Top 5 Best Call of Duty Teams of All-Time

The evolution of Call of Duty esports through the years has been quite remarkable. Tournaments and prize pools getting larger, as well as the different styles of Call of Duty being played. Most of all, fans have had the pleasure of witnessing some of the greatest dynasties the game has ever seen. In this list, we’ll be breaking down the top 5 best Call of Duty teams of all-time, going game by game as the timeframe. Interested in the top 5 players? We got you covered with our Top 5 best Call of Duty Players of All-Time!

The year of Call of Duty: Black Ops II was really the season that jump started COD esports. It was the first year of the Call of Duty World Championship, and with it came a $1M prize pool. So with the largest prize pool in the game’s history on the line, players promptly filled out the best teams possible for the event. 

The History: Karma and KiLLa, the two mainstays early in the season, joined forces with Parasite and a younger up-and-comer in MiRx. This team found instant success in the new roster, winning two events in as many weeks leading up to the ultimate tournament. 

At the World Championships, Fariko came in as the favorites, alongside EnVy and OpTic. The powerhouse squad went undefeated in group play, and managed to knock off OpTic twice and CompLexity in bracket play. Their only loss came to EnVy, who they would once again meet in the grand finals. 

The grand finals at the 2013 World Championships are still known as one of the best series to ever be played on that stage. It came down to the final map in the best-of-11 series, in which KiLLa was able to clutch a 1v1 in round 10 to win it all. The team would go on to win a fourth straight event before the eventual demise.

What made them so good: Fariko was a very unique team with four very strong personalities amongst them. But they managed to make it work when it came to game time, and essentially crushed anyone in their path at the top of their game. It was their business-like approach to their matches that constantly propelled them to victory. They will forever be known as the first Call of Duty dynasty.

The second year of franchises in Call of Duty began with the transition from 5v5 to 4v4. This led to a wild rostermania throughout the entire league. The league saw top teams being forced to make changes, including Atlanta FaZe.

The history: With this only being the second year of franchising, we have only seen a small sample size of Atlanta FaZe. A relatively successful Modern Warfare campaign ultimately ended with a second place finish in the league. 

FaZe brought in former Huntsmen player Arcitys, to join the core three of Simp, Cellium and AbeZy. The four clicked instantly and have dominated everyone in 2021. They have an absurd 30-4 match record, along with winning three out of four majors this season. 

What makes them so good: This team is pure talent. Each individual can be considered a top five player in their respective roles. This is something fans haven’t really seen since OpTic’s reign of terror back in the day. Arcitys brings much needed leadership to the team, while the other 3 players can consistently play at the top of their game, every game. They have already cemented themselves as one of the best Call of Duty teams ever, through only ¾ of the season.

CoL was coming off an insanely successful second half to the Black Ops 2 season, so expectations were sky high. There was also the introduction of Domination in the competitive rotation. This added more pressure for teams to perfect the primary gamemode, even the very best. 

The history: CompLexity would win the inaugural event in Ghosts, before the surprising release of Clayster. Black Ops 2 world champion, Karma, would join the squad, and from there, there was no looking back. 

The new squad would win their first event together at UMG Philadelphia, before the Call of Duty World Championships. CoL entered the tournament as the favorites and certainly did not disappoint. They went undefeated the entire tournament with a 24-4 map count en route to the $400,000 title. 

What made them so good: The addition of Karma brought a new temperament to the team. What was once a fiery team, became a very calm, cool and collected unit. No team since has been able to match the chemistry this team had. The duo of Aches and TeePee thrived together, with Crimsix and Karma budding as the superstars. 

Black Ops 2 was a very unique year, since it saw two teams dominate in basically two segments. Fariko reigned supreme to start the year, but CompLexity ultimately became the team to beat. 

The history: After a 4th place finish at COD Champs 2013, CompLexity brought in an up and coming superstar in Clayster from Unite Gaming. The team was faced with their biggest challenge yet, having to square off against recent world champs Impact, in the grand finals at MLG Anaheim. They completely stunned their opponents, winning their first event as a new team.

They would go on to win five of their next six events, with a second place finish as their only event loss. As a team, they won $110,000 in prize money in just the back half of the season alone.

What made them so good: Contrary to the team in Ghosts, this squad was all passion. Clayster brought in a spark that propelled himself and Aches into becoming superstars. The two of them together at LAN events were unmatched. With the screaming, trash talking and gameplay elevated everyone on the team. Meanwhile with TeePee’s consistency and Crimsix’s talent, the team was no match for anyone.  A VERY close second on the top 5 best call of duty teams of all-time.

In the first year of Sledgehammer developing COD, also came the first year of jetpacks. It created an entirely new style of play for players. The game became quicker and higher skill and chemistry were much needed.

The history: Entering Advanced Warfare, OpTic went with a whole new look surrounding Scump and Nadeshot. They added EG’s Crimsix, and arguably the best player in the previous game, Formal. 

OpTic started the year off on a fairly good note with a second place finish at MLG Columbus 2014. The squad would follow that up with three straight tournament wins before a nightmare COD Champs. Being the clear cut favorite to win it all, ultimately turned into a dismal 7th place finish. 

So in came one of the biggest roster changes in COD history. Nadeshot announced he’d be retiring from Call of Duty, after over 6 years of playing at the pro level. So in came Karma from OpTic’s b team at the time. The change only made OpTic that much better.

In the final nine events of the year, OpTic never placed outside of the top two. They won an absurd six events, with three second place finishes. Their only placing outside of the top two in 14 events (including Nade’s tenure), came at COD Champs. This also included an X Games gold medal.

What made them so good: Similar to Atlanta FaZe this year, they were all unbelievably talented at the game. It can be argued that Formal, Scump, Karma and Crimsix were the top four players in the game. How they worked together, the slaying power they had, was unlike any other team in history and still is. No one has ever dominated a single COD title like OpTic Gaming in Advanced Warfare, making them number one in the top 5 best call of duty teams of all-time.

There have been tons of great teams over the years, and there certainly will be more. Who will be the next great dynasty?