Vanguard Champions Hill

CoD Vanguard: Champions Hill

  • Blog, FPS

One of the largest criticisms from the competitive community against modern Call of Duty titles is the lack of any sort of ranked matchmaking system. Activision instead has elected to use skill based matchmaking often referred to as SBMM. SBMM exists in all matchmaking games throughout the respective CoD title. This is still present in CoD Vanguard and likely will be in every Call of Duty title for the foreseeable future. However, Vanguards offers players another pseudo ranked mode. This mode is called champions hill. 

Champions hill is for the most part a natural evolution of gunfight tournament from Cold War. Each match will feature eight teams of two or three, each team has a set number of lives that come from a shared pool (to prevent one team having a ringer). One big addition that will make for some interesting strategies is the introduction of an economy system akin to Counter Strike. Players all start with the same loadout and money, they can then earn more money by winning rounds and killing opponents. Between the rounds there is a buy period where players can use their earned money to purchase different tactical equipment as well as upgrade their guns. 

The most recent iteration of champions hill has four arenas all within one larger map. Allowing for players to fight in a trainyard, courtyard, market, or airstrip. It is presumed that each team will need to compete in each arena to win the tournament. Once a team is eliminated, they will be able to watch the action from a platform or from the viewpoint of the other players. 

Champions hill and similar game modes fill a much needed niche within the Call of Duty ecosystem. An amateur competitive mode built within the game is something that has been lacking for some time now and is only becoming more apparent as the other options in this genre come out. Activision may have added this mode as a preemptive way to compete with the upcoming Halo Infinite. Since that game is also going to be an arena shooter where everyone starts on an even playing field. It may also have been added as a way to test the waters on where a round based tournament mode could go in the future. Now that the Call of Duty League (CDL) is growing every year Activision is going to want to capitalize on that competitive drive many players have after watching the pros play every week. 

Regardless of how champions hill unfolds over the lifetime of Vanguard, it is nice to see Activision being willing to add new modes and explore a bit more with their game. I have high hopes that this will turn into a larger amateur competitive scene for Call of Duty as a whole. The journey from amateur to pro is currently shrouded too much from the average player and making that more clear is only going to help the game and scene from the bottom to the top.

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Alex Gingrich

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jesus montanez

Jesus “Jaay” Montanez has always had a passion for Esports. Starting in his early years with Dota 2 and later moved on to try other games such as Starcraft 2, SSBM, Overwatch and finally Rocket League.

Being a natural competitor made him want to get better at any game he played and found his most success in Rocket League, playing for over 3 thousand hours and reaching the top 128 teams in North America. Alongside that he also has a love for coaching Esports, having been his high school Esports club’s president and head coach. He is always ready to help any player take their game to the next level and help spread his love for the game.

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A biologist at heart, his research experience has exposed him to all walks of life and given him the ability to see the world through an objective lens. He believes that with gaming, we can create a deeper social connection than ever realized before. His goal for Evolve is to develop a brand that is recognized throughout the eSports industry.

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Having worked at Disney, The Ritz-Carlton, and in startups his experience lies in hospitality, partnerships, and strategy. He believes gaming builds relationships like no other because of its accessibility and connectivity. His goal is to positively influence the gaming community through evolve’s services and involvement.

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Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder

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With fire in his heart and analysis on the brain, Kevin has been a competitor since birth. From being a state champion debater to a national champion beatboxer, regardless of the venue or skill, he identifies the most effective routes to victory and pushes for the W. 

He is a proven League of Legends coach who can help an individual gain elo or a team win tournaments. No matter how big or small the aspiration, he will assist in achieving your goals by making you the best you that you can be.

Alex Gingrich

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Alex has built his entire professional life around applying traditional sports and business strategy into eSports. Although Alex has been playing competitive games since the days of Halo 3 he got his first taste in eSports player improvement at grad school when he managed the inaugural Varsity Overwatch teams at The University of Akron. Since then Alex has gone on to work for ReKTGlobal, owners of Team Rogue and The London Royal Ravens, where he gains first hand knowledge of professional eSports and the mentalities of what makes a great player.


He is passionate about strategy games such as Legends of Runeterra, he takes lessons from real world scenarios and applies them to his teachings in game. Alex will bring a unique perspective to his coaching sessions that is hard to find in the still young world of eSports. That of a traditionally educated mindset and discipline. From mechanics to out of game preparation, he explains the “why” behind every action that goes into being a great player or team.