Paintball may not have reached the popularity level of soccer, golf, tennis and so many others, but it will get there. It’s only a matter of time.
There’s no sport without people. You also cannot enjoy a game without teams competing and giving their all.
As a paintball player and now, a staunch fan, watching teams sweating it out on the battlefield gives great joy.
However, it will be unfair to discuss paintball without naming teams that have contributed immensely to the sports with their participations and performances.
So, we’re going to discuss the top paintball teams that have been exceptional.
Are you ready? Let’s get to business.
Top Paintball Teams In The World
Before we proceed, note that the names on this list are in no particular order. However, these are top teams entertaining the world and making the paintball community proud.
1: San Diego Dynasty:
Dynasty is unarguably one of the best in the world of paintball. And none can argue this, not even their opponents. But how did this amazing team began their journey?
Dynasty Paintball began their journey in 2001. The team comprises a bunch of friends, who rose through the ranks of divisional paintball.
Impressively, Dynasty had instant success that shock and surprised the paintball community. The team didn’t only emerge in 2001, but won the clinched the professional World Cup in 2001.
Dynasty is also the top teams who have won dozens of world titles in paintball. Many of the sport’s top players sharpened their skills through Dynasty’s clinic and training classes.
The team’s core principles of teamwork, innovation and a do-it-yourself mentality have endeared them to paintball fans around the globe.
Dynasty has recorded over 60 PRO major event first place finishes and with professionals like Ryan Greenspan, Oliver Lang, Yosh Rau, and other long tenured members around, the team boasts an obvious chance of racking in more wins in the future.
2: Edmonton Impact:
Find the time to watch Edmonton Impact play; you’ll understand why they’re ranked highly. Impact boasts one of the most elite rosters in the league, and there’s no doubt about that.
The team’s performance at the Golden Gate Open has been exceptional. You can tell that they have depth and quality players in every position.
Interestingly, Edmonton Impact happens to be Canada’s first paintball group. They’re also the only Canadian paintball team competing with other American paintball teams.
Impact began as a family outing. Two brothers, Zane and Zachary Yachimec played paintball every weekend in their preteens.
At that time, both teen’s father didn’t fancy the use of firearm. He also didn’t want his children to have access to anything relating to firearm. However, it didn’t take long for him to accept paintball gun, given the fact that it doesn’t cause any harm.
He quickly realized that paintball was safer than other sports, such as soccer, volleyball, rugby, and others were injuries ranges from broken bones to torn ligaments.
Sprained ankle and bruises are the two possible injuries one might experience while playing paintball, though while wearing proper gear.
Edmonton Impact has paid its dues to get to where it is today. From third division, Impact has become the most consistent and popular paintball winning team across the globe.
This team has also had several titles to its name, with one of them being the World Cup Asia. Furthermore, Zane and Zachary’s father owns the paintball team.
3: Houston Heat:
Houston Heat is another top team in the NXL. The chemistry between the players is one of the traits that have allowed Houston Heat to excel in the Pro league.
Houston Heat is a proud team, packed with incredibly skilled fighters. The team has won several events; they won 3 events out of 5 in 2012.
This team won their first Series title and PSP World Cup in their first year, an achievement not many teams can boast of. The team comprises of highly-trained players, and you can tell by their performances.
Houston Heat has quality players, which has been the bedrock of their top performances and the reason they’re a top paintball team in the world. Among Their top players are Bouchez, Dizon, Monville, and others. Furthermore, note that Houston Heat comprises a combination of other teams, such as Chicago Aftershock, and Distortion players.
4: Moscow Red Legion:
The Red Legion’s performances for the past 25 years make them hard to exclude when mentioning top paintball teams in the world. You can also tell that the team is improving every single year when you judge their performances.
This team’s extreme poise and unique ability to attack teams from every angle sets them apart. Players like Leonid Smotrov will sweep you off your feet with flashes of paintball brilliance.
The Moscow Red Legion’s wild and aggressive style of playing makes them a scary team to come up against. This team is based in Russia, but has practically everything they need to conquer the paintball world for generations.
However, the team’s small roster is a major factor that might hinder their progress in big competitions. Most games can be super exhausting thing in some days.
Now, imagine facing these games with a small roster size. The players might burn out, or may get extremely tired and not perform well in some games.
6: Baltimore Revo:
Are you wondering how Baltimore Revo turned pro? They have been outstanding and they deserve all the attention they’re getting today.
The team turned pro in 2014, and in their first pro year, they stunned the entire world of paintball. They have been clinching titles no one thought they would.
Baltimore Revo is ranked 15th and need to keep their best players to stay in the pro division. Players like Dan Zaleski have been a huge hit for the team.
Baltimore Revo is reestablishing itself, with top players from the Upton 187 Crew. The team would have loved to change the name, but decided to keep it.
As you know, changing name will attract $5000 fine from the NXT. So the best thing is to retain the city’s name.
7: Los Angeles Infamous:
A fan once said there’s no paintball without the Los Angeles Infamous. And even though he’s was fan, we’re beginning to see how great the team is.
Bob Long once said that consistency is the measure of a great team is , and if we have to use that metric to gauge the season, then Infamous would have been one of the best paintball teams of the year. Why is this so? Through the four major events this season, Infamous posted rankings of 2nd, 8th, 3rd, and 4th overall, taking up the runner-up title for the season points race.
They played at an elite level all season long, deploying their relentless style of attack, and we can’t forget the defensive guns of Cody Mickowski and Kali Rudolph. These players provided a steady presence behind their best-in-league offensive output.
This team appears to be getting ready to become a legitimate Dragon killer in 2022. We can see that Travis and the rest of the team are looking to stay dangerous for the foreseeable future.
8: San Antonio XFactor:
There’s a reason Texans love the San Antonio XFactor. The team spirit, confidence, strategy, and readiness to do all it takes to get the result is second to none.
XFactor is a staple of the r fast growth of the Texas paintball scene for about twenty years. They have also been a top-flight professional program during that time.
The 2021 season saw San Antonio deliver a top 10 finish, and surprisingly, in all four events. They pushed Dynasty to the limit at Chicago, including the World Cup. After they narrowly lost the two events and placed second twice in a row, XFactor finished the year at fifth overall in the rankings. If the moments unfolded differently XFactor could have clinched two event wins this year, but unforunately, things didn’t happen that way.
However, we’re happy that this is still an elite roster. So, even with the loss of Archie for the 2022 season, it should stop the team. Ryan Brand carry on and lead the team to the top of the professional division, never count out Texas.
9: New York Xtreme:
The New York Xtreme also called NYX for short, has been one of the most progressive paintball teams to ever grace the sport.
The NYX set the Pro paintball field on fire with their performances in 2019. Their passion, sheer heart, and ability to push everyone to their limit set them apart.
New York Xtreme was part and parcel of the original NXL that began in the early 2000’s. In fact, the team relaunched in 2018 but in 2019, witnessede saw the team find its way back to a competitive footing with wins against established teams AC Dallas and the Russian Legion.
10: Columbus LVL
Columbus LVL is one of the numerous paintball teams that is making the sport interesting to watch. They have become a role model for other teams, seeking to excel in the pro level.
The one unique thing about this team is their constant practice. And it reflects in their performances. The team is blessed with players, passionate about making a name for themselves, and succeeding. So they have all it takes to succeed in the game.
LVL (pronounced LEVEL) is a paintball team based out of LVLUP Sports in Columbus Ohio. The coaches are Robbie Goldsmith from now disbanded pro team known as the Chattanooga CEP and his right hand man, Adam Michl. LVL has had 2 second place finishes, including a 5th place finish in the 2019 Semi-Pro NXL circuit. These achievements helped the team in securing a pro slot in 2021.
11: Seattle Thunder:
The way the Seattle Thunder began their journey is an interesting and inspiring story. The team has shown that together, any paintball team can make a difference in the sport.
This team started their journey by pulling several Former Naughty Douglass players together, such as Field Mapp and Corey. Diamond Hill Paint in Oregon is the team’s home field.
The Seattle Thunder is one of the paintball teams to watch out for in the future. You can tell that they have the potential to become one of the best in the world, giving their swagger off and on the field.
The Seattle Thunder also boasts a paintball female team that is already making waves.
12: ML King:
The ML King has been showing flashes of the reasons they’re called kings. The team was originally European-based. In other words, it was packed with European players.
Today, they have created a US Franchise team, comprising of majorly Florida based players. However, the US team is based out of Central Florida Paintball Park
13: Chicago Aftershock:
The Chicago Aftershock is another top paintball team in the world. The team is without a question, the most decorated and winning 10-man paintball team in the history of the sport.
However, there are reports of the team losing a large portion of their best players to other teams. But we trust them to find their feet again and gather the right players to move the team forward.
14: AC Dallas:
AC Dallas is one of the best paintball teams in the world, but it is so unfortunate that the team hasn’t won any major tournament since inception.
You can tell that this paintball team has potentials. They have a dedicated squad comprising of young and vibrant players. Colt Luckau is one of the top players to watch out for in this team.
Colt has exhibited some paintball brilliance during games and has been a major boost to the team since they started playing at pro level.
The full meaning of the name AC Dallas is Athletic Club Dallas. They have such a cute name, but the trophy shelf is still empty.
The only reason we included this team in the top paintball team list is their performances in games. Even though they have been outmatched in recent seasons, they have shown glimpse of greatness.
However, AC Dallas is far from where they should be. There’s no doubt about that. So, we’re expecting them to put in more effort to enable them retain their pro spot and have some trophies to brag about.
Conclusion
So these are the best paintball teams in the world. They have been consistent and making sure that paintball remains a competitive sport.
The amount of work these teams put into their training sessions is out of this world. So, they deserve all the accolades they can get.
Paintball is an interesting sport. But you need players to step up and make a difference in games. We are happy that these teams have shown that they can compete and take paintball to greater heights.
