CDL Coaches Poll: Preseason Power Ranking

Welcome back to the CDL Coaches Poll brought to you by Breaking Point for the Modern Warfare 2 season! We have again reached out to all 12 CDL coaching staffs around the league to get their thoughts on the current team Power Rankings so far in the preseason. We will continue to conduct these polls before and after each major tournament this season to gauge where each team is ranked. Each coach ranks the opposing teams 1st through 11th, without putting their own team into the rankings. After collecting the rankings from all 12 franchises, 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 points

The CDL Coaches Power Ranking

1st: Los Angeles Thieves 

Total Points Received – 112

LA Thieves are coming off of a World Championship season during Vanguard. LA are looking to win the back-to-back World Championships, a feat that has not been accomplished before. The Thieves side are only one of three teams to keep all four players from their Vanguard roster for Modern Warfare 2. This will give them a big advantage in chemistry and teamwork in the early days of MWII.

They have continued to look strong in the preseason, as opposing coaches have ranked them #1 in 7 out of 11 voting forms. This lands them #1 in the preseason power rankings and will have them as favorites going into the Major 1 qualifying matches. Look out for LA to make a statement early in the year that they are still a force to be reckon with.

2nd: Atlanta FaZe

Total Points Received – 100

Atlanta had a rocky season during Vanguard, going into the season with expectations of multiple championship. They would fail to accomplish this, as they would fall four times in the Grand Finals and not winning a tournament in 2022. The team made a major change, acquiring Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat to fill the main AR position and moving on Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson. This major shift on the roster will look to propel FaZe back to top.

During the preseason, they have played well but opposing coaches have not ranked them best in the CDL. Atlanta FaZe got 0 first place votes, but was voted 2nd six times and 3rd two times. This was more than enough to safely put them 2nd in the preseason Power Rankings.

3rd: Toronto Ultra

Total Points Received – 77

The first surprise of the Coaches Poll Power Rankings is Toronto Ultra landing 3rd on the list. The Ultra were looking to find similar success in Vanguard that they were able to find in Cold War. Toronto were the clear 2nd best team of the Cold War season, but failed to reach those heights in Vanguard. They won the Preseason Kickoff, but were unable to win any Major tournaments. Heading into Modern Warfare 2, the squad saw a extensive roster revamp, seeing Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan and Ben “Bance” Bance depart the roster. In their place, the Ultra acquired Eli “Standy” Bentz and promoting Thomas “Scrappy” Ernst from the academy roster. 

With the new look roster, the Ultra have surprised to League and been looking like a top team early on. Toronto edged out Minnesota thanks to two 1st place votes and two 2nd place votes. This firmly makes them a Sunday Contender this season and could see the team compete for Major championships.

4th: Minnesota RØKKR 

Total Points Received – 77

Minnesota Rokkr battled hard in Vanguard but they failed to get a piece of the pie in the end. The roster had a highest placement of Top 8 during Vanguard, and this was on of the reasons they had to make major changes going into Modern Warfare 2. The sole remaining player for this season was Dillon “Attach” Price, with Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan, Ben “Bance” Bance, and Marcus “Afro” Reid joining forces under the Rokkr banner. 

The new team has impressed opposing coaches at the start of the season, having been placed highly in multiple voting forms. Minnesota earned one 1st Place vote, one 2nd Place vote, and two third place votes overall. This earned them a 4th place finish in the preseason power ranking and shows that they are a threat at Major 1!

5th: Las Vegas Legion

Total Points Received – 75

The biggest surprise of the Coaches Poll was Las Vegas Legion finishing 5th in the voting! The Legion made a big change this offseason, changing from the Paris franchise to Las Vegas. With this change, they made a significant roster overhaul. The lone player that stayed on the roster was Donovan “Temp” Laroda, while James “Clayster” Eubanks, Byron “Prolute” Vera, and Thomas “TJHaly” Haly joined the new look Legion. With these acquisitions, the hopes that Legion would improve greatly were strong.

In the opening weeks on Modern Warfare 2, the Legion have been surprisingly one of the best respawn teams so far. Opposing coaches ranked them highly so far. With one 2nd place vote, three 4th place votes, and three 5th place votes, the Legion finished 5th in the preseason power rankings. If Las Vegas can continue this form, they will be a dark horse team to watch at Major 1!

6th: Seattle Surge

Total Points Received – 73

Seattle changed their philosophy for how they built their roster during the Vanguard season. They opted to sign rookies Daunte “Sib” Gray and Amer “Pred” Zulbeari to give them the firepower to get the results they have be longing for. This reinvigorated the squad, and helped them win Major 3 in Toronto! With more time to build consistency, it will not be surprising to see the Surge in more Grand Finals next season!

Over the first couple of weeks in Modern Warfare 2, the Surge have continued to look like a top team. With the middle field tightly contested currently, the Surge are ranked 6th place but just 4 points away from 3rd. With a strong start to the season, we could see the Surge climb back to the top and be a powerhouse this year!

7th: OpTic Texas

Total Points Received – 72

OpTic Texas came into the Vanguard season with a chip on their should and their sights set on winning multiple tournaments over the year. They would start off hot, winning Major 1 and defeating Atlanta FaZe 5-2 in the Grand Finals. Midway through the season though, their goals would be derailed after a thumb injury to Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal would shut him down for most of the season. This is why the team decided to run it back as a unit, and see what the full strength squad would be able to do!

So far into the season, Texas has been grinding to have great results for Seth “Scump” Abner‘s final season. So far opposing coaches have the squad in the middle of the pack, ranking 7th in the CDL. Many of the teams are very tightly contested, and with SnD still not the most practiced mode we only have 2/3 of the picture. Expect Texas to climb once that mode is more practiced, as it was one of their best modes last season!

8th: New York Subliners 

Total Points Received – 63

The New York Subliners will be one of the more mysterious teams to start the season. They had an interesting Vanguard year, just doing enough to make CoD Champs but also winning the Pro-AM Classic. They showed glimpses of terrific potential once they brought in Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley into the roster. With a newly revamped roster where fans saw Cesar “Skyz” Bueno and Preston “Priestahh” Greiner join the team, they will have high expectations compared to last season. 

With now four weeks of Modern Warfare 2 being released, teams have had a good amount of time to practice. So far opposing coaches have ranked the Subliners in 8th position. The middle field is tightly contested, as New York are just 14 points away from 3rd position. Given a strong start to the season, the Subliners could climb this list and be on the best sleeper teams this year!

9th: Boston Breach

Total Points Received – 62

The Boston Breach came into the CDL guns blazing in 2022, having a successful first season as a franchise. Boston was tasked with creating a squad just before the start of last season after the eleven other teams already had their rosters built out. Even with this disadvantage, the Breach were able to make CoD Champs and impress the rest of the League. Now with a full offseason, the Breach retained their core three players while adding Joseph “Owakening” Conley into the mix. This addition should help them in the firepower department and make them more of a threat in respawns!

From 3rd to 9th in the Power Ranking, the teams were all incredibly close to each other. Opposing coaches currently have the Breach just 1 point behind the Subliners in 9th place. This leaves Boston as a dark horse for Major 1 with room to move up this list with a solid performance. Watch out for the Breach to make waves at Raleigh!

10th: Florida Mutineers

Total Points Received – 35

The Florida Mutineers found themselves in a weird spot after the Vanguard season. Since the first year of franchising, Florida has had a relatively stable squad. But after mixed results during the 2022 season that saw them miss CoD Champs, they decided to make moves. Staples of the squad Cesar “Skyz” Bueno and Joseph “Owakening” Conley departed the roster, leaving behind big shoes to fill. With Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak returning to the roster, the Mutineers signed Carson “Brack” Newberry, Colt “Havok” McLendon, and Javier “Vikul” Milagro to fill out the roster.

So far into the season, Florida has had some ups and downs to start. The team will most certainly be a great SnD team but will need to be consistent enough to steal some respawn maps. Opposing coaches currently have them ranked 10th in the CDL, just above the LA Guerrillas. If they are as good as they should be in SnD, this team will have big upset potential at Major 1.

11th: Los Angeles Guerrillas

Total Points Received – 33

The Guerrillas finally found success in the CDL during the 2022 campaign. LA was able to come out victorious during a Cinderella run during Major 2. There the team was able to win the tournament all the way from Round 1 of the Lower bracket. They looked to find that success again during Modern Warfare 2, and to do that they brought in Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson to fill the Main AR role and be the leader of the squad. 

So far into the preseason, the results have been mixed. The team has been ranked 11th by opposing coaches but we have seen LAG split maps with teams in streamed scrims. Given more time to gel as a unit and their SnD is as lethal as last season, we may see the Guerrillas continue to improve and rise up the rankings!

12th: London Royal Ravens

Total Points Received – 13

The lowest team ranked in the first Modern Warfare 2 edition of the Coaches Poll Power Rankings is the London Royal Ravens. The Ravens were a underdog team in 2022, ending the season in 4th for CDL points. Sadly, the team has star SMG Marcus “Afro” Reid depart the roster and join the Minnesota Rokkr. This was a major blow for the London side, as Joey “Gismo” Owen also did not return this offseason. Instead the London team brought in two North American players, Obaid “Asim” Asim and Paul “PaulEhx” Avila to fill the empty positions. 

Over the opening weeks, the Royal Ravens have shown flashes but will need to improve in order to climb the rankings. The majority of the league is tightly packed, so with more practice the London side can climb back up the rankings quickly. So far, opposing coaches ranked the team in 12th for the preseason, just behind the LA Guerrillas. Look for the Royal Ravens to use this to fuel their fire and continue improving heading into Major 1!