Editing 2021 NXL season

The '''2021 NXL season''' was the United States tournament season of the [[National Xball League]]. Its calendar comprised four major events and two minor events. [[San Diego Dynasty]] won the professional season championship, while [[New Orleans Hurricanes]] won the Semi-Pro championship and earned promotion to the professional division for 2022. The season also included the first [[Women's National Xball League]] exhibition at the World Cup.[1][7][14][15]

== Calendar ==

The professional and Semi-Pro championship schedules comprised the four majors. The Lone Star Am Open and Golden State Open provided additional divisional competition; Golden State also staged an Open X-Ball division.[1–7]

{| class="wikitable"
! Dates !! Event !! Classification !! Venue
|-
| 19–21 March 2021
| [[2021 NXL Lone Star Am Open]]
| Minor
| Giant Party Sports Paintball & Airsoft Park, Allen, Texas.[2]
|-
| 30 April–2 May 2021
| [[2021 NXL Sunshine State Major]]
| Major
| Brown Ranch, 5000 Oren Brown Road, Kissimmee, Florida.[3]
|-
| 25–27 June 2021
| [[2021 NXL Mid-Atlantic Major]]
| Major
| 547 Royersford Road, Royersford, Pennsylvania.[4]
|-
| 13–15 August 2021
| [[2021 NXL Golden State Open]]
| Minor
| Capital Edge Paintball Park, Sacramento, California.[5]
|-
| 17–19 September 2021
| [[2021 NXL Windy City Major]]
| Major
| Chicago Gaelic Park, Oak Forest, Illinois.[6]
|-
| 11–14 November 2021
| [[2021 NXL World Cup]]
| Major
| 6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida.[7]
|}

== Formats ==

The major events offered professional, Semi-Pro and divisional X-Ball alongside separate five-player, three-player and ten-player competitions. The precise programme varied between events.[3][4][6][7]

Professional X-Ball used 15-minute matches with a six-point mercy limit. Semi-Pro and Division 2 used 15-minute matches with a five-point mercy limit; Divisions 3 and 4 used 12-minute matches with a four-point mercy limit; and Division 5 used ten-minute matches with a three-point mercy limit.[4][7]

Separate five-player games had five-minute limits, three-player games had three-minute limits, and amateur ten-player games had ten-minute limits. Classic five-player competition was advertised at 5.5 balls per second.[4]

Golden State's Open X-Ball division used 16-minute matches and a six-point mercy limit. This competition was distinct from the professional division contested at the majors.[5]

The World Cup programme also included mechanical Mounds five-, seven- and ten-player competitions and women's three-player and X-Ball competition.[7]

== Professional competition ==

[[Edmonton Impact]] won the Sunshine State Major, followed by [[Houston Heat]] at the Mid-Atlantic Major. San Diego Dynasty won both the Windy City Major and World Cup.[8–11]

{| class="wikitable"
! Major !! Winner !! Runner-up
|-
| Sunshine State
| Edmonton Impact
| Los Angeles Infamous
|-
| Mid-Atlantic
| Houston Heat
| Edmonton Impact
|-
| Windy City
| San Diego Dynasty
| San Antonio X-Factor
|-
| World Cup
| San Diego Dynasty
| San Antonio X-Factor
|}

Sources: official event results.[8–11]

Edmonton Impact also won Golden State's Open X-Ball competition ahead of ASG All Stars. That result was separate from the four-event professional championship.[1][12]

=== Final professional standings ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Position !! Team !! Points
|-
| 1 || [[San Diego Dynasty]] || 677
|-
| 2 || [[Los Angeles Infamous]] || 641
|-
| 3 || [[Edmonton Impact]] || 640
|-
| 4 || [[Houston Heat]] || 619
|-
| 5 || [[San Antonio X-Factor]] || 614
|}

Source: official season standings.[1]

== Divisional event winners ==

The following tables summarise event winners. Event titles and season championships were separate awards.

=== Major events ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Division or format !! Sunshine State !! Mid-Atlantic !! Windy City !! World Cup
|-
| Semi-Pro X-Ball
| Hurricanes
| Annapolis A-Team
| BlastCamp
| Carolina Crisis
|-
| Division 2 X-Ball
| TNB
| Austin Notorious
| Austin Notorious
| New England Wreckage
|-
| Division 3 X-Ball
| Philadelphia A's
| New York BRAVE
| Shutup we're trying
| Sac DMG
|-
| Division 4 X-Ball
| Coalition
| Coalition
| Coalition
| Dynamic
|-
| Division 5 X-Ball
| Tropic Thunder
| Tropic Thunder
| Tropic Thunder
| Tropic Thunder
|-
| Amateur ten-player
| New York Wrecking Crew
| STRUGGLE
| Extreme Rage
| Mutiny
|-
| Division 3 five-player
| Blackout
| Veteran Militia
| Tbd somos lobos
| RAMPAGE
|-
| Division 4 five-player
| Mia Outkast
| War Goons
| P.R. Crew
| Voodoo D4
|-
| Division 5 five-player
| Venomous bloodline D5
| Tropic Thunder 5
| Hostile Ground 2
| PR ALL STARZ D5
|-
| Open three-player
| XPX
| LA All Stars 3
| XPX
| The Catalina Wine Mixer
|-
| Amateur three-player
| Destiny
| Jungle Cats
| 406s Finest
| Delta Tango Foxtrot
|-
| Novice/Division 5 three-player
| NQPR2
| 3 Savages
| PR ALL STARZ
| Ronnie and the beers
|}

Sources: official event results. The first three events labelled the lowest three-player division ''Novice''; World Cup labelled it ''Division 5''.[8–11]

Additional results included Washington Winstons winning Sunshine State's Open ten-player division and Blastcamp Revolution 4 winning its mechanical 5.5 bps five-player division. Annihilators won Classic five-player at both Mid-Atlantic and Windy City. At World Cup, Extreme Rage won the Mounds five-, seven- and ten-player competitions.[8–11]

=== Minor events ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Division or format !! Lone Star Am Open !! Golden State Open
|-
| Open X-Ball
| Not contested
| Edmonton Impact
|-
| Division 2 X-Ball
| Cartel Kidz
| Colorado BLITZ
|-
| Division 3 X-Ball
| STRUGGLE
| Classic
|-
| Division 4 X-Ball
| Psychopaths
| Texas Cyclone
|-
| Division 5 X-Ball
| Not contested
| Indy Storm X
|-
| Division 3 five-player
| GREED
| Veteran Militia
|-
| Division 4 five-player
| Texas Titans
| Cen Cal Alliance
|-
| Division 5 five-player
| Malicious
| Gods Vengeance
|-
| Mechanical Open seven-player
| Not contested
| San Jose Royalty
|}

Sources: official event results.[12][13]

== Season championships ==

Professional and Semi-Pro standings combined the four majors. Divisions 2–4 X-Ball and Divisions 3–4 five-player counted each team's best three results; Division 5 X-Ball and five-player counted the best two.[1]

{| class="wikitable"
! Division or format !! Season champion !! Points
|-
| Professional X-Ball || San Diego Dynasty || 677
|-
| Semi-Pro X-Ball || New Orleans Hurricanes || 362
|-
| Division 2 X-Ball || Austin Notorious || 296
|-
| Division 3 X-Ball || Philadelphia A's || 283
|-
| Division 4 X-Ball || Coalition || 300
|-
| Division 5 X-Ball || Tropic Thunder || 200
|-
| Amateur ten-player || Extreme Rage || 329.53
|-
| Division 3 five-player || Veteran Militia || 296
|-
| Division 4 five-player || 787 CHAOS || 288
|-
| Division 5 five-player || Tropic Thunder 5 || 196
|-
| Classic 5.5 bps five-player || Annihilators || 200
|-
| Open three-player || Wiseguys || 358
|-
| Amateur three-player || Sea Bears || 245.62
|-
| Division 5 three-player || 787 Chaos || 186
|}

Source: official season standings.[1]

== Promotion and relegation ==

New Orleans Hurricanes secured the Semi-Pro season championship and promotion to the professional division for 2022. Their promotion followed a fifth-place finish at World Cup, rather than a victory at that event.[11][14]

[[ac Dallas]] were relegated from the professional division following the season. Contemporary postseason coverage identified their relegation and subsequent rebuilding.[16]

== WNXL exhibition ==

The World Cup hosted the first [[Women's National Xball League|WNXL]] exhibition on 13 November 2021. Two assembled teams, Fire and Ice, played a 20-minute X-Ball match with two-minute intervals between points. Fire won 7–3.[15]

The exhibition introduced the planned women's professional league ahead of its first full season in 2022. It was an exhibition match rather than a 2021 WNXL season championship.[15]

== See also ==

* [[National Xball League]]
* [[2020 NXL season]]
* [[2022 NXL season]]
* [[Women's National Xball League]]

== References ==

# [https://pbleagues.com/league/316/seasonRankings/2021 PBLeagues – National Xball League: 2021 season rankings.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7109/info PBLeagues – Lone Star Am Open: event information, 19–21 March 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7170/info PBLeagues – Sunshine State Major: event information, 30 April–2 May 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7250/info PBLeagues – Mid Atlantic Major: event information, 25–27 June 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7297/info PBLeagues – Golden State Open: event information, 13–15 August 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7286/info PBLeagues – Windy City Major: event information, 17–19 September 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7349/info PBLeagues – World Cup: event information, 11–14 November 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7170/rankings PBLeagues – 2021 Sunshine State Major: final results.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7250/rankings PBLeagues – 2021 Mid Atlantic Major: final results.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7286/rankings PBLeagues – 2021 Windy City Major: final results.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7349/rankings PBLeagues – 2021 World Cup: final results.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7297/rankings PBLeagues – 2021 Golden State Open: final results.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7109/rankings PBLeagues – 2021 Lone Star Am Open: final results.]
# [https://zenandtheartofpaintball.com/2021/11/23/go-pro/ Zen and the Art of Paintball – Go Pro, 23 November 2021.]
# [https://www.nxlpaintball.com/post/fire-vs-ice-the-debut-of-a-female-professional-paintball-league-the-wnxl National Xball League – Fire vs. Ice: The Debut of a Female Professional Paintball League, the WNXL, 18 November 2021; updated 19 November 2021.]
# [https://www.bunkerkings.com/blogs/bnkr-kngs-wks-paintball-blog/2021-world-cup-recap Bunkerkings – 2021 World Cup Recap, 3 December 2021.]

== External links ==

* [https://pbleagues.com/league/316/seasonRankings/2021 Official 2021 NXL season standings]

[[Category:National Xball League seasons]]
[[Category:Paintball in the United States]]
[[Category:2020s in American paintball]]
[[Category:2021 in paintball]]