Early Season Wrap-up: Emerging Movers & Shakers, Current Rankings, More!

With the start of Texas Tour right around the corner, that means we’ve officially hit the mid-way point of the 2022 DCI season. Fans have been treated to a heck of a season so far, with stand-out performances and more shows being streamed than ever before. And because we’re just about halfway through the 2022 season, that means it’s time to take a look at emerging movers and shakers, key matchups to keep your eye on, and the current rankings after 4 weeks of competition. 

Everything You Need To Know About DCI 2022

2022 Streaming Schedule   |   DCI 2022 At A Glance   |   2022 Production Improvements

Movers & Shakers

1. Carolina Crown

While Crown is no stranger to the spotlight, this year in particular the Fort Mill-based corps is giving the top dogs a run for their money with their show titled Right Here, Right Now. Social media and Reddit are all clamoring with love for the fan-centered show, and based on the scores they’ve been receiving, the judges tend to agree (having most recently netted an impressive 86.100 at DCI Memphis on July 16th). It’s been nearly ten years since Crown received their last gold medal for their 2013 program titled e=mc2, and have been keeping things competitive finishing no lower than 5th since then. You can bet that we’ll be watching DCI Broken Arrow on July 19th, which is the first time we’ll Crown and other East Coast corps clash with the likes of the Blue Devils and Santa Clara Vanguard for the first time this season. 

2. Phantom Regiment

I don’t know what J.D. Shaw put it in the water over at Phantom Regiment, but whatever it was, it’s working. It seems like during and after every performance the Rockford-based corps has, social media is abuzz with praise for how good the hornline sounds this year. Even after Regiment graduated a massive amount of age-outs after the 2021 Celebration season, they haven’t missed a beat this season. Regiment are currently sitting 9th in the rankings based on their most recent score – only 0.6 points away from joining the 80s club and within 0.4 points of Mandarins. 

3. Gold (Open Class)

It’s been quite a season for Gold so far! The Oceanside-based corps has been locked in a back-and-forth battle for first with Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets, most recently finished 2nd behind Blue Devils B by less than 0.2 points at DCI West on July 10th. The corps did hit a bit of a road bump recently, having had to perform a standstill exhibition performance at the Riverside Open on July 15th. While Gold is no stranger to success and has finished third at Open Class Finals in the last two competitive seasons, they’ve yet to achieve that coveted gold medal at the end of the season. Will 2022 be their year? Fans will have to keep an eye on the corps to see how they recover from their COVID protocol over the coming weeks, and if they can claw their way back to the top of the Open Class table and edge out Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets. 

Key Matchups

1. Blue Stars vs Phantom Regiment vs Mandarins

It’s shaping up to be a race for 7th place between the Blue Stars, Mandarins, and Phantom Regiment based on the scores these three corps have been putting up recently. Phantom Regiment and Blue Stars have been in a back-and-forth battle for higher placement since the first time the two corps met back at the DCI 2022 Tour Premiere on June 28th. Blue Stars have recently been edging out Regiment by only a point or two difference in the last string of competitions, adding Mandarins to the competition lineup will make it that much more interesting when these three corps meet on the field. Fans can likely look forward to the first showdown between all three corps when they go head-to-head at DCI Denton on July 21st and again two days later at the Southwestern Championship on July 23rd.

2. Bluecoats vs Crown

For me, this may be my favorite matchup of the 2022 DCI season. Both Bluecoats and Carolina Crown have extremely fun shows this year – with Bloo’s Riffs and Revelations having some truly spectacular on-field moments (can we talk about the march down the field while interacting with the metal wheel props??) and Crown’s Right Here, Right Now perfectly balancing high-energy moments with jaw-dropping visuals. At the current moment, Crown has put up higher scores than the Bluecoats in their one head-to-head meeting in early-season competition in Kent, OH in addition to netting higher overall scores. But if there’s anything we know about the Bluecoats, it’s to never count them out. They currently have four shows on the docket between now and the showdown in San Antonio, including DCI Broken Arrow on the 19th and DCI Denton on the 21st. Will that be enough time for them to surge ahead of Crown in the rankings? We’ll have to see!

3. Colts vs Blue Knights

Based on their recent trajectory and the recent high scores they’ve been netting, Colts may be the big mover and shaker of the season. The Dubuque-based corps is currently tied for 11th place with the Blue Knights after the completion of week 4’s competition slate. Both corps managed to net a 75.850 at their most recent competition (Drums Along the Rockies for Blue Knights and Whitewater Classic for Colts), securing themselves (for the time being) above that Finals cutoff slot of 12th place. While the two corps have yet to meet on the field this season, fans can see their first head-to-head at DCI Denton on July 21st to see how things play out for these two competitors. 

Current Rankings

Week 4 of DCI action was packed with high scores and a lot of excitement. Here’s a look at where the World Class corps currently sit based on their most recent scores. Keep in mind that due to COVID protocols and rained-out shows, some corps may have had fewer performance opportunities than others.

Switching gears and checking out the spread for Open Class, here’s where the competitors sit after all the action from week four:

Upcoming Shows You Won’t Want To Miss

1. DCI Broken Arrow

• July 19th
• Start time: 7:30pm CT
• Stream the show LIVE on FloMarching here
• Key players attending: Bluecoats, Blue Devils, Santa Clara Vanguard, Carolina Crown, Boston Crusaders

2. DCI Denton

• July 21st
• Start time: 7pm CT
• Stream the show LIVE on FloMarching here
• Key players attending: Mandarins, The Cadets, Phantom Regiment, Bluecoats, Blue Knights

3. DCI Southwestern Championship

• July 23rd
• Start time: 1:30pm CT
• Stream the show LIVE on FloMarching here

Missed the Show? No Problem – Watch the Rebroadcast!

FloMarching will be airing rebroadcasts with sound of every show stream, all season long! Rebroadcast streams will begin the following day starting at 12pm ET/11am CT for non-regional events. Regionals and World Championship events will begin at 10am ET/9am CT for the Southwestern Championship (San Antonio), Southeastern Championship (Atlanta), DCI Eastern Classic (Allentown), and World Championships in Indianapolis.