#19 04: Top 20 Players of Black Ops 6

The #19 Player of the Black Ops 6 season is the man with the cake, Jovan “O4” Rodriguez of the Vancouver Surge.

O4’s sophomore season was another step forward in his development, showcasing his growth in respawn modes and gaining invaluable experience competing for championships. Helping lead the Vancouver Surge to four LAN Grand Finals and an online Minor Final, O4 played a key role in elevating the team to new heights that few predicted before the season began. The rising SMG star finished the year with a 0.97 overall K/D, peaking at 1.06 during the Esports World Cup. In a season expected to be dominated by the "Big 3," Vancouver crashed the party, powered in large part by O4’s relentless play.

Season Review

During the 2024 season, O4 joined the Seattle Surge midway through the year and made an instant impact. Becoming a rookie duo with Jordan “Abuzah" François, they created a foundation for Surge’s future. While the team didn’t have the best results, they ended the year with a Top 4 placement at the Esports World Cup and showed the potential the rookies had.

With both Abuzah & O4 locked up with the now-Vancouver Surge after the Modern Warfare 3 season, the core of the franchise was instantly on the path to becoming a darkhorse contender. They were able to recruit talent, including luring Byron “Nastie” Plumridge from the LA Thieves. Joining to lead the team and provide crucial fundamentals, the team signed Englishman Charlie “Hicksy” Hicks, who completed the roster. Led by Head Coach Rambo, the team was locked & loaded for the 2025 Season.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Heading into the season, Vancouver was projected to be a mid-to-upper-tier team in the CDL standings. With powerhouse rosters like OpTic Texas, LA Thieves, and Atlanta FaZe forming the expected “Big 3,” the Surge had a legitimate shot at locking down that coveted fourth spot.

Stage I, however, was a turbulent ride. The Surge started 1-3 in their opening set of qualifiers and ended up finishing last in the first Minor of the season. They bounced back with a 4-3 record in the lead-up to Major I, offering a glimmer of hope heading into Toronto, but it was short-lived. The team dropped consecutive matches, bowing out in the Top 12 after one-sided losses to Toronto Ultra and Minnesota Rokkr. That performance signaled change, and the organization replaced Hicksy with Travis “Neptune” McCloud.

The revamped lineup unlocked the roster’s potential. Neptune’s high tempo helped drive a 5-2 Stage II qualifier run, and the team followed it up with a breakthrough performance in the final Minor of the year, taking down Boston Breach, Atlanta FaZe, and Toronto Ultra en route to a Grand Finals appearance.

Though they fell to LA Thieves in the Finals, the momentum carried into Major II. O4 and company went on a strong run, defeating Carolina & Boston before falling in a tight 2-3 series to FaZe in the Winner’s Final. They fought their way back past Toronto to book another Grand Final appearance, only to be swept 0-4 by Atlanta. It was their first true test of high-stakes experience, and the result was a harsh one.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Still, with back-to-back runner-up finishes in Stage II, the Surge were turning heads. They carried that form into Stage III, posting a 4-1 record in qualifiers and locking in the third seed for Major III in Boca Raton.

Vancouver opened the event with a huge 3-2 upset over FaZe, setting the tone for another deep run. But the script stayed familiar, the Thieves once again knocked them down in the Winner’s Final and closed the door in the Grand Final with another 0-4 sweep. Despite progress, back-to-back shutouts in the Finals delivered a serious blow to their momentum heading into the final phase of the season.

After two gut-wrenching finishes, Stage IV brought a predictable dip in form. Vancouver managed a 3-2 record in qualifiers but failed to make a dent at the Major. Losses to LA Thieves and Vegas Falcons ended their run early in the Top 12. Still, with 330 CDL Points, they locked in the fourth seed for Champs and were matched up with Miami Heretics in Round 1.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Champs began with a shaky 1-3 loss to the Spanish side, forcing the Surge into the Elimination Bracket. But O4 led the charge as Vancouver went on a run, taking out LA, Toronto, Miami, and Boston. They cruised past the Thieves and Ultra with dominant sweeps, and outlasted both the Heretics and Breach in thrilling Game 5 battles. Their impressive lower bracket surge landed them in yet another Grand Final, but once again, OpTic Texas was too much, sweeping them 4-0.

The season’s final test came at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, where 16 teams competed for a $1.8 million prize pool. Vancouver came in locked in, going flawless in pool play with wins over Team Orchid (3-1) and 100 Thieves (3-2). In the bracket, they stormed past FiveFears 3-0 and survived a tight 3-2 against KOI. With momentum on their side, they looked poised to break their second-place curse, but OpTic struck again, sweeping them 4-0 in the Grand Final.

Although Vancouver never lifted a trophy, they massively outperformed preseason expectations. Reaching four LAN Grand Finals and another in a Minor stands as a defining mark of a world-class team, even if the title eluded them.

How Good Was O4 in 2025?

Hardpoint

While his stats might not leap off the page, O4 was a highly impactful SMG in Hardpoint. He ended the year with a 0.98 K/D in the mode, improving to 0.99 on LAN. On LAN, he averaged 25.1 kills and 3,040 damage per 10 minutes, numbers that reflect his high tempo and efficiency. According to the “Cellium Index” for Hardpoint, O4 posted a positive K/D in 50.5% of his maps, and when he did, the team went 40-8 (83% win rate). What makes O4 invaluable is his ability to initiate engagements and draw pressure, maximizing the impact of his teammates in the process.

Vancouver’s strongest mode throughout the season was Hardpoint, where they posted a 56–35 overall record, 2nd best in the CDL. They ranked 3rd in average point margin (+19.4), 2nd in hold rate (76.8%), and 3rd in break rate (31.7%), showing a well-rounded and consistent approach. The Surge held steady both online (31–19) and on LAN (25-16), with nearly identical win rates of 62% and 61%, respectively. When discounting their early struggles in Stage I with Hicksy, Vancouver surged to a 50-26 record in Hardpoint with Neptune, claiming the top spot in the League. With him in the lineup, they led the CDL in both hold percentage (79.7%) and break percentage (34%), powered by a team K/D of 1.04. Under Rambo's leadership, their success was built on strong fundamentals.

SND

Search & Destroy marked a relative dip for O4 compared to his strong rookie year, but his overall impact remained high. He closed the season with a 0.96 K/D in the mode, yet still received S&D Player of the Year consideration thanks to his intangibles and playmaking ability. He averaged 0.70 kills per round, 90.8 ADR, and won 47.5% of his opening duels while leading the team with 73 bomb plants. His raw potential was evident, recording 12 double-digit kill maps and a team-best 7 maps with 4+ first bloods. He also delivered in clutch situations, posting 8 clutch wins, including two 1v3s, tied for most in the league.

📸 Photo by @SurgeVancouver

Search & Destroy, on the other hand, was their weakest mode. Vancouver finished the year ranked 9th in S&D with a 36-40 record, including 15-19 on LAN. Despite their struggles, the Surge excelled in high-pressure Game 5 scenarios, going 12-7 overall and winning their final five of the season, ranking 3rd in the League. However, their late-season form in the mode slipped; they went 11-15 during Stage IV, Champs, and the Esports World Cup. Their struggles were most evident in opening duels (45% win rate, 11th) and conversion rate (66%, also 11th), proving that their respawn excellence didn’t carry over to search.

Control

Control was another mode where the stats didn’t fully capture O4’s impact. He finished the year with a 0.97 K/D, but his per-10-minute numbers were well above average, posting 21.2 kills, 2,630 damage, and 49.6 engagements per 10 minutes. On the objective, Jovan ranked 2nd in the league with 1.8 ticks captured per attacking round. His high ceiling was evident here too, tying for 7th with eleven 30+ kill Control maps and tying for 4th with six 4,000+ damage performances. When O4 finished with a positive K/D in Control, Vancouver went 23-7, good for a 76.7% win rate. His high upside and ability to make plays in the swing mode made O4 an essential piece of the Surge lineup.

While Vancouver thrived in Hardpoint, that success didn’t always extend to the other respawn mode, Control. The team went 29-26 in Control across the season, finishing 5th in the CDL. However, they closed the year strong with an 8-2 record in their last 10 Control maps. Much like their clutch factor in Game 5s, they dominated Round 5s in Control, finishing with a 10-3 record, best in the League. With O4 leading the charge on the objective, Vancouver was among the top attacking teams, averaging 3.6 ticks per round (3rd), though their defensive rounds left room for improvement.

A look ahead to Black Ops 7

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

O4’s future is looking incredibly bright following his breakout season with the Vancouver Surge. After helping lead the team to four Grand Finals appearances, the young SMG has become one of the most sought-after players heading into the Black Ops 7 season. Multiple top CDL organizations have expressed interest in acquiring his services, but reports indicate that Atlanta FaZe is currently the frontrunner. If the move goes through, O4 would be joining forces with Chris "Simp" Lehr, forming a potentially dominant SMG duo with a championship pedigree. With FaZe entering a rebuild around Simp, adding a rising star like O4 could immediately thrust them back into title contention.