CDL community split as ex-pros name the highest-peaking player ever

With each and every new game that comes out in the Call of Duty series, different champions rise to the podium, and some of the same old faces have all excelled in one title or another. 

But who has enjoyed the best season ever? Which Call of Duty professional hit the highest peak possible in one year?

That's the debate on the tongues of the Call of Duty League talk show The Flank, as Thomas "ZooMaa" Paparatto and the community have voted in a rather surprising candidate.

Simp hailed as 'highest-peaking' player ever over FormaL, Scump, and Crimsix

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Looking back over the years, certain standout players are noticed for their best years. Matthew "FormaL" Piper is often associated with Infinite Warfare as one of the best individual stints ever, while Advanced Warfare Seth "Scump" Abner, Ghosts Ian "Crimsix" Porter, and even the most-recent Modern Warfare 2 Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez, all enter the conversation too.

But according to ZooMaa and The Flank, Chris "Simp" Lehr reached the best skill level of all time in competitive CoD during the Black Ops 4 season, which was his first on the main stage.

The Flank host came to the conclusion after voting between the best 32 individual seasons of all time, benching fellow host Patrick "Aches" Price multiple times alongside himself versus Crimsix.

During that season, 18-year-old Simp was scouted by James "Clayster" Eubanks two months after graduating high school and got to winning ways almost immediately.

With eUnited, despite joining mid-season, Simp won the final three majors of the season (including the World Championships), earning MVP in two of them and setting an all-time record for the best K/D in a tournament with 1.35 throughout the entire event.

Clayster has already dubbed Simp as "the future GOAT", but it seems his status is quickly being cemented.

Call of Duty community split over 'highest-peaking player' shouts

Despite being gifted this accolade by fellow ex-players, the community soon sought out their own vote where FormaL was hailed as the people's champion in a public poll, earning over 50% of votes against BO4 Simp and AW Scump. 

"Simp came in halfway through and ran a couple of tournaments. Before him Dashy was making everyone look silly," one fan said in a popular comment. "Formal ran the entire year of IW..." they added.

Simp himself seemed to play down the peer-professed achievement, simply saying "I mean seriously" on social media, humbly being almost embarrassed of being within that conversation.

Simp is already in the conversation to be the best ever, as he continues to win Championships, and is currently the reigning Major champion after beating OpTic in Major II, 2024.