SMG Player of the Year Pyramid | 1.28.26

With Major I in Dallas, Texas starting tomorrow, it’s time for the Third Edition of the SMG Player Pyramid. After weeks of online qualifiers and rapidly shifting narratives, the pecking order among the league’s SMG players is tighter than ever. Recent performances, consistency across all three modes, and overall series impact have all factored into this latest ranking.

This third edition reflects how SMGs have actually performed heading into the season’s first LAN, offering a snapshot of expectations as teams prepare for Major I. From explosive entry subs breaking hills open to objective-focused SMGs applying nonstop pressure, here’s where the CDL’s top SMG players stand entering the weekend.

The Ladder (Not Left to Right, just Tiers)

Previous Rankings:

January 8th: Post Winter Break
December 4th: Preseason

Tier 1

Chris "Simp" Lehr - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Tier 1 (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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.19 (1st)
Slayer Rating: 98.7 (3rd)
aKD: 1.22 (1st)
TES Rating: 61.4% (1st)
NTK Pct: 70.4% (1st)

Tier 2

Travis "Neptune" McCloud - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.07 (4th)
Slayer Rating: 95.0 (4th)
aKD: 1.05 (7th)
TES Rating: 59.0% (4th)
NTK Pct: 64.3% (18th)

Photo by @gentlemates

Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero - Toronto KOI

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 3-4 Record (43%), 16-15 Map Count (52%), 7th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 1:30 pm EST vs Paris Gentle Mates

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.15 (2nd)
Slayer Rating: 99.9 (1st)
aKD: 1.16 (3rd)
TES Rating: 60.5% (2nd)
NTK Pct: 67.3% (5th)

Tier 3

Amer "Pred" Zulbeari - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Up 2 Tiers)
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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.11 (3rd)
Slayer Rating: 91.8 (8th)
aKD: 1.21 (2nd)
TES Rating: 60.1% (3rd)
NTK Pct: 66.0% (14th)

📸 Photo by @FaZe_Vegas

Jovan "O4" Rodriguez - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.03 (8th)
Slayer Rating: 91.9 (7th)
aKD: 1.04 (8th)
TES Rating: 58.5% (6th)
NTK Pct: 66.9% (8th)

Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris - LA Thieves

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.04 (6th)
Slayer Rating: 86.3 (17th)
aKD: 0.99 (10th)
TES Rating: 58.6% (5th)
NTK Pct: 66.8% (9th)

Tier 4

Dylan "Envoy" Hannon - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Down 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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.96 (16th)
Slayer Rating: 90.8 (10th)
aKD: 0.94 (18th)
TES Rating: 57.5% (12th)
NTK Pct: 65.6% (16th)

Kyle "Kremp" Haworth - G2 Minnesota

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 3-4 Record (43%), 16-15 Map Count (52%), 7th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 6:00 pm EST vs FaZe Vegas

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.03 (7th)
Slayer Rating: 98.9 (2nd)
aKD: 1.07 (5th)
TES Rating: 57.7% (10th)
NTK Pct: 63.4% (20th)

📸 Photo by @G2CDL

Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez - LA Thieves

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (11th)
Slayer Rating: 91.2 (9th)
aKD: 1.09 (4th)
TES Rating: 56.7% (15th)
NTK Pct: 61.9% (23rd)

Logan "Lurqxx" Brown - 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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (10th)
Slayer Rating: 92.3 (6th)
aKD: 0.96 (16th)
TES Rating: 58.3% (8th)
NTK Pct: 66.1% (13th)

Tier 5

Saud "Exnid" Alotai - 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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.99 (13th)
Slayer Rating: 85.9 (19th)
aKD: 0.97 (13th)
TES Rating: 56.3% (16th)
NTK Pct: 64.6% (17th)

Justice "Estreal" McMillan - G2 Minnesota

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Team Record: 3-4 Record (43%), 16-15 Map Count (52%), 7th Seed in Stage I
Next Match: January 29th at 6:00 pm EST vs FaZe Vegas

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.00 (12th)
Slayer Rating: 88.3 (13th)
aKD: 0.98 (12th)
TES Rating: 57.5% (13th)
NTK Pct: 67.1% (6th)

Cuyler "Huke" Garland - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Down 2 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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.94 (17th)
Slayer Rating: 81.0 (23rd)
aKD: 0.91 (20th)
TES Rating: 55.8% (17th)
NTK Pct: 65.6% (15th)

📸 Photo by @BostonBreach

Eric "Snoopy" Pérez - Boston Breach

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.06 (5th)
Slayer Rating: 94.1 (5th)
aKD: 1.06 (6th)
TES Rating: 58.3% (7th)
NTK Pct: 67.0% (7th)

Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Down 2 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 SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.93 (18th)
Slayer Rating: 87.3 (15th)
aKD: 0.96 (14th)
TES Rating: 54.4% (24th)
NTK Pct: 63.1% (21st)