Vanguard was one of the most competitive seasons in the history of the Call of Duty League. Every Major had a different team raising a trophy and only one team throughout the entire year won back-to-back. With the 2022 season behind us and the Modern Warfare 2 season already beginning, it’s time to look back on the best of the best.
From miracle runs to last-minute glow-ups, here are the teams that impressed us the most during the 2022 Vanguard season.
Most successful CDL teams in 2022 season
L.A. Thieves
The newly crowned world champions deserve a spot on this list for their resilience as a team and how they were able to click at the right moments. After a rocky year with both highs and lows, the L.A. Thieves started clicking during Major Four and were able to not only secure their spot at champs but also lift the first trophy under the LAT banner.
With only a few weeks between Major Four and Champs, L.A. Thieves had the perfect opportunity to capitalize on their momentum and they did just that. They played almost flawlessly throughout the entire tournament to make it to a grand final through the upper bracket. Thieves came close to sweeping Atlanta FaZe in the finals but settled for a 5-2 victory and locked in their first-ever championship rings.
Atlanta FaZe
Despite not winning a single event in Vanguard the Atlanta FaZe boys still deserve a tip of the hat. They were present in almost every grand final of the year, losing to OpTic Texas, L.A. Guerrillas, Seattle Surge, and the L.A. Thieves to become the runner-up kings.
It was FaZe’s teamwork and dedication to the game that allowed them to stay consistent at the time. While they may not have risen a trophy during Vanguard they still left their mark on the scene as undoubtedly one of the best teams in the game.
Seattle Surge
The organization that had become synonymous with last place turned things around in 2022. They were able to sign two of the best rookies during the off-season and acquire veteran talent to form their new roster. This combination proved to be exactly what Seattle needed to move in a new direction. The team had its ups and downs but consistently push even the best teams to their limits.
Seattle won the organization’s first trophy at the Toronto Major and rounded out the year with an impressive third-place finish at the world championship. It may not have been the finish the team was looking for, but from the organization that missed champs altogether the year before, this was a massive improvement.
OpTic Texas
OpTic has always been the fan favorites regardless of the title, but Vanguard was a special time for the organization. They had put together a “super team” after absorbing the Dallas Empire and were the strongest team heading into the first Major. OpTic would go on to win the first tournament of the year in front of a home crowd, although the team failed to recapture that success later in the year.
Still, the Texas boys were never to be counted out and were always able to make a run at the Major events. They even finished third at the Pro-Am Classic and would end the year with back-to-back fourth-place finishes at Major Four and Champs.
