#8 Huke: Top 20 Players of Black Ops 6

The #8 Player of the Black Ops 6 season is the Nuke, Cuyler “Huke” Garland of the OpTic Texas.

From starting in Challengers to winning back-to-back tournaments at the end of the year, Huke had one of the most rollercoaster seasons in Call of Duty history. The Star SMG began the year without a team, was benched from OpTic in stage II, but still found a way to lift the World Championship in the end. Cuyler had a 1.10 overall K/D while leading the team in respawn K/D (1.12). His play in both respawn modes was a deciding factor in multiple key matches.

Season Review

To begin the season, Huke somehow found himself on the outside looking in. The proven veteran SMG did not have a starting spot in the CDL at the beginning of the year. Quickly, though, he became the obvious player to sign as he was destroying Challenger players in the opening online cups.

OpTic Texas, who kicked off the Black Ops 6 season as the reigning World Champions and a preseason favorite to win it all, would be the first team to acquire about signing him. Huke was a part of OpTic before, playing with them doing Modern Warfare II before heading to the Surge last season. But OpTic’s start wasn’t without drama, as star SMG Amer “Pred” Zulbeari was sidelined, and Huke eventually stepped in to replace him. Joined by the trio of Kenneth “Kenny” Williams, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, and Brandon “Dashy” Otell, they had the potential to be on top of the League.

📸 Photo by @OpTic

Stage 1 began with a surge of momentum, as they stormed through online qualifiers with a 6-1 record, locking in a top seed for Major I in Madrid. Unfavorable seeding put OpTic in Round 1 of the Minor, but they battled past Vegas Falcons and Boston Breach to reach the Semifinals. In a surprise twist, the Carolina Royal Ravens toppled the defending Champs 3-2, sending them home in the Top 4 of the opening Minor. Still, it served as valuable time for the new roster to settle in ahead of the Major.

That early online dominance didn’t carry to LAN. OpTic stumbled in Madrid, finishing a frustrating Top-8. While Hardpoint and Control were dependable during qualifiers, Search & Destroy cracks were exposed by stronger competition, setting up a shaky start. The team fell 3-2 to the Miami Heretics in the opening round, then dropped 3-1 to Carolina in Lower Round 2.

Stage 2 became one of the darkest stretches in OpTic’s CDL history. Pred returned in place of Huke, but the team couldn’t get rolling. They endured a shocking 0–18 map skid against non-Falcon squads, stunning both fans and analysts. A roster change followed. Kenny was benched in favor of Cesar “Skyz” Bueno before the Major, a desperate attempt to spark a turnaround. During this time, Huke was patiently waiting for his next opportunity.

📸 Photo by @Spribs_

The Major offered little relief. Starting in the Lower Bracket, they swept Minnesota Rokkr 3-0 but were blanked 0-3 by Toronto Ultra in the next round. The experiment with Skyz was short-lived; after another poor showing, OpTic released Pred and brought back Huke. Results stayed bleak online, but the roster shuffle was a bet on better days ahead.

Stage 3 didn’t provide the breakthrough they needed. Though OpTic qualified for the Upper Bracket, they limped through qualifiers with a 2-3 record and a 9-11 map count. History repeated as they fell 0-3 to Boston Breach in Upper Round 1. They fought through the Lower Bracket but were again halted in the Top 8, this time falling 0-3 to Atlanta FaZe. With Champs' hopes slipping away, doubts swirled about whether the team could recapture its edge.

The final stage flipped the narrative. Mason “Mercules” Ramsey joined the roster in place of Skyz, injecting new life into the lineup. They finished online play at 3-2 with a 13-6 map record, earning the #3 seed for DreamHack Dallas. On LAN, their play sharpened noticeably. A Top-4 finish showcased improved chemistry and a more versatile map pool. Hardpoint and Control were reliable win conditions again (both ranked 3rd in W%), while S&D began trending upward. The momentum carried into the season’s biggest challenge.

📸 Photo by @Spribs_

At Champs 2025, OpTic completed their revival. Starting in the Winner’s Bracket, they dismantled Atlanta FaZe 3–0 with Mercules and Huke leading the charge. Dominant victories over Toronto Ultra and Boston Breach followed, with the roster firing on all cylinders. The Grand Final brought a nine-map thriller against Vancouver Surge, with both teams trading punches. OpTic closed it out 5–3, becoming the first team in CDL history to claim back-to-back World Championships. Rookie Mercules earned MVP honors for his clutch performances in every mode.

Momentum carried into the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, where they competed under the OpTic Gaming banner. A flawless 6-0 run in pool play set the stage for tense wins over 100 Thieves and Team Heretics. Meeting Vancouver Surge again, OpTic delivered a 4-0 rout to secure the EWC trophy and back-to-back event victories.

OpTic’s 2025 season was a mix of crushing lows and resounding highs. Stage 2’s collapse and midseason roster chaos tested their resilience, but Stage 4’s resurgence paved the way for one of the most dominant Champs runs in CDL history. By adapting, rebuilding trust, and peaking when it mattered most, they reinforced their place among Call of Duty’s elite.

How Good Was Huke in 2025?

Hardpoint

Huke's best individual mode this season was Harpdoint, finishing the year with a 1.14 K/D overall and 1.09 K/D on LAN. Cuyler’s per-10-minute data all ranked highly, having 26.4 kills, 3,151 damage, and 52.6 seconds of hill time per 10 minutes played. One of the most consistent players in the League, Huke went positive in 71% of his Hardpoints played, ranking 3rd in the CDL. Not only having consistency, but also high peaks, Huke had the highest K/D in an online match (2.44). For the whole season, Huke was one of the best players in the mode.

In Hardpoint, their year was defined by streaks. At their peak, they were among the league’s most efficient respawn squads, closing the season Top 5 in win rate and excelling at rotation control. They finished 45-32 overall, with a 20-12 mark on LAN (62.5%). Key metrics placed them top 3: average margin (+17.9, 3rd), hold rate (75.0%, 3rd), and break rate (33.4%, 1st). At Champs, they went 6-0 in Hardpoint and 6-1 at the EWC. That late-season surge in the mode powered much of their postseason dominance.

Search & Destroy

The weakest of the three modes, Huke finished the year with a 0.95 K/D in Search & Destroy with 0.66 kills per round and an opening duel win rate of 49.5%. Cuyler led the team with 64 bomb plants on the year and 10 clutches (4 1v1s, 5 1v2s, 1 1v3). His production fell on LAN, going to a 0.90 KD with 0.63 kills per round, but was still impactful. With superstar teammates in SND, Huke did a perfect job of enabling them & coming up clutch when needed.

📸 Photo by @Spribs_

Search & Destroy swung between liability and strength. Midseason woes saw them go 2-9 in Stage II and 4-5 in Stage III, but they rebounded to post an 8-4 record across the last two LANs. Overall, they sat 6th in the League at 32-31 (50.8%), but improved on LAN to 15-11 (57.7%). They excelled in opening duels, ranking 2nd league-wide at 52.5%. With more time for their final lineup to gel, that ranking might have been much higher.

Control

Control was an underrated mode for Huke this season. The Entry SMG finished the year with a 1.07 K/D in the mode, including a 1.05 on the attacking side. He added 20.1 Kills & 2503.9 damage per 10 minutes, while also having 1.3 ticks per attack. Showing how much he impacted the game outside of slaying, Texas had a winning record whether he was positive (16-6) or negative (8-8), which he one of only three players that achieve that.

Control proved their steadiest mode all year. They closed at 27-23 (54.0%) overall and 13-8 (61.9%) on LAN, despite a rough Stage II where they went just 2-9. From Stage IV onward, they posted a dominant 14-4 run, including 8-1 between Champs and the EWC. Their late-season defense was elite, going 13-2 in those two LANs. If S&D is the championship decider, Control was where OpTic seized momentum.

A look ahead to Black Ops 7

Huke heads into Black Ops 7 locked in with OpTic Texas, as the back-to-back World Champions have no plans to alter their title-winning roster. After playing a pivotal role in OpTic’s historic run, Huke will once again bring his aggressive playstyle, veteran leadership, and championship experience to the squad as they aim for an unprecedented three-peat. With the team’s chemistry at an all-time high and a proven formula for success, Huke finds himself in the ideal position to add even more silverware to his already decorated career. All eyes will be on him and OpTic to see if they can extend their dynasty into a third straight season.

📸 Photo by @Spribs_