2015 NXL season
The 2015 NXL season was the first season of the relaunched National Xball League national paintball circuit. Three tournaments took place in the United States: the Great Lakes Open, Virginia Beach Open and World Cup. [1][2]
Edmonton Impact won the professional season championship after winning the opening two events. San Diego Dynasty won World Cup and finished second overall, one point ahead of San Antonio X-Factor. Seattle Uprising won the Semi-Pro season championship. [2]
Background and relationship with PSP
[edit]The NXL returned as a national professional and amateur tournament series in 2015. Contemporary coverage described a new ownership structure and a three-event calendar, while Paintball Sports Promotions had suspended its remaining season. [1][3]
The NXL introduced its own competition programme and rules, including timed X-Ball matches in place of PSP's RaceTo structure. It used the American Paintball Players Association classification and registration system. [1]
The NXL season standings comprise its three tournaments. The 2015 PSP Dallas Open was a separate PSP event and was not included in the NXL championship totals. [2]
Calendar
[edit]| Round | Event | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 NXL Great Lakes Open | 5–7 June 2015 | Victory Park, North Ridgeville, Ohio |
| 2 | 2015 NXL Virginia Beach Open | 7–9 August 2015 | Hunt Club, Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| 3 | 2015 NXL World Cup | 15–18 October 2015 | West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida |
Sources: PBLeagues event records. [4][5][6]
The Virginia Beach tournament was initially advertised as the Mid-Atlantic Open. The final event records use Virginia Beach Open. [5][7]
Formats and rules
[edit]The league offered timed five-player X-Ball in Professional, Semi-Pro and Divisions 2–4. Conventional five-player competition, pump competition and Open ten-player competition were also included during the season. [1][2]
The launch announcement prohibited coaching and specified a nominal firing-rate limit of ten balls per second, with electronic readings of up to 10.5 balls per second accepted. It also announced live webcasts for the events. [1]
Virginia Beach registration records listed 16-minute X-Ball matches across Professional, Semi-Pro and Divisions 2–4. Conventional five-player games were listed at five minutes and ten-player games at ten minutes. [5]
World Cup additionally recorded Open X-Ball, Division 5 five-player and Masters competition. [8]
Professional competition
[edit]Sixteen professional teams competed at each event. Impact defeated the field at both Great Lakes and Virginia Beach, with San Antonio X-Factor finishing second at both tournaments. Dynasty won World Cup ahead of Houston Heat. [2]
| Event | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes Open | Edmonton Impact | San Antonio X-Factor |
| Virginia Beach Open | Edmonton Impact | San Antonio X-Factor |
| World Cup | San Diego Dynasty | Houston Heat |
Source: PBLeagues season results. [2]
Impact finished sixth at World Cup but retained the season championship with 540 points. Dynasty finished on 494 points and X-Factor on 493. [2]
Leading professional season standings
[edit]| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Impact | 540 |
| 2 | San Diego Dynasty | 494 |
| 3 | San Antonio X-Factor | 493 |
| 4 | Houston Heat | 471 |
| 5 | ac DALLAS | 426 |
Source: PBLeagues complete season standings. [2]
Divisional event winners
[edit]The table distinguishes tournament victories from overall season championships. A dash indicates that the category has no result listed for that event. [8][9][10]
| Category | Great Lakes | Virginia Beach | World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-Pro X-Ball | Distortion | Seattle Uprising | Seattle Uprising |
| Division 2 X-Ball | AAF | Miami Rage | Montreal Image |
| Division 3 X-Ball | DZ AllStars | Proedge Army | HOUSTON HATE |
| Division 4 X-Ball | Houston Notorious FSU | DBS Supersonics | Capital Edge DMG Titanium |
| Open ten-player | Storm Riders | Inman Eagles | Avalanche |
| Division 3 five-player | — | Maryland Militia | Maryland Militia |
| Division 4 five-player | Pekin Prestige | Scumdogs | Jungle Bears |
| Open pump five-player | — | The Loony Toons | Dirtbags |
| Division 5 five-player | — | — | weR1 |
| Open X-Ball | — | — | San Diego Dynasty |
| Masters five-player | — | — | Bad Company Masters |
Divisional season champions
[edit]Seattle Uprising won the Semi-Pro championship after finishing second at Great Lakes and winning Virginia Beach and World Cup. [2]
Other champions in categories contested at multiple events were: [2]
| Category | Season champion | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Division 2 X-Ball | Brooklyn Bears | 271.15 |
| Division 3 X-Ball | DZ AllStars | 254.66 |
| Division 4 X-Ball | DBS Supersonics | 284.88 |
| Open ten-player | ROGUE | 206.63 |
| Division 3 five-player | Maryland Militia | 200 |
| Division 4 five-player | Pittsburgh Bombers | 246.91 |
| Open pump five-player | The Loony Toons | 140 |
Open X-Ball and Division 5 five-player appear in the season standings through World Cup alone, led respectively by Dynasty and weR1. Their listings should be distinguished from championships accumulated across multiple tournaments. [2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- John Amodea, Paintball Media – The New NXL: Everything You Need To Know, 1 May 2015.
- PBLeagues – National XBall League: complete 2015 season standings and event placings.
- Paintball Magazine – Coverage of the relaunched NXL, July 2015, p. 22.
- PBLeagues – Great Lakes Open: dates and Victory Park venue, 5–7 June 2015.
- PBLeagues – Virginia Beach Open: dates, Hunt Club venue and formats, 7–9 August 2015.
- PBLeagues – World Cup: dates and Kissimmee venue, 15–18 October 2015.
- Paintball Media – NXL Mid-Atlantic Open: Virginia Beach event announcement, August 2015.
- PBLeagues – 2015 World Cup: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2015 Great Lakes Open: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2015 Virginia Beach Open: final results.