SMG Player of the Year Pyramid | 3.25.26

With Major II fast approaching at DreamHack Birmingham, the race for SMG Player of the Year has taken a new turn. Stage II has been a proving ground for the league’s fastest and fiercest gunners, where momentum swings and clutch series have redrawn the map of elite SMG play. The field is tighter than ever, and with form from Stage I and the opening Major factoring in, every engagement now carries extra weight for season-long recognition.

In this latest edition of the Season SMG Player Pyramid, a new face rises to the top and claims the crown, signaling a shift in the hierarchy as others climb or slip down the ranks. From aggressive entries setting the tempo to hybrid subs thriving in every role, this update captures how each star is shaping the pace of the CDL heading into Major II.

The Ladder (Not Left to Right, just Tiers)

Previous Rankings:

March 5th: Mid-Major II Qualifiers
February 12th: Pre-Major II Qualifiers
January 28th: Pre-Major I
January 8th: Post Winter Break
December 4th: Preseason

BP Power Rankings are brought to you by PrizePicks. Click HERE for $50 when you make your first $5 pick

Tier 1

Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Up1 Tier)
Team Record: 17-5 Record (77%), 57-27 Map Count (68%), 1st in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 1:00 pm EST vs. the winner of Toronto/Vancouver

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.03 (8th)
Slayer Rating: 92.9 (7th)
Damage Rating: 11,254 (18th)
aKD: 1.08 (4th)
TES Rating: 57.3% (13th)
NTK Pct: 65.8% (12th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Tier 2

Cuyler "Huke" Garland - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 17-5 Record (77%), 57-27 Map Count (68%), 1st in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 1:00 pm EST vs. the winner of Toronto/Vancouver

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.02 (9th)
Slayer Rating: 88.9 (14th)
Damage Rating: 11,388 (12th)
aKD: 0.98 (12th)
TES Rating: 58.3% (9th)
NTK Pct: 66.0% (10th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Chris "Simp" Lehr - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Tier 1 (Down 1 Tier)
Team Record: 15-9 Record (63%), 52-40 Map Count (57%), 3rd in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 11:30 am EST vs LA Thieves

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.12 (2nd)
Slayer Rating: 97.1 (3rd)
Damage Rating: 12,406 (1st)
aKD: 1.13 (1st)
TES Rating: 60.0% (2nd)
NTK Pct: 66.6% (7th)

Tier 3

Travis "Neptune" McCloud - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Down 1 Tier)
Team Record: 13-10 Record (57%), 52-45 Map Count (54%), 2nd in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 10:00 am EST vs Carolina Royal Ravens

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.06 (5th)
Slayer Rating: 94.5 (6th)
Damage Rating: 11,821 (5th)
aKD: 1.05 (5th)
TES Rating: 59.0% (4th)
NTK Pct: 65.3% (13th)

Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero - Toronto KOI

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 8-12 Record (40%), 35-39 Map Count (47%), 9th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 10:00 am EST vs Vancouver Surge

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.12 (1st)
Slayer Rating: 97.7 (1st)
Damage Rating: 12,334 (2nd)
aKD: 1.11 (3rd)
TES Rating: 60.1% (1st)
NTK Pct: 68.9% (1st)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Amer "Pred" Zulbeari - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Up1 Tier)
Team Record: 12-9 Record (57%), 45-37 Map Count (55%), 7th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 1:00 pm EST vs G2 Minnesota

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.09 (3rd)
Slayer Rating: 91.6 (8th)
Damage Rating: 11,596 (8th)
aKD: 1.12 (2nd)
TES Rating: 59.8% (3rd)
NTK Pct: 68.1% (2nd)

Tier 4

Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez - LA Thieves

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Down 1 Tier)
Team Record: 12-9 Record (57%), 43-36 Map Count (54%), 4th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 11:30 am EST vs FaZe Vegas

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.06 (6th)
Slayer Rating: 94.7 (5th)
Damage Rating: 11,621 (7th)
aKD: 1.05 (6th)
TES Rating: 58.4% (8th)
NTK Pct: 64.7% (16th)

Logan "Lurqxx" Brown - Carolina Royal Ravens

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 11-9 Record (55%), 37-39 Map Count (49%), 8th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 10:00 am EST vs Paris Gentle Mates

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.06 (4th)
Slayer Rating: 95.3 (4th)
Damage Rating: 11,905 (4th)
aKD: 1.02 (9th)
TES Rating: 58.9% (5th)
NTK Pct: 66.1% (9th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris - LA Thieves

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 12-9 Record (57%), 43-36 Map Count (54%), 4th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 11:30 am EST vs FaZe Vegas

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.02 (11th)
Slayer Rating: 88.0 (16th)
Damage Rating: 10,999 (22nd)
aKD: 1.00 (11th)
TES Rating: 58.6% (6th)
NTK Pct: 66.4% (8th)

Kyle "Kremp" Haworth - G2 Minnesota

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 11-11 Record (50%), 44-41 Map Count (52%), 5th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 1:00 pm EST vs Riyadh Falcons

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.02 (12th)
Slayer Rating: 97.7 (2nd)
Damage Rating: 12,319 (3rd)
aKD: 1.03 (7th)
TES Rating: 57.7% (12th)
NTK Pct: 63.5% (19th)

Tier 5

Nicolas "Traixx" Monaco - Miami Heretics

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 12-8 Record (57%), 46-34 Map Count (58%), 6th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 11:30 am EST vs. the winner of Carolina/Paris

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (13th)
Slayer Rating: 89.9 (11th)
Damage Rating: 11,569 (9th)
aKD: 1.02 (8th)
TES Rating: 58.0% (10th)
NTK Pct: 68.0% (3rd)

Saud "Exnid" Alotai - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 12-9 Record (57%), 45-37 Map Count (55%), 7th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 1:00 pm EST vs G2 Minnesota

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.03 (7th)
Slayer Rating: 89.7 (12th)
Damage Rating: 11,373 (13th)
aKD: 0.97 (14th)
TES Rating: 57.8% (11th)
NTK Pct: 65.0% (14th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Justice "Estreal" McMillan - G2 Minnesota

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 11-11 Record (50%), 44-41 Map Count (52%), 5th in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 1:00 pm EST vs Riyadh Falcons

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.02 (10th)
Slayer Rating: 90.0 (10th)
Damage Rating: 11,540 (10th)
aKD: 1.02 (10th)
TES Rating: 58.4% (7th)
NTK Pct: 67.8% (4th)

Jovan "O4" Rodriguez - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 15-9 Record (63%), 52-40 Map Count (57%), 3rd in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 11:30 am EST vs LA Thieves

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.94 (17th)
Slayer Rating: 86.9 (18th)
Damage Rating: 11,153 (20th)
aKD: 0.92 (16th)
TES Rating: 56.9% (16th)
NTK Pct: 67.4% (5th)

Dylan "Envoy" Hannon - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Down 1 Tier)
Team Record: 13-10 Record (57%), 52-45 Map Count (54%), 2nd in Season Standings
Next Match: March 27th at 10:00 am EST vs Carolina Royal Ravens

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.90 (20th)
Slayer Rating: 86.2 (21st)
Damage Rating: 11,320 (14th)
aKD: 0.88 (23rd)
TES Rating: 56.1% (19th)
NTK Pct: 64.1% (18th)