2018 DCI World Championships

DCI Finalists Through History: The Best Of The Best

DCI Finalists Through History: The Best Of The Best

After looking at every year's finals scores, we've compiled the highest score for each spot in the top 12, regardless of corps and year.

Aug 29, 2018 by Andy Schamma
2018 DCI World Champs Highlight
Ever since I started watching DCI in 2009, I have always thought that scores were getting inflated year after year. I always expected the next year's winner to be more likely to break the record score and so on. However, after some quick research, it turns out that the highest scoring top 12 are relatively spread out.

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Ever since I started watching DCI in 2009, I have always thought that scores were getting inflated year after year. I always expected the next year's winner to be more likely to break the record score and so on. However, after some quick research, it turns out that the highest scoring top 12 are relatively spread out.

But, there are still FIVE groups that have set the highest score for their respective placements, since 2010—compared to three in the 2000s, one in the 1990s, and two in the 1980s.

One group this year actually set the highest score ever for the threshold to break into finals: Crossmen (86.750). Of course, the 2014 Blue Devils hold on to the top spot for highest ever score in Drum Corps International history with a 99.650.

What's interesting is that the highest third-place score (Blue Devils, 97.700, 1998) would have beaten the 2015 AND 2016 DCI World Champions, so inflation isn't so out of whack that it's become incomparable. 

The Top 12, Top 12

PlacementCorpsScoreYear
1Blue Devils99.6502014
2Blue Devils98.5252004
3Blue Devils97.7001998
4Santa Clara Vanguard96.8502013
5Carolina Crown95.6752014
6Star of Indiana95.3001989
7Bluecoats94.0502007
8Blue Stars91.9002010
9Boston Crusaders90.5252004
10Suncoast Sound89.1001988
11Glassmen87.7002005
12Crossmen86.7502018