SMG Player of the Year Pyramid | 7.9.26

The lull going into the finale looks much more chaotic on the front lines. Heading into Champs, our Season SMG Player Pyramid has settled at the very top, with the true entry‑fraggers and play-makers keeping their spots after standout showings at Major IV. At the same time, the lower tiers continue to churn as new subs join the pyramid. The league’s premier SMGs have held onto the summit, but do we have a new King on the throne?

This is still a season‑long ladder, but with voters leaning into recent form, the movement at the bottom reflects which SMGs have actually earned a sustained place in the conversation. That stability won’t last, though. Champs in Las Vegas is the great equalizer, and one scorching run, or one ice‑cold exit, can rewrite reputations in a matter of days. Here’s how the SMG landscape stands before the biggest tournament of the year, with the understanding that this pyramid is about to face its toughest test yet.

The Season Ladder (Not Left to Right, just Tiers)

Previous Rankings:

May 28th: Stage IV recap
May 6th: Heading into Major III
March 26th: Pre-Major II
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

Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Up 1 Tier)
Next Match: July 16th at 3:00 pm EST vs. Toronto KOI

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.15 (1st)
Slayer Rating: 99.3 (1st)
Damage Rating: 12,463 (2nd)
aKD: 1.16 (1st)
TES Rating: 61.1% (1st)
NTK Pct: 68.0% (2nd)

Tier 2

Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez - LA Thieves

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Up 2 Tiers)
Next Match: July 16th at 4:30 pm EST vs. Riyadh Falcons

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.05 (5th)
Slayer Rating: 94.9 (5th)
Damage Rating: 11,791 (7th)
aKD: 1.10 (3rd)
TES Rating: 58.8% (8th)
NTK Pct: 65.6% (16th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Chris "Simp" Lehr - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Tier 1 (Down 1 Tier)
Next Match: July 16th at 6:00 pm EST vs. G2 Minnesota

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.10 (2nd)
Slayer Rating: 95.7 (3rd)
Damage Rating: 12,202 (3rd)
aKD: 1.10 (2nd)
TES Rating: 60.0% (2nd)
NTK Pct: 66.1% (14th)

Tier 3

Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 7:30 pm EST vs. Miami Heretics

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.04 (8th)
Slayer Rating: 93.8 (6th)
Damage Rating: 11,575 (9th)
aKD: 1.06 (7th)
TES Rating: 57.9% (12th)
NTK Pct: 66.4% (11th)

Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris - LA Thieves

Previous Tier: Tier 3 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 4:30 pm EST vs. Riyadh Falcons

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.05 (7th)
Slayer Rating: 90.8 (10th)
Damage Rating: 11,226 (19th)
aKD: 1.06 (5th)
TES Rating: 59.2% (4th)
NTK Pct: 67.9% (4th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Cuyler "Huke" Garland - OpTic Texas

Previous Tier: Tier 2 (Down 1 Tier)
Next Match: July 16th at 7:30 pm EST vs. Miami Heretics

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.05 (6th)
Slayer Rating: 91.1 (7th)
Damage Rating: 11,531 (10th)
aKD: 1.02 (11th)
TES Rating: 58.9% (6th)
NTK Pct: 66.5% (10th)

Tier 4

Kyle "Kremp" Haworth - G2 Minnesota

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 6:00 pm EST vs. FaZe Vegas

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.04 (10th)
Slayer Rating: 98.4 (2nd)
Damage Rating: 12,543 (1st)
aKD: 1.07 (4th)
TES Rating: 58.4% (9th)
NTK Pct: 65.2% (18th)

Jovan "O4" Rodriguez - FaZe Vegas

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 6:00 pm EST vs. G2 Minnesota

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.99 (14th)
Slayer Rating: 90.7 (12th)
Damage Rating: 11,441 (14th)
aKD: 0.98 (12th)
TES Rating: 58.1% (10th)
NTK Pct: 67.0% (6th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Logan "Lurqxx" Brown - Carolina Royal Ravens

Previous Tier: Tier 4 (Unchanged)

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.06 (4th)
Slayer Rating: 95.3 (4th)
Damage Rating: 12,001 (5th)
aKD: 1.04 (8th)
TES Rating: 58.9% (7th)
NTK Pct: 66.1% (13th)

Tobias "CleanX" Juul Jønsson - Toronto KOI

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Up 1 Tier)
Next Match: July 16th at 3:00 pm EST vs. Paris Gentle Mates

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.99 (15th)
Slayer Rating: 91.0 (8th)
Damage Rating: 11,935 (6th)
aKD: 0.97 (16th)
TES Rating: 57.9% (11th)
NTK Pct: 66.7% (8th)

Tier 5

Marcus "Afro" Reid - Boston Breach

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 1 Tier)

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.00 (12th)
Slayer Rating: 88.7 (17th)
Damage Rating: 11,206 (20th)
aKD: 0.97 (15th)
TES Rating: 57.4% (14th)
NTK Pct: 65.4% (17th)

Justice "Estreal" McMillan - Paris Gentle Mates

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 3:00 pm EST vs. Toronto KOI

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.04 (9h)
Slayer Rating: 90.7 (11th)
Damage Rating: 11,524 (11th)
aKD: 1.03 (10th)
TES Rating: 59.1% (5th)
NTK Pct: 68.6% (1st)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Amer "Pred" Zulbeari - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 4:30 pm EST vs. LA Thieves

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.07 (3rd)
Slayer Rating: 90.9 (9th)
Damage Rating: 11,611 (8th)
aKD: 1.06 (6th)
TES Rating: 59.4% (3rd)
NTK Pct: 67.6% (5th)

Dylan "Envoy" Hannon - G2 Minnesota

Previous Tier: Unranked (Up 1 Tier)
Next Match: July 16th at 6:00 pm EST vs. FaZe Vegas

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.91 (21st)
Slayer Rating: 88.1 (18th)
Damage Rating: 11,445 (13th)
aKD: 0.92 (19th)
TES Rating: 56.2% (18th)
NTK Pct: 63.4% (23rd)

Saud "Exnid" Alotai - Riyadh Falcons

Previous Tier: Tier 5 (Unchanged)
Next Match: July 16th at 4:30 pm EST vs. LA Thieves

Overall Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (11th)
Slayer Rating: 89.3 (15th)
Damage Rating: 11,182 (22nd)
aKD: 0.98 (13th)
TES Rating: 57.5% (13th)
NTK Pct: 65.7% (15th)