%). Teams are not able to get set up and net high-point holds due to the unrelenting pressure that OpTic have been putting on the map.
Weakness: Mercado Hold Percentage
There aren’t many weaknesses for this OpTic team, it was very difficult to find one at all. One slight weakness was their Hold percentage on Mercado, even though they were 5-1 on the map during the Major IV cycle. They ranked 7th in the CDL with a 64.0% hold percentage on the map. Against LA Thieves during the Winners Finals at Major IV, this was showcased. Texas had just two initial hold chances out of 10 hills and both times LA Thieves were able to break them. Combining the two initial hold chance hills, LA outscored Texas 50-36 on those hills. While that isn’t major, the lack of initial hold attempts and two failed holds put a lot of pressure on their breaks to be perfect. With a break before Major V, surely OpTic will continue their dominate form into the next stage.”
– Easy Mac
3rd: Atlanta FaZe 
Previous Ranking: 3rd (
)
Average Points Received : 8.9
Average Ranking Placement: 3.1
CDL Points : 295
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Friday May 5th, 3:00 pm EST vs LA Guerrillas
“For the past three seasons, Atlanta FaZe have been the most consistent team in the league when it comes to placements at the Majors. Cold War was all about first place (including a win at CDL Champs), Vanguard was all about second place, while MWII thus far has been a consistent year of third place finishes. Winning Major II was the only outlier to this. Dominant SnD play has been a staple of the Atlanta FaZe in MWII with aBeZy leading the way as the king of First Bloods. SlasheR often gets scapegoated as the reason for lack of success in hardpoint, but overall it has not been a great mode for this team. They’re talented enough to string together wins against lesser teams, but at the moment they are struggling in their matchups against the likes of LAT and OpTic Texas. ATL has already clinched their spot at Champs, but they’re going to need to be able to defeat teams of this caliber if they want to accomplish a 2nd CDL Champs title in the last 3 years.”
– PescaroDB
Previous Ranking: 5th (1)
Average Points Received : 7.4
Average Ranking Placement: 4.6
CDL Points : 225
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Saturday May 6th, 4:30 pm EST vs Las Vegas Legion
“Strength: Defending in Control
The Subliners were one of the best Control teams during the Major IV cycle. They had a 6-3 record in the mode, including a 3-1 record on Hotel and 3-2 on El Asilo. While most teams do the damage on the attacking side, New York won their maps behind a stout defense. New York ranked first overall in defense win rate (76.5%), while holding the #1 spot on El Asilo (66.7%) and #2 on Hotel (87.5%). If they can continue this during Stage 5 while working on their attacks, this team will continue to be scary in the mode.
Weakness: Opening Duels & Conversions
This was a weakness for New York at the Major. Against Atlanta, New York won eight of the nine opening duels on Embassy but only won 2 of those rounds. On Fortress, they faced the same issue but also struggled to find opening duel wins. Against Texas on Fortress, the Subliners won just three of the nine opening duels. Against London on Fortress, New York won just three of the ten opening duels. This will be a major focus for the Subliners going into Major V
– Easy Mac
5th: Toronto Ultra 
Previous Ranking: 6th (1)
Average Points Received : 7.2
Average Ranking Placement: 4.8
CDL Points : 245
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Friday May 5th, 6:00 pm EST vs Seattle Surge
“Toronto Ultra have some work to do after an electric showing at Major III that included the first player (Hicksy) to win their first LAN appearance since Scump in 2011. A 1-4 record through the Stage IV Qualifiers was a lot worse than it looked on paper when you take the fact that 3 of those 4 losses went to a Map 5 and the other was in 1-3 fashion to a Top 3 team in the CDL (Atlanta FaZe). If it weren’t for a start in Loser’s Bracket at Major IV, Ultra probably could have made some more noise. They won their first two matches against Boston and Florida with a combined map count of 6-1. Their run came to an end in Loser’s Round 3 when they nearly pulled off the reverse sweep to defeat FaZe but ultimately fell short in a 2-3 loss. Toronto plays at their best when CleanX gets going as he is able to apply a lot of pressure around the map. Their biggest flaw as a team is not having a consistently dominant game mode. It alternates between SnD and HP which gets exposed based on their matchups.”
– PescaroDB
6th: Seattle Surge 
Previous Ranking: 4th (2)
Average Points Received : 6.1
Average Ranking Placement: 5.9
CDL Points : 180
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Friday May 5th, 6:00 pm EST vs Toronto Ultra
“A dominant showing in Stage IV Qualifiers had many believing Seattle could take home the Major IV trophy. To the shock of many, Seattle had their second straight Major tournament of winning only one match, that again being vs the Los Angeles Guerrillas. Since losing in the Grand Finals at Major I, Seattle hasn’t been able to defeat any teams on LAN aside from LAG. They’re a strong HP team with a map count of 35-23, their SnD is lackluster at 15-28 (Losing record on all maps in this mode). Pred is looking more and more like an obvious MVP choice, but his teammates have not been able to provide enough to capitalize on his strong play and win matches consistently. If any of the Champs eligible teams deserve “onliner” accusations, there is a solid point to be made that it be the Seattle Surge. For as talented as they are, they have not been able to make it past LR3 at the previous three Majors. They have a 2-5 record on LAN since their solid showing at Stage I, but remain committed to the current roster who were able to win the Stage III Major in the 2022 CDL Season. Stage V has a lot of implications for their chances of qualifying for Champs, but Seattle is in the driver seat currently at 6th place in the Standings. Considering LAG is very likely to not be qualifying for Champs, it’s important that the Surge prove they can beat other teams in the league on LAN at Major V.”
– PescaroDB
7th: Boston Breach 
Previous Ranking: 8th (1)
Average Points Received : 4.7
Average Ranking Placement: 7.3
CDL Points : 160
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Saturday May 6th, 6:00 pm EST vs Minnesota Rokkr
“To put it lightly, Boston Breach has left all of us confused as of late. After a strong showing at Major III that led to a Top 4 finish, Boston has made two additional roster moves at the SMG position. Kremp was elevated from the Breach Academy roster in place of Vivid at the start of Stage IV, and now Vivid has replaced Nero heading into Stage V. The current roster consists of Kremp, Vivid, Beans, and Owakening. We have not seen this starting roster in action yet, but it’s clear where Boston’s strengths and weaknesses are as of late. Boston has become a team that gets slaying production from every player on the roster. The downside being that they haven’t been able to convert on those improved slaying numbers in respawn modes. A glaring example of this was when they had a sizable lives advantage vs NYSL in a Map 3 Hotel Control while on Defense but ended up losing regardless after the Subliners managed to get a few kills and stack the B point. Slaying is an important aspect to have as a team, but that won’t translate into wins if you aren’t able to convert on those opportunities.”
– PescaroDB
8th: Minnesota RØKKR 
Previous Ranking: 9th (1)
Average Points Received : 3.9
Average Ranking Placement: 8.1
CDL Points : 150
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Saturday May 6th, 3:00 pm EST vs London Royal Ravens
“Strength: Expo Control
The newest map added into the map pool has been difficult for some teams to learn, but not for the Minnesota Rokkr. They boast a 3-1 record on the map while winning 50% of their attacking rounds (#1 in the CDL) and 62.5% of their defending rounds (#5 in the CDL). They average an insane 5.1 tiers captured per attacking round, giving them very good chances to end rounds by ticks. By being dominate on the map, it forces teams to either veto the map or be punished by having an auto-veto of either Hotel or El Asilo.
Weakness: Winning Opening Duels
One glaring weakness for the Rokkr is their opening duel numbers during the Major IV cycle. They finished 11th in the CDL with a 43.1% win rate in Search & Destroy. This includes a 22.2% win rate on El Asilo (#11 in CDL) and 28.6% on Embassy (10th in CDL). Their SMG struggled greatly in finding those early wins. Afro finished the stage with just a 34.6% opening duel win rate after going 9-17, while Bance wasn’t much better with a 39.3% opening duel win rate going 11-17. With just a slim 20 CDL point lead over the Legion for Champs, this will be a priority during the break leading up to Major V qualifiers.”
– Easy Mac
9th: Las Vegas Legion 
Previous Ranking: 7th (2)
Average Points Received : 3.7
Average Ranking Placement: 8.3
CDL Points : 130
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Friday May 5th, 4:30 pm EST vs OpTic Texas
“Strength: SnD objective work
Las Vegas has a terrific online portion of the Major IV cycle, but failed to deliver results at the Major. One area they were strong in was the objective work in Search & Destroy. Overall in the mode, the Legion finished with the 3rd highest retake percentage on defense with a 37.9% success rate. On Hotel specific, Clayster & Co had a 58.3% retake percentage (#2 in CDL) on a map which tends to be very difficult to do so. On the attacking side, Las Vegas had a 85.7% win rate one the bomb was planted, which led the CDL. This is what makes their SnD game so lethal, even against the best teams in the League.
Weakness: Mercado Hardpoint
This could’ve been multiple things for the Legion, such as their Control play (2-5 record), rotation won percentage (44.8%, 11th) or just overall Hardpoint (6-7 record). But there was one major red flag when looking into their Hardpoint. The Legion were a combined 6-3 on Fortress, Embassy, and Hydro last stage and then 0-4 on Mercado with Hotel being auto-vetoed. They finished with a 65.0% hold percentage (#6 in CDL) while breaking just 21.7% (#10 in CDL) of the time. When the best team like LA Thieves and OpTic Texas love to play Mercado, it puts the Legion in a very difficult place. If they can either improve Mercado or start playing Hotel, Legion would be dangerous not only in SnD but also Hardpoint.”
– Easy Mac
10th: Florida Mutineers 
Previous Ranking: 11th (1)
Average Points Received : 2.1
Average Ranking Placement: 9.9
CDL Points : 80
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Sunday May 7th, 3:00 pm EST vs LA Guerrillas
“Stage IV was a rough go for the Florida Mutineers who are all but out of contention for a spot at Champs in June. Due to personal reasons, Havok had to step away from the team which opened the door for Vikul to return to the lineup. The squad went winless in the Qualifiers (0-5) but their closest match surprisingly came in a Map 5 defeat to the Atlanta FaZe. In LR1, their SMG duo proved to be a strength for this squad as both Capsidal and Vikul put up strong numbers. This led to a 3-2 victory over the Las Vegas Legion that sent them home Top 8-12 after placing into Winner’s Bracket for the first time in Franchise History. More than anything, the biggest weakness for the Mutineers is the lack of chemistry. Not a single player has been on the roster since the start of the season. Both Felo and Capsidal were signed mid-season whereas Vikul and Brack have both spent time on the bench. It’s possible this roster could have success next season, but no one would be surprised if they make moves in free agency.”
– PescaroDB
11th: Los Angeles Guerrillas 
Previous Ranking: 12th (1)
Average Points Received : 0.8
Average Ranking Placement: 11.2
CDL Points : 70
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Friday May 5th, 3:00 pm EST vs Atlanta FaZe
“Strength: Fortress SnD
The only map out of the thirteen total map combinations in competitive that the Guerrillas had a winning record on was Fortress SnD. At 2-1, LA looked good on the map behind good objective play and JoeDeceives. They finished the stage with a 41.7% retake percentage on defense and 90.0% plant win percentage on the attacking side. If the team can continue this form into other SnD maps, they could be a threat in the mode.
Weakness: No Control map pool
The Guerrillas had a 1-5 Control record during the previous stage. They also had a 1-5 record on El Asilo Control last stage. As you can see with some quick maths, this means they did not play Expo or Hotel at all. With a 1-5 record on El Asilo, you’d expect some reps on other maps but that hasn’t be the case.”
– Easy Mac
12th: London Royal Ravens 
Previous Ranking: 10th (2)
Average Points Received : 0.3
Average Ranking Placement: 11.7
CDL Points : 60
Major V Qualifier Opening Match : Saturday May 6th, 3:00 pm EST vs Minnesota Rokkr
“Strength: Holding on Mercado & Embassy
London hasn’t had much success in Hardpoint this year, but their are some aspect in the mode where they have exceeded expectations. During the Major IV cycle, they finished with a perfect 100% hold percentage on Mercado and had a 90.9% on Embassy. While their break percentage has been miserable, their ability to lock down holds gives them a lifeline to improve in the mode.
Weakness: Control
The Royal Ravens understandably have a lot to work on during the Major V cycle. Even though realistically they won’t make Champs, they can still net a great result at Major V. One of the biggest weaknesses is their Control game. They finished the Major IV cycle with a 1-5 record in the mode, 6-15 round count, and went just 2-8 on the attacking side. The have a losing record on all three maps in the pool so to start they need to find one map to get a foothold on and slowly improve.”
– Easy Mac
