The CDL 2025 season kicks off in a few hours. Last year we saw OpTic win Champs against New York. This off-season was one of the craziest. We saw some legends of the scene retire, like Clayster. We’ve got orgs leaving the league and new orgs stepping in. The rostermania was crazy this summer, and the balance of the league got completely shifted. Will OpTic win it all again? Or will we see the newly formed LAT super team dethrone OpTic? The season can’t start without The People’s Champ ranking the teams. Below I’ll rank the teams on how well I think they’ll do and give you some flavor on them.
1. OpTic Texas (Pred, Dashy, Shotzzy, Kenny)
OpTic Texas are coming off their best season in the CDL. The defending world champions are looking to repeat this year. With Omnimovement added to this year’s iteration of CoD, Shottzy is already in MVP form. At the current meta, BO6 is an AR-dominant game. This is great for Dashy who is arguably the best AR in the league. Last year OpTic had a slow start due to being a new roster and needing to build chemistry. This year there will be no growing pains, they have the chemistry built and have the ring to prove it. I could see them running the gauntlet this year.
2. Atlanta FaZe (Cellium, Drazah, Simp, ABeZy)
FaZe went through some growing pains last year with adding Drazah to the squad. I think they needed a year to learn to play with Drazah. The trio of Cellium, Simp, & Abezy are guaranteed a major win each year. But this squad was built to win world championships, anything else is a disappointment. I think this squad has what it takes to get past OpTic.
3. Los Angeles Thieves (Scrap, Envoy, Hydra, Ghosty)
LAT made the biggest move of the offseason. They decided to build around Ghosty for the future. LAT definitely won this offseason, bringing in Scrap, Hydra, and Envoy. On paper, this is a world championship team, and folks are thinking they will dethrone OpTic. I still need to see them play before I make a claim like that myself. One thing is for sure, they have the individual talent to be a top 3 team before even hitting the server. LAT is the team I am most excited to see this opening weekend. However, don’t sound the alarm if they start out slow.
4. Los Angeles Guerillas M8 (Kismet, Lyynnz, Priestahh, Skyz)
Los Angeles Guerillas sold their spot in the CDL to Gentle Mates, an org based out of France. They came in and built themselves quite the roster. Three world champions and a rising star seems like a good formula for success if you ask me. Lyynnz should’ve been rookie of the year last year, I expect he’ll make a big jump this year. Kismet and Skyz will look to make Champs Grand Finals 3 years in a row, and they’ve got the team to do so.
5. Cloud 9 New York (Sib, Mack, Kremp, Attach)
Cloud 9 comes into the CoD scene with a championship-caliber team. Sib is one of the best flex/AR players in the CDL. Everyone has a short memory but Mack was a great player when he played for Seattle. Unfortunately he had to take a break from competing due to family issues. However, he is back and reunited with Sib. Attach is a vet with a lot of championship experience and knows what it takes to win. Kremp is getting better each year, look for this team to make some noise this season.
6. Vancouver Surge (04, Nastie, Hicksy, Abuzah)
Surge had a bad start to last season. It was a mismanaged team, Abuzah was not playing his natural role, and they had too many different playstyles on the team. Things changed when they brought in 04 and switched Abuzah to AR. They learned from their mistakes and built a team with existing chemistry. Nastie and Hicksy have teamed before, which should help this team start fast. I do think they lack some firepower when it comes to playing the top 3 teams.
7. Toronto Ultra (Insight, CleanX, Beans, JoeDeceives)
Ultra took a few steps back losing their best 2 players. It’s hard to replace generational talents like Envoy and Scrap. Insight and CleanX have a lot of chemistry built over the years. They are amazing players, but Ultra is not packing the punch they used to. JoeDeceives is a young talent who will keep getting better. In my opinion, he is one of the most underrated players in the league. Beans is great at Search, and is one of UK’s finest. On paper, this squad is lethal on SnD, which will get them wins on LAN. I’m concerned about their respawn.
8. Miami Heretics (MettalZ, Lucky, ReeaL, RenKoR)
The Spaniards came into the scene and wreaked some havoc last year. They did lose Vikul this offseason, who I thought was their best player. They started off last year on fire but lost momentum mid-season. They got hot at the end of the season but it was too late at that time. Miami plays at the fastest pace in the CDL. In a game like BO6 that will be a huge help, as speed is king in this game. I’d like to see more discipline from them this year in tight matches.
9. Minnesota ROKKR (Estreal, Gio, Nero, PaulEHx)
Minnesota is fielding a scrappy roster with quite some upside this year. Gio had a solid stint with Vegas last year, and Nero had a solid season as well. I think Estreal is the best player on this team and was highly underrated last year. Expect Estreal to make a big jump his 2nd year in the CDL. I’m not expecting this team to win championships this year, but they could cause some upsets.
10. Carolina Royal Ravens (Gwinn, SlasheR, TjHaLy, Vivid)
Gwinn is looking to build upon his Rookie of the Year season. If Carolina wants any success this year it starts and ends with Gwinn. He needs to perform better on LAN. TjHaLy and SlasheR bring veteran leadership to this team. I’m not expecting any grand finals trips out of this team.
11. Boston Breach ( Cammy, Owakening, Purj, Snoopy)
A franchise riddled with bad fortune. They went all in on Snoopy and decided to build around him. That proved to be a disaster last season. However, they aren’t giving up on the young gun just yet. They brought in purj, owakening, and Cammy. Just not a lot of firepower on this team. Cammy was an outstanding player in Cold War, but that was 4 years ago. I wouldn’t bet on him returning to that form.
12. Las Vegas Falcons (5aLDx, Exnid, KingAbody, Roxas)
It’s great news that the CDL keeps on expanding globally. Falcons is a Saudi org that has been expanding into all major e-sports. Their latest move is fielding a team in the CDL. These players don’t have much experience against CDL players though. I think they may surprise some teams with their unorthodox play at the beginning of the season. Plus they have Clayster coaching them. However, I don’t see them contending for much this year.
