AR Player of the Year Pyramid | 1.27.26

With Major I in Dallas, Texas, just days away, it’s time for the Third Edition of the AR Player Pyramid. After weeks of online matches and shifting storylines, the hierarchy among the league’s ARs is as close as ever. Performances in qualifiers, consistency across modes, and overall impact have all played a role in shaping this latest update.

This third edition reflects how ARs have actually performed heading into the season’s first LAN, giving a picture of voters' expectations for this weekend. From main ARs anchoring rotations to flex players applying pressure with pace and damage, here’s where the CDL’s top ARs stand entering Major I.

The Ladder (Not Left to Right, just Tiers)

Previous Rankings:

January 8th: Post-Winter Break
December 3rd: Preseason

Tier 1

Daniel "Ghosty" Rothe - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 18-11 Map Count (62%), 1st Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 1:30 pm EST vs Toronto KOI

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.17 (2nd)
Slayer Rating: 90.3 (6th)
aKD: 1.13 (5th)
TES Rating: 63.2% (1st)
NTK Pct: 72.9% (2nd)

Tier 2

Mason "Mercules" Ramsay - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 1 (Down 1 Tier)
Team Record: 4-3 Record (57%), 14-13 Map Count (52%), 6th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 4:30 pm EST vs Riyadh Falcons

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.11 (6th)
Slayer Rating: 96.2 (2nd)
aKD: 1.19 (3rd)
TES Rating: 60.6% (4th)
NTK Pct: 70.0% (6th)

Photo by @OpTicTexas

McArthur "Cellium" Jovel - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 16-12 Map Count (57%), 3rd Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 4:30 pm EST vs OpTic Texas

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.13 (3rd)
Slayer Rating: 89.0 (9th)
aKD: 1.22 (2nd)
TES Rating: 61.0% (3rd)
NTK Pct: 69.8% (7th)

Tier 3

Jordan "Abuzah" François - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 16-10 Map Count (62%), 2nd Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 6:00 pm EST vs G2 Minnesota

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.18 (1st)
Slayer Rating: 93.8 (3rd)
aKD: 1.27 (1st)
TES Rating: 61.2% (2nd)
NTK Pct: 69.3% (9th)

📸 Photo by @FaZe_Vegas

Thomas "Scrap" Ernst - Los Angeles Thieves 

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 4-3 Record (57%), 14-13 Map Count (52%), 5th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 3:00 pm EST vs Carolina Royal Ravens

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.02 (11th)
Slayer Rating: 92.8 (4th)
aKD: 1.03 (11th)
TES Rating: 58.6% (10th)
NTK Pct: 69.3% (10th)

Daunte "Sib" Gray - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 18-11 Map Count (62%), 1st Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 1:30 pm EST vs Toronto KOI

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 0.96 (14th)
Slayer Rating: 89.6 (8th)
aKD: 1.05 (9th)
TES Rating: 57.1% (20th)
NTK Pct: 65.5% (20th)

Tier 4

Dylan "Nero" Koch - Carolina Royal Ravens

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 2 Tiers)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 16-13 Map Count (55%), 4th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 3:00 pm EST vs LA Thieves

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.09 (8th)
Slayer Rating: 97.2 (1st)
aKD: 1.11 (7th)
TES Rating: 59.5% (9th)
NTK Pct: 64.9% (23rd)

Kaden "Exceed" Stockdale - Carolina Royal Ravens

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 2 Tiers)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 16-13 Map Count (55%), 4th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 3:00 pm EST vs LA Thieves

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.06 (9th)
Slayer Rating: 88.8 (11th)
aKD: 1.08 (8th)
TES Rating: 59.8% (8th)
NTK Pct: 69.4% (8th)

📸 Photo by @BostonBreach

Byron "Nastie" Plumridge - Boston Breach

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 3-4 Record (43%), 15-17 Map Count (47%), 10th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 30th at 6:00 pm EST vs TBD

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.11 (5th)
Slayer Rating: 90.5 (5th)
aKD: 1.15 (4th)
TES Rating: 59.9% (7th)
NTK Pct: 71.5% (4th)

David "RenKoR" Isern - Miami Heretics

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 3-4 Record (43%), 15-15 Map Count (50%), 9th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 30th at 3:00 pm EST vs TBD

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.12 (4th)
Slayer Rating: 87.7 (12th)
aKD: 1.02 (12th)
TES Rating: 60.6% (5th)
NTK Pct: 70.1% (5th)

Tier 5

Brandon "Dashy" Otell - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Down 3 Tiers)
Team Record: 4-3 Record (57%), 14-13 Map Count (52%), 6th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 4:30 pm EST vs Riyadh Falcons

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (12th)
Slayer Rating: 85.9 (14th)
aKD: 0.98 (14th)
TES Rating: 58.5% (11th)
NTK Pct: 67.8% (12th)

Zach "Drazah" Jordan - Atlanta FaZe

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 16-10 Map Count (62%), 2nd Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 6:00 pm EST vs G2 Minnesota

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 0.94 (19th)
Slayer Rating: 81.5 (20th)
aKD: 0.93 (19th)
TES Rating: 57.2% (18th)
NTK Pct: 65.4% (21st)

📸 Photo by @LAThieves

Kenneth "Kenny" Williams - Los Angeles Thieves 

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 4-3 Record (57%), 14-13 Map Count (52%), 5th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 3:00 pm EST vs Carolina Royal Ravens

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 0.96 (15th)
Slayer Rating: 86.7 (13th)
aKD: 1.01 (13th)
TES Rating: 57.9% (13th)
NTK Pct: 65.2% (22nd)

Diego "SupeR" Escudero - Miami Heretics

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 3-4 Record (43%), 15-15 Map Count (50%), 9th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 30th at 3:00 pm EST vs TBD

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 1.10 (7th)
Slayer Rating: 82.5 (18th)
aKD: 1.12 (6th)
TES Rating: 60.2% (6th)
NTK Pct: 72.3% (3rd)

Matthew "KiSMET" Tinsley - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 1 Tier)
Team Record: 5-2 Record (71%), 16-12 Map Count (57%), 3rd Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 4:30 pm EST vs OpTic Texas

Overall Stats (Active AR Ranks)
KD: 0.95 (17th)
Slayer Rating: 82.0 (19th)
aKD: 0.96 (16th)
TES Rating: 57.2% (19th)
NTK Pct: 68.1% (11th)