CDL Coaches Poll: Stage 2
Welcome back to the CDL Coaches Poll brought to you by Breaking Point. We have again reached out to all 12 CDL coaching staffs around the league to get their thoughts on the current team Power Rankings. We will continue to conduct these polls before and after each major tournament this season. 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:
- 11 points
- 10 points
- 9 points
- 8 points
- 7 points
- 6 points
- 5 points
- 4 points
- 3 points
- 2 points
- 1 points
Disclaimer: I did not vote in the Poll for Atlanta, as I was the one to conduct the poll. RJ completed the poll for Atlanta to avoid any conflict. The data was checked to ensure it was not compromised.
Time for Stage 2
Major 1 was peak Call of Duty on the big stage. The LAN tournament pulled prenominal viewership while showcasing great Call of Duty and having a sold out crowd. OpTic Texas was flawless at the Major, taking the first tournament after going 4-0 and beating the Atlanta FaZe 5-2 in the Grand Finals. It was a perfect first Major for the CDL 2022 season and the CDL will look to build upon this foundation in Stage 2!
The CDL Coaches Power Ranking (January 2022)
1st: OpTic Texas 
Total Points Received – 120
Previous Ranking – T-3rd (
2)
After struggling a bit to begin the season, OpTic Texas have been on fire. They are currently on a 8 series win streak and are the clear-cut #1 team in the CDL. This star-studded roster is firing on all cylinders, as all four players currently have a positive overall KD. Brandon “Dashy” Otell has been in MVP form, finishing Stage 1 with a 1.18 overall KD while leading the League in Control KD with a 1.33. After starting Stage 2 with a victory over LA Thieves, OpTic Texas is poised to continue their terrific form.
2nd: Atlanta FaZe 
Total Points Received – 112
Previous Ranking – 1st (
1)
Atlanta FaZe started the first Stage 5-0 in the qualifiers, but ended up falling twice to OpTic Texas at the Major. The reigning World Champions have struggled to expand their map pool in Hardpoint and Control, but still find themselves with a 9-3 series record. After falling to the Seattle Surge in the first week of Stage 2, they will have to regain form and find success in respawns in their four remaining qualifier matches.
3rd: London Royal Ravens 
Total Points Received – 97
Previous Ranking – T-3rd (
)
The London Royal Ravens continue to showcase their immense potential, placing 3rd at Major 1 and starting Stage 2 2-0 with victories over New York Subliners & LA Thieves. Trei “Zer0” Morris has been a catalysis for their success, finishing Stage 1 with a 1.07 overall KD and following that up with a 1.12 so far in Stage 2. If the veteran AR can continue with this form while providing extremely valuable leadership, there is no reason not to have this team as a continuous championship contender.
4th: Los Angeles Thieves 
Total Points Received – 87
Previous Ranking – 2nd (2)
LA Thieves went into Major 1 as one of the favorite to take the title, but failed to reach the Grand Finals. Kenneth “Kenny” Williams had a terrific Stage 1, finishing with a 1.04 overall KD and 83.52 slayer Rating. Unfortunately, the Thieves were reverse swept by the Atlanta FaZe to be knocked out of Major 1 and have struggled in Stage 2. After losses to London Royal Ravens and OpTic Texas, they find themselves 0-2 and must win all three remaining matches to make it to the Upper Bracket of Major 2. It will be a long road ahead, but this team has the talent to do it.
5th: Toronto Ultra 
Total Points Received – 85
Previous Ranking – 5th ()
The Toronto Ultra are one of the hardest teams to read during the 2022 CDL season. The Ultra managed to finish Top 4 at Major 1 while failing to win a single hardpoint. Every single player finished with a negative overall KD, but they did find some success in SnD. Jamie “Insight” Craven has led the way in the mode, finishing with a 1.16 SnD KD while making insane highlight plays with the sniper. The team continued rolling in Stage 2, taking down the Minnesota Rokkr 3-1 to start the stage 1-0. If they can fix their Hardpoint woes, this Ultra squad will rocket up the power rankings.
6th: Boston Breach 
Total Points Received – 58
Previous Ranking – 8th (2)
The surprise of Stage 1 has to go to the Boston Breach. They finished 2-3 in the qualifier matches to just make it into the Upper Bracket. Once at the Major they solidified their spot in the Top 6 with victories over the Florida Mutineers and Paris Legion while also taking Toronto Ultra to Map 5. Anthony “Methodz” Zinni led the way for the Breach, finishing with a team high 1.02 overall KD and 1.03 KD in Hardpoint. The team continued form in Stage 2, taking down the Seattle Surge 3-1 while Kenyen “Capsidal” Sutton set the Hardpoint kill record with 54 kills in a map. This is certainly a team to keep an eye out for in the future.
7th: Seattle Surge 
Total Points Received – 56
Previous Ranking – 6th (1)
Seattle was a very puzzling team during the course of Stage 1. They started strong, going 3-0 over the first three matches. To end the qualifying though, they’d drop back to back matches to finish 3-2 but still secured an Upper Bracket start. At the Major, they’d dropped two straight matches to place last while the rookies really struggled to get going. While they again started Stage 2 slower, they upset Atlanta FaZe 3-2 on Saturday. That victory could prove to be a turning point for the Surge, as they look to find more success during Stage 2.
8th: Minnesota RĆKKRĀ 
Total Points Received – 54
Previous Ranking – 7th (1)
Minnesota Rokkr had a disappointing Stage 1 for their standards. They finished 2-3 and unfortunately had to start in the Lower Bracket at Major 1. A victory over LA Guerrillas secured a Top 8 finish but the Rokkr will be looking for more. They started okay in Stage 2, falling to the Toronto Ultra but convincingly beating the Paris Legion. With the new role switch between Dillon “Attach” Price and Preston “Priestahh” Greiner, this Rokkr squad could reach new heights in Stage 2.
9th: Florida Mutineers 
Total Points Received – 48
Previous Ranking – 10th (1)
The Florida Mutineers are finding form! After a disappointing Stage 1, which saw the squad place last in the League, Florida needed to start Stage 2 much better. They came into the qualifiers on fire, beating both the LA Guerrillas and New York Subliners 3-0 to start Stage 2 2-0. The duo of Cesar “Skyz” Bueno and Joseph “Owakening” Conley have found superstar form, having a 1.35 and 1.39 overall KD in Stage 2 so far. Every single player currently has a 1.08 overall KD or better on Florida, as they are excelling in all three modes.
10th: Los Angeles Guerrillas 
Total Points Received – 43
Previous Ranking – 7th (3)
The LA Guerrillas were pre-season dark horse picks by many within the CDL. The mixture of slaying talent and veteran leadership was thought to be a great mixture that could produce a top 6 team. This hasn’t come to fruition as the team as struggled to break through into the top 6. After finishing 2-3 in the Stage 1 qualifier matches, the team just got into the Upper Bracket for Major 1. But the squad dropped back-to-back matches to finish top 12 at the Major. This was a big disappointment for the LAG camp, but they will look for improvements in Stage 2. After starting week 1 with 1 1-1 record, there are many bright spots for the team to build off of and continue improving.
11th: Paris Legion 
Total Points Received – 17
Previous Ranking – 12th (1)
The Paris Legion started the season very slowly, going 0-5 in the qualifying matches for Major 1. They’d make the call for a change, bringing Tom “GRVTY” Malin into the roster to spark some momentum. They’d shock many at the Major with the 3-2 victory over the Seattle Surge to net a top 8 placement at Major 1. The squad made another change before Stage 2, bringing in Bryan “Jimbo” Sabman to strengthen the SMG line. This hasn’t had the desired results, as Paris has dropped both matches during Week 1 but have another some signs of life. If Jimbo can improve going into Week 2, this Legion roster can be a dark horse for upsets.
12th: New York SublinersĀ 
Total Points Received – 15
Previous Ranking – 11th (1)
There isn’t much to say about this New York Subliners roster. They were disappointing in Stage 1, finishing the qualifiers with a 1-4 record and then lost to LA Thieves 3-0 at the Major. During the first week of Stage 2, the Subliners again struggled. Losses to London 3-1 and Florida 3-0 pit NY in a early 0-2 hole to start. With roster changes already being rumored, it could provide the Subliners a spark to build momentum off of. This is still a very talented roster that should be able to find performance. Given more time and some changes within the squad, it would not be shocking to see this team reach top 6 in the near future.
