#2 HyDra: Top 20 Players of Black Ops 6

The #2 Player of the Black Ops 6 season is the French Phenom, Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez of LA Thieves.

Since joining the League in Cold War in 2021, HyDra has been one of the best SMGs each and every year. Leading the LA Thieves in slaying output, he consistently broke open maps with his mechanical brilliance & slaying instincts, often dictating the pace of entire series. His ability to take over games against top-tier opponents was a driving force behind LA’s two Major titles in the 3rd & 4th Stage, and his synergy with Scrap gave the Thieves one of the most potent duos in the CDL. Even in tough losses at the end of the year, HyDra’s impact was undeniable, making him a constant MVP-caliber threat throughout the season

Season Review

Paco had been on the New York Subliners for four seasons, joining the franchise during the Cold War 2021 season as a rookie. Year after year, HyDra improved into one of the best SMGs ever, leading the Subliners to the World Championship in 2023 during Modern Warfare II.

The offseason before Black Ops 7 brought a bidding war for two of the game’s biggest stars, Thomas “Scrap” Ernst and HyDra, who wanted to team up after falling short at MW3’s premier events. LA emerged as the destination, with Nadeshot recruiting both to join Daniel "Ghosty" Rothe and Dylan “Envoy” Hannon. The blockbuster moves instantly crowned the Thieves as offseason winners and serious favorites for multiple championships in Black Ops 6.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Stage I started exactly as planned. LA opened 4-0 in their first two weeks, highlighted by a 3-2 victory over Atlanta FaZe and a 3-1 win versus Cloud9 New York. Respawn dominance was evident, slaying power matched with crisp objective play. A stumble came in Minor I with an early loss to FaZe, but they still secured the 5th seed for Major I at 5-2. The goal in Madrid was clear: win the tournament.

HyDra’s squad handled business early, dispatching Carolina 3-1 and sweeping Miami to reach the Winner’s Final against FaZe. The series went the distance, but Atlanta closed out Map 5 to send LA to the Lower Bracket. A clean 3-0 over Miami sent them to the Grand Finals, setting the stage for one of the best series in CoD history. After seven maps and an SND Round 11, FaZe narrowly claimed the trophy. The Thieves took 2nd, disappointed, but hungry for revenge in Stage II.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

That hunger turned into dominance. LA tore through Stage II qualifiers with a flawless 7-0 record and an absurd 21-2 map count. They stayed sharp in the final Minor, breezing past New York and Carolina before edging the Vancouver Surge 4-3 in the Finals. Confidence was at an all-time high heading into Major II in Texas. HyDra had a 1.25 K/D during the qualifiers, leading the way in both SND (1.41 K/D) and Control (1.30 K/D).

The hot streak ended abruptly. A 3-1 loss to the Boston Breach in their opener dropped LA to the Lower Bracket, where they beat Miami, Carolina, and New York before being swept by a surging Toronto Ultra to finish 4th. Two stages in, the Thieves had shown promise but were still chasing that elusive LAN title.

Stage III was a turning point. LA went 4-1 in qualifiers with a 14-3 map count, boosted by an improved SND record of 5-1. In Boca Raton, they swept Carolina and Miami to reach the Winner’s Final against Vancouver. A tense five-map battle went their way, sending them to the Grand Final where they dismantled Surge 4-0 for their first trophy of the season. Paco went straight beast mode, leading the League in K/D (1.27), Slayer Rating (103.9), Hardpoint Kills per 10 min (30.4), and many other stats.

📸 Photo by @LAThieves

The celebration didn’t last long, with Stage IV qualifiers starting immediately. LA stumbled to a 3-2 record after losses to Atlanta (0-3) and Miami (2-3), but still claimed the 4th seed for DreamHack. They opened with a 3-0 sweep over Vancouver, fell to Miami in a close 3-2, and then went on a Lower Bracket tear, eliminating Toronto, Texas, and Miami to set up a Finals showdown with FaZe. Winning both Rewind and Red Card SNDs paved the way to a 4-2 championship victory and their second title of the year.

With two Majors secured, Champs was the true test. Instead, the Thieves collapsed under pressure. A shocking Map 5 loss to Boston in Winner’s Round 1 sent them to the Lower Bracket, where they were swept by Vancouver to finish Top 8. It was a bitter ending to their title defense hopes.

The Esports World Cup offered a shot at redemption and a $1.8M prize, but LA barely survived groups and was eliminated early by OpTic in Round 1, again placing Top 8. A season filled with promise and two Major wins ended on a disappointing note for a roster built to dominate.

How Good Was HyDra in 2025?

Hardpoint

The Slaying Machine, HyDra, was a monster in Hardpoint this season. Finishing with a 1.14 K/D overall, he added 27.5 kills and 3,213 damage per 10 minutes. Paco stayed consistent on LAN, ending with a 1.13 K/D to go with 27.1 kills per 10 minutes. Overall, the superstar SMG went positive in 71.9% of his maps played, leading the League. Thieves would go 123-28 when Paco ended positive, good for an 81.5% win rate.

Statistically, LA were the CDL’s Hardpoint kings, finishing 54-29 overall (26-15 LAN). They led in average margin (+39.6), points per minute (22.9), and hold percentage (77.5%), while ranking 2nd in rotation percentage (54.1%). They won 70.3% of Map 1s (38-16) and were nearly untouchable on Red Card (10-1), Vault (9-4), and Rewind (8-4).

Search & Destroy

While Search & Destroy had the lowest K/D of the three game modes, Paco finished with a 1.09 overall K/D, which stayed at a 1.08 on LAN. HyDra added 0.75 kills per round, 99.7 ADR, and 51.8% opening duel win rate. The best stage of the season was Stage 3, where HyDra helped lead the Thieves to their first Major victory of the year. There, Paco had league highs in K/D (1.43) with 0.91 kills per round (2nd in the League) and a 64.0% opening duel win rate.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Their SND quietly ranked among the best, finishing 44-26 (62.9%), 2nd in the league. Across their Stage III and IV title runs, they went 19-6 in the mode. LA thrived in opening duels (50.8%, 3rd) and were unmatched at converting them into round wins (77%, 1st). On attack, they led the league in both round win rate (53.5%) and post-plant win rate (66.8%).

Control

Respawn modes continue to be those where HyDra’s numbers jump off the screen. Finishing with a 1.13 K/D, HyDra led the League with 23.5 Kills per 10 minutes to go with 2,760.3. The numbers slightly dipped on LAN, but were still near the top of the League in K/D (1.09) and kills per 10 minutes (22.6). Same as in Hardpoint, Paco went positive in 78.9% of his Control Maps, which led the League.

Control was their crown jewel. The Thieves posted a 43-15 record (65.9% win rate), tops in the CDL, with a historic pace heading into Champs. They led in nearly every category: Round Win Percentage (65.9%), Attacking (58.3%), Defending (73.7%), ticks per attack (4.5), and ticks per defense (3.1). While elite both online (25-4) and on LAN (18-9), their 2-4 record at the final two events stopped them from closing out a historic season.

A look ahead to Black Ops 7

HyDra enters Black Ops 7 as the undisputed centerpiece of the LA Thieves, carrying the franchise’s hopes into a season of major transition. With Ghosty and Envoy departing, the two-time Major winners are expected to reload by adding Kenneth "Kenny" Williams and Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris, a pair of proven champions whose skillsets could perfectly complement HyDra’s explosive slaying ability. As one of the league’s most mechanically gifted players, he’ll be tasked with leading the charge in a new-look lineup built to contend at the highest level. If the roster clicks, the Thieves could once again find themselves in the conversation for multiple championships throughout the year.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague