#18 Estreal: Top 20 Players of Black Ops 7

The #18 player of the Black Ops 7 season is Paris Gentle Mates SMG, Justice "Estreal" McMillan.

Estreal's season split cleanly into two chapters. He began the year on G2 Minnesota, part of a scrappy roster that flashed real upside before ultimately stalling out. Then, in the first trade in CDL history, he landed in Paris, joining a Gentle Mates core that pushed to the brink of real success without ever quite closing it out. Wherever he played, Estreal was a steady, high-upside presence, even if the results around him never fully matched his talent.

Season Review

Estreal opened the season on G2 Minnesota, paired with SMG partner Kyle "Kremp" Haworth alongside ARs Paul "Mamba" Solano and Cesar "Skyz" Bueno. The roster intrigued plenty of people around the league, with many pegging them as gatekeepers to the top tier of competition, and they backed that up early, finishing 3rd at the Monster Energy Launch Invitational and impressing in scrims ahead of the season.

That form carried into Stage I, where Minnesota finished 7th in the Major I Qualifiers at 3-4, beating FaZe Vegas 3-1 and Toronto KOI 3-0 but dropping winnable series against Carolina Royal Ravens and Boston Breach along the way. At Major I itself, G2 opened by taking down FaZe Vegas 3-0 in dominant fashion, before running into a red-hot OpTic Texas team in the Winners Round 2 and falling 3-0. They bounced back with a 3-0 sweep of Miami Heretics in the Lower Round, but FaZe got their revenge with a 3-2 win to eliminate Minnesota in 4th. A strong start to the year for Estreal and company.

Expectations rose heading into the Major II Qualifiers, where G2 faced every team once and picked up big wins over FaZe Vegas and the Gentle Mates on their way to a 6-5 record and the 4th seed. It was a team that could beat anyone on a given day, but drop a series to anyone just as easily. That description held up at Major II. G2 opened with a 3-0 sweep of Riyadh Falcons, but cooled off fast, dropping back-to-back series to OpTic and LA Thieves to finish Top 6. A fine result, but one that showed how far they still had to go against the league's best.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Cracks started to show in Stage III. Minnesota dropped a pair of series they shouldn't have to start the Major III Qualifiers, losing to Boston and Vancouver Surge in qualifying to finish 2-3 and just barely lock in the 8th seed. The Minor that followed offered more of the same: a win over a struggling Cloud9 New York, followed by a sweep at the hands of LA Thieves, closing out Top 8. At Major III in Atlanta, G2 had to qualify out of the Lower Bracket of Pool A, beating Vancouver 3-1 before falling to OpTic 1-3. They advanced through the Lower Qualification Match with a 3-0 win over OMiT, but couldn't find another win from there, dropping back-to-back matches to Toronto (2-3) and LA Thieves (1-3). Those matches turned out to be Estreal's last with Minnesota.

Heading into Stage IV, Estreal became part of the first trade in CDL history, sent to Paris Gentle Mates in a deal that sent Envoy to Minnesota in return. Paris made one more change a week into the Major IV Qualifiers, benching Neptune and bringing in JoeDeceives from Toronto. The early results were rough, with Paris winning one match before losing in the semifinals of the Minor to OpTic. But the Joe acquisition paid off quickly from there, with Paris going 3-2 in qualifiers to lock in the 4th seed and sky-high expectations heading into Major IV.

The pressure was on in Paris. The Gentle Mates opened flat, falling 1-3 to FaZe Vegas, but caught fire immediately after. Their Lower Bracket run saw them beat New York (3-0), Miami (3-2), Minnesota (3-1), and FaZe Vegas again (3-2) to finish 3rd at the event. Not a title, but a strong showing in the new core's first LAN together.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

With time to build chemistry, CDL Championship was the tournament this roster needed to win. It started well, with a 3-0 sweep of Toronto setting up a Winners Round 2 date with OpTic. That's where the run stalled, falling 1-3 to OpTic and dropping into the Lower Bracket. Paris beat Minnesota 3-0 to stay alive, but an unexpected 2-3 loss to Riyadh Falcons ended their tournament in 4th, a disappointing finish to a CDL season that had opened with so much promise.

Back in Paris for the Esports World Cup, this was the chance to make things right after Champs. Estreal and the Gentle Mates worked through the Lower Bracket of Pool A, beating OMiT 3-0, losing to G2 0-3, then beating The Pit 3-1 in the Lower Qualifier Match to advance. The uninspiring pool play carried a few warning signs into the bracket. Paris fell 3-4 to Riyadh Falcons once again in the Quarterfinals, eliminated in the Top 8. For a roster with this much individual talent, it was a disappointing way to close out the year.

How Good Was Estreal in 2026?

Hardpoint

Estreal didn't have a weak mode this season, but Hardpoint was arguably the closest thing to one. He finished the year with a 1.04 K/D, 24.9 kills per 10 minutes, 3,108 damage per 10 minutes, and 67.9 seconds of hill time per 10 minutes. He stayed steady on LAN with a 1.02 K/D and turned it up further at EWC, posting a 1.11 K/D. Estreal led all SMGs with 17 Hardpoint maps featuring 100-plus seconds of hill time, underlining his objective play. Even at his statistical floor, it's the kind of performance any team in the league would gladly take.

Search & Destroy

Search & Destroy was Estreal's best mode of the season. He finished the year with a 1.06 K/D, 0.75 kills per round, 101.6 ADR, and a 53.7% opening duel win rate, adding the 7th-most plants in the league (73) and 12 total clutches. He was nearly unstoppable on LAN, jumping to a 1.23 K/D and 0.85 kills per round. Beyond the flawless-map numbers, Estreal posted the highest single-map K/D of the season, going 10-1 (10.00 K/D) in a map at EWC, and tied for 4th-most double-digit kill SND maps with 16 on the year. By any measure, he was one of the top SND players in the league during Black Ops 7.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Overload

Overload was another strong mode for Estreal, finishing the year with a 1.07 K/D, 44 goals, 25.3 kills per 10 minutes, and 3,162 damage per 10 minutes. He stayed just as consistent on LAN, posting a 1.08 K/D while leading the league with 3,309 damage per 10 minutes. Estreal didn't hold any records in the mode, but did post the 3rd-highest single-Overload K/D on LAN (2.27). He also raised his level at the biggest events, posting a 1.20 K/D at Champs (30 kills per 10 minutes, 3,759 damage per 10 minutes) and a 1.15 K/D at EWC.

A Look Ahead to Modern Warfare IV

Estreal's stock rose considerably during his time with the Gentle Mates, showing both the highs of a difference-making player and the reliability of a strong team piece. He's currently a restricted free agent, and there's a real chance he stays put in Paris.

Rostermania around the league is largely on hold until HyDra and Scrap decide their next destinations. If neither of them lands in Paris to join JoeDeceives, Estreal figures to be the Gentle Mates' top target to pair back up with him. If that doesn't come together, Estreal should have no shortage of suitors heading into Modern Warfare IV regardless.