#9 Simp: Top 20 Players of Black Ops 6

The #9 Player of the Black Ops 6 season is the rising SMG Star, Chris “Simp” Lehr of the Atlanta FaZe.

The next Tiny Terror on this list, Simp, had a Black Ops 6 run filled with highs and lows. Leading the squad to two Major Championships & a 2nd place in Major IV, Chris showcased that he was still one of the best players in the World. Ending the year with a 1.05 K/D overall, he finished with year with a positive K/D in each mode, including a team-high 1.17 in SND. Simp showed his superstar potential at Major IV, leading the tournament with a 1.21 K/D with a 1.31 in Hardpoint. While the year didn’t end how he would’ve liked, it was still an impressive season.

Season Review

After signing Zack “Drazah” Jordan ahead of the Modern Warfare 3 season, Atlanta FaZe entered with one mission: win championships. They delivered on that promise by claiming the Major II trophy and closing the year with an Esports World Cup title. However, their Top 6 finish at Champs left both the roster and fans unsatisfied. With another offseason in the books, the core trio of Simp, McArthur “Cellium” Jovel, and Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris entered Black Ops 6 determined to capture another world championship.

FaZe opened the new season as one of the league’s top contenders, maintaining their proven, championship-winning core. Stage 1, however, started unevenly. A 4-3 qualifier record secured the 6th seed for Major I in Madrid. In the first online Minor, they gained momentum by defeating the LA Thieves 3-1 in the Quarterfinals before sweeping through Miami, Minnesota, and Carolina to claim the Minor crown and a $20,000 payday.

📸 Photo by @ATLFaZe

That momentum carried into Major I in Toronto, where FaZe’s pedigree shone. They bulldozed Boston Breach and the Toronto Ultra in straight series, then took down the LA Thieves in both the Winner’s Final and an electric Grand Final. It was the first trophy of the Black Ops 6 season, cementing their 2024 Esports World Cup triumph as no fluke. aBeZy starred in the Finals with a staggering 1.56 S&D K/D across the three maps played.

Stage 2 saw FaZe sharpen their edge further, going 6-1 in qualifiers and entering Major II as the heavy favorite. Their Hardpoint was exceptional, posting a league-best 16-5 record across the stage. Yet the second Minor brought a rare setback as they were knocked out early by the Vancouver Surge. FaZe quickly dismissed the loss as an online hiccup and zeroed in on the Major in Texas.

In Texas, the quest for a threepeat was alive. A favorable bracket path led to victories over Minnesota Rokkr and Cloud9 New York before meeting Vancouver once again in both the Winner’s Final and Grand Final. This time, FaZe dominated, cruising to a 4-0 sweep in the finals. aBeZy delivered another clutch performance, notching a 1.24 Hardpoint K/D and a 2.00 S&D K/D against Surge. With two titles already secured, FaZe looked locked in for the second half of the year.

📸 Photo by @ATLFaZe

But in Stage 3, cracks began to show. FaZe stumbled to a 3-2 qualifier record, including a 4-6 mark in Hardpoint. At the Major, they were stunned by Vancouver in the opening round before being eliminated by Miami Heretics, finishing Top 6. Their inconsistency in Hardpoint against top-tier opponents became an undeniable concern, and the once-clear gap between them and their rivals appeared to shrink.

Stage 4 brought mixed signals. They closed qualifiers with a strong 4-1 record and the #2 seed for DreamHack, yet their Hardpoint issues persisted with a 3-4 record in the mode. Their S&D remained elite, going undefeated at 6-0. At the Major, FaZe cut through New York, Texas, and Miami with 3-1 wins to reach the Grand Finals, where they met longtime rivals LA Thieves. This time, the Thieves disrupted FaZe’s strongest weapon by taking both S&D maps, securing the championship, and leaving questions about FaZe’s ability to close out the year on top.

📸 Photo by @Spribs_

For the first time in CDL history, FaZe entered Champs without the #1 seed—and their campaign unraveled quickly. They were blown out by OpTic Texas in the opener, rebounded with a win over Carolina, then were sent home by Miami in another Top 6 finish. For a second straight year, rivals outperformed them when it mattered most.

The Esports World Cup was their last chance to lift a trophy in Black Ops 6, but the event ended in disaster. After narrowly surviving their opener against OMiT, FaZe dropped two straight series and were eliminated early in 12th place. While not his peak form, aBeZy still produced flashes, including a 2.17 S&D K/D vs. OMiT and a 3.33 vs. Miami. The poor result made it clear that roster changes were inevitable.

How Good Was Simp in 2025?

Hardpoint

Becoming underrated in the mode, Simp finished the season with a 1.05 K/D in Hardpoint. Chris’ per-10-minute data all ranked above average, having 24.6 kills, 3,001 damage, and 65.9 seconds of hill time per 10 minutes played. He slightly improved on LAN, going up to a 1.06 K/D with a team-high 69.2 seconds of hill per 10 minutes. Major IV saw the best of Simp, finishing the tournament with a League-high 1.31 K/D, 27.9 Kills/10m, and 87.7 hill time/10m. When Simp went positive in Hardpoint, Atlanta FaZe had a 42-7 record, ranking 2nd in the metric with an 85.7% win rate. He was the X-Factor that made FaZe a top Hardpoint team.

Statistically, FaZe’s season told a story of elite highs and untimely lows. They finished with the third-best Hardpoint record in the league at 52-35 (59.8%), boasting a top-ranked rotation win rate (55.9%) but below-average hold (70.5%, 7th) and break percentages (24.6%, 10th). On LAN, their record dipped to 20-16 (55.6%), with late-season collapses at Champs and EWC yielding a combined 3-6 series record and four straight Hardpoint losses. They excelled on staple maps like Rewind (6-3) and Red Card (11-7), but their overall map pool lacked the depth needed for postseason dominance.

Search & Destroy

The best individual mode for Simp, the superstar SMG, finished the year with a 1.17 K/D in Search & Destroy, which stayed at 1.17 on LAN. Simp went for 0.76 kills per round and 51.7% opening duel win rate, while adding in the only 1v4 clutch of the season. Slaying wasn’t the only thing that Simp excelled at, leading the League with 145 bomb plants. Simp was a flexible star who impacted every single part of the game in Search & Destroy.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Where they remained unmatched was in Search & Destroy. FaZe led the CDL with a 42-23 overall record (64.6%) and improved on LAN to 20-9 (69.0%). They were lethal in opening duels (54.7% win rate, 1st) and converted those into round wins at an elite rate (76.3%, 2nd). Their post-plant play was surgical (65.9%, 2nd), and they topped the league in retake win rate (48.6%). These strengths made them the most well-rounded S&D team in the game.

Control

Since joining the team in Modern Warfare in 2019, the squad has been fantastic in Control, with this year being no different. Simp ending the season with a 1.03 K/D, adding in 21.1 kills and 2,600 damage per 10 minutes. It was another mode where he had terrific objective statistics, leading the team with 2.0 ticks per attack. Chris tied the League-led with 3 maps this season with 10+ ticks in a map as well.

Control was another area of strength. FaZe’s 33-19 record (63.5%) ranked second in the CDL, with a dominant 13-4 mark on LAN prior to Champs and EWC. However, they faltered at the worst time, going 1-5 across those final two events. Even so, they ranked second in both offensive and defensive win rates, and top-three in ticks per attack (3.9) and per defense (3.6), underscoring the foundation of excellence they carried into every match—even if the late-season results didn’t match the numbers.

A look ahead to Black Ops 7

Simp enters the Black Ops 7 season as one of the most intriguing names in the offseason shuffle, currently the only player signed to Atlanta FaZe besides aBeZy, who has been granted permission to explore other opportunities. With FaZe planning a complete rebuild around franchise cornerstone Simp, the organization is weighing multiple high-profile options to fill out the roster. Rumors have linked them to talents such as Jovan "O4" Rodriguez, Jordan "Abuzah" François, Drazah, Cellium, and even Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero as a possible long-term piece. Known for his superstar impact & consistency, Simp finds himself as a centerpiece in FaZe’s new vision for the future.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague