2022 NXL season
The 2022 NXL season was the United States tournament season of the National Xball League. The calendar comprised four majors and two minor events. San Diego Dynasty won the professional season championship, Austin Notorious earned promotion from Semi-Pro, and The Heroines won the inaugural Women's National Xball League season championship.[1][14]
Calendar
[edit]Both minor events included professional competition. Unlike the previous season's Golden State Open, the 2022 event had a professional division contributing towards the US professional standings.[1][9][11]
| Dates | Event | Classification | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11–13 March 2022 | 2022 NXL Sunshine State Major | Major | 6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida.[2] |
| 29 April–1 May 2022 | 2022 NXL Lone Star Open | Minor | Giant Party Sports Paintball & Airsoft Park, Allen, Texas.[3] |
| 17–19 June 2022 | 2022 NXL Mid-Atlantic Major | Major | 547 Royersford Road, Royersford, Pennsylvania.[4] |
| 5–7 August 2022 | 2022 NXL Golden State Open | Minor | Capital Edge Paintball Park, Sacramento, California.[5] |
| 9–11 September 2022 | 2022 NXL Windy City Major | Major | Chicago Gaelic Park, Oak Forest, Illinois.[6] |
| 10–13 November 2022 | 2022 NXL World Cup | Major | 6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida.[7] |
Formats and scoring
[edit]The season combined professional, Semi-Pro and divisional X-Ball with separate five-player, three-player, amateur ten-player and mechanical seven-player competitions. The programme varied by event.[2–7]
At the Sunshine State Major, professional and WNXL matches used 15-minute playing times and a six-point mercy limit. Semi-Pro and Division 2 used 15 minutes and a five-point mercy limit; Divisions 3 and 4 used 12 minutes and a four-point mercy limit; and Division 5 used ten minutes and a three-point mercy limit.[2]
Separate five-player games had five-minute limits and three-player games had three-minute limits. Amateur ten-player and mechanical seven-player games had ten-minute limits.[2]
Professional standings counted five results, with no more than one from a minor event. Semi-Pro and Division 2 counted four; Divisions 3–4 X-Ball and five-player counted three; Division 5 X-Ball and five-player counted two. Amateur three-player counted three and Division 5 three-player counted two. World Cup awarded double ranking points.[1]
Champions Cup
[edit]The World Cup introduced the professional Champions Cup. San Diego Dynasty, Houston Heat and Edmonton Impact received preliminary-round byes, alongside European champions Toulouse TonTons. Other entrants competed for places in the knockout rounds. Dynasty won the final against Tampa Bay Damage.[14]
Professional competition
[edit]San Diego Dynasty won three events, Edmonton Impact won two and Tampa Bay Damage won one.[8–13]
| Event | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine State Major | San Diego Dynasty | Latin Saints |
| Lone Star Open | Tampa Bay Damage | Edmonton Impact |
| Mid-Atlantic Major | San Diego Dynasty | Houston Heat |
| Golden State Open | Edmonton Impact | Los Angeles Ironmen |
| Windy City Major | Edmonton Impact | Red Legion |
| World Cup | San Diego Dynasty | Tampa Bay Damage |
Sources: official event results.[8–13]
Final professional standings
[edit]| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Dynasty | 1,123 |
| 2 | Houston Heat | 1,006 |
| 3 | Edmonton Impact | 1,002 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Damage | 912 |
| 5 | San Antonio X-Factor | 805 |
Source: official season standings.[1]
Divisional event results
[edit]The following tables identify event winners. Event victories and season championships were separate awards.
X-Ball
[edit]| Division | Sunshine State | Lone Star | Mid-Atlantic | Golden State | Windy City | World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-Pro | PaintballFIT.com | Blast Camp | Blast Camp | Manawatu Titans | Blast Camp | Austin Notorious |
| Division 2 | Leverage | KC Missouri Allstars | Leverage | Vegas Brawlers | STRUGGLE | Vegas Golden Misfits |
| Division 3 | New York Wrecking Crew | Texas Cyclone | New York Wrecking Crew | Sac DMG | New York Wrecking Crew | Wisconsin Infamous |
| Division 4 | Hooties Paintball | Houston Zone | Tribe | DMG GANG | Tribe | THE FARM D4 |
| Division 5 | PRALLSTARZ | Storm Riders | Wolves 5 | All Mixed Up Gold AMU | SBS | SBS |
Sources: official event results; team names follow the respective event listings.[8–13]
Five-player
[edit]| Division | Sunshine State | Lone Star | Mid-Atlantic | Golden State | Windy City | World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division 3 | Palm Beach Vipers | GREED | Palm Beach Vipers | DMG Family | Palm Beach Vipers | Leftovers |
| Division 4 | South Florida STORM | ARF Storm Riders | Hostile Ground | Alliance | MW TRIBE | TKO Texas KnockOut |
| Division 5 | Asian Assassins | Texas Titans Black | Arsenal XL | Bay Area Bad Company D5 | Dropouts | NW EPIC |
Sources: official event results.[8–13]
Other formats
[edit]| Division or format | Sunshine State | Lone Star | Mid-Atlantic | Golden State | Windy City | World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur ten-player | Extreme Rage | Not contested | Extreme Rage | Not contested | Extreme Rage | PHILIPPINES |
| Mechanical Open seven-player | Extreme Rage | MAXT | Extreme Rage | Sac Street Fighters | MAXT | Separate Mounds competitions |
| Women's Open three-player | DESTINY | Valkyries | Journey | Journey | Journey | Shenannies |
| Amateur three-player | Didn't Make It First Round | Innocent Bystanders | Didn't Make It First Round | Devoted | Outlaw Anodizing Red | Team Crowley |
| Novice/Division 5 three-player | Annihilators 3 man | Midwest Ropers | Blackhawks 2 | PRIME SUSPECTS SEMO | SHAKEDOWN | Annihilators D5 3 man |
Sources: official event results. The lowest three-player division was labelled Novice at the first five events and Division 5 at World Cup.[8–13]
World Cup also included mechanical Mounds competitions. All Americans won Open ten-player, Adrenaline won Open seven-player, Extreme Rage won Classic Cup seven-player, and All Americans 5 won Open five-player. Infamous Kidz won Youth five-player, while Marines won the Commander's Cup X-Ball competition.[13]
Season champions
[edit]| Division or format | Champion | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Professional X-Ball | San Diego Dynasty | 1,123 |
| Semi-Pro X-Ball | Austin Notorious | 482 |
| Division 2 X-Ball | KC Missouri Allstars | 481 |
| Division 3 X-Ball | Wisconsin Infamous | 370 |
| Division 4 X-Ball | CSP FACTORY | 362 |
| Division 5 X-Ball | SBS | 300 |
| Amateur ten-player | PHILIPPINES | 485 |
| Division 3 five-player | Palm Beach Vipers | 392 |
| Division 4 five-player | Papeletto Team | 357 |
| Division 5 five-player | Dropouts | 286 |
| Women's Open three-player | JOURNEY | 472 |
| Amateur three-player | Team Crowley | 376 |
| Division 5 three-player | SHAKEDOWN | 237.6 |
Source: official season standings. Names follow the season listings, which can differ from individual event listings.[1]
Promotion and relegation
[edit]Austin Notorious won the Semi-Pro World Cup final 5–3 against PaintballFIT.com, securing the season title and promotion for 2023. The teams finished one ranking point apart. Sacramento DMG were relegated after losing their World Cup knockout match against Seattle Uprising.[14]
Inaugural WNXL season
[edit]Following the 2021 exhibition, the Women's National Xball League held its first full season in 2022. Its three events were Sunshine State, Mid-Atlantic and World Cup.[8][10][13][15]
| Event | Winner | Runner-up | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine State Major | Dallas Vibe | Destiny | 5–3 |
| Mid-Atlantic Major | The Heroines | Destiny | 5–2 |
| World Cup | The Heroines | Destiny | 2–1 |
Sources: contemporary league reports.[14–16]
Dallas Vibe won the opener with a 6–0 match record. The Heroines then went unbeaten at Mid-Atlantic.[15][16]
The Heroines won both World Cup and the inaugural WNXL season championship. Destiny reached all three finals. Shieldmaidens and Suricatos joined the competition at World Cup, expanding its field from six teams to eight.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- PBLeagues – National Xball League: 2022 season rankings.
- PBLeagues – Sunshine State Major: event information, 11–13 March 2022.
- PBLeagues – Lone Star Open: event information, 29 April–1 May 2022.
- PBLeagues – Mid-Atlantic Major: event information, 17–19 June 2022.
- PBLeagues – Golden State Open: event information, 5–7 August 2022.
- PBLeagues – Windy City Major: event information, 9–11 September 2022.
- PBLeagues – World Cup: event information, 10–13 November 2022.
- PBLeagues – 2022 Sunshine State Major: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2022 Lone Star Open: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2022 Mid-Atlantic Major: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2022 Golden State Open: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2022 Windy City Major: final results.
- PBLeagues – 2022 World Cup: final results.
- National Xball League and Iconic Paintball – The NXL World Cup Event Recap, Dynasty Wins! Season Title Races Decided, 25 November 2022.
- National Xball League and Iconic Paintball – 2022 NXL Sunshine State Major Recap: Dynasty wins, G.I. Sportz dominates X-Ball in a history first!, 21 March 2022.
- National Xball League – WNXL Mid-Atlantic Major Recap, Heroines Shine, 25 June 2022.