Top 20 Players of MW3: #2 HyDra

The #2 player of the Modern Warfare 3 season brought to you by HouseBets.com is the French Phenom, Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez.

The 2023 World Champion and Most Valuable Player was hungry for more success going into 2024. No team has ever won back-to-back World Championships, so that was the goal for the Frenchman & the Subliners. Paco wouldn’t disappoint, ending the season with a 1.14 overall KD, a league-high 89.5 Slayer Raing, and 1.14 Respawn KD. Playing the strict slaying and damage output role for the team, HyDra shined for the Subliners.

Season Review

Despite winning two Majors and Champs during the 2023 season in Modern Warfare 2, the New York Subliners decided to "pack a punch" in the offseason by bringing in Daunte "Sib" Gray to upgrade the flex position, replacing Preston “Priestahh” Greiner. Paired with SMG duo Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley, HyDra would look to build off of a great MW2 season. With the competition improving across the board, the pressure was on New York to perform at a high level once again.

The season's first qualifier went relatively smoothly for the Subliners, who finished 6-1 in the series. However, their 18-11 (62%) map count revealed some cracks that needed attention. These issues became more evident during Major 1, where they lost their opening match to the Minnesota Rokkr 0-3 and then suffered another defeat to the Carolina Royal Ravens 1-3, resulting in a disappointing Top 12 finish and earning 0 CDL Points at the season's first LAN.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

After struggling in respawns during the opening stage, improving in this area became a major focus for the Subliners heading into Stage 2. They had gone 7-8 in Hardpoints and 3-6 in Control during Stage 1 but needed to step up if they wanted to compete for a title. The second qualifier showed significant improvement, as New York once again finished 6-1, earning the 2nd seed with the best map win rate at 74% (20-7). Heading into Major 2, they aimed to prove the doubters wrong after Major 1's failure. Although they started strong by defeating Boston, they fell to Atlanta in a heartbreaking game 5. HyDra & Co quickly rebounded, defeating Carolina and Toronto 3-0, setting up a clash with Texas in the Lower Finals. Despite a highly competitive series, Texas came out on top, eliminating New York in 3rd place. Although they didn't reach the finals, HyDra & Co's overall performance was a clear improvement.

Just as it seemed like HyDra & Co had put Stage 1 behind them, those struggles resurfaced during the Major 3 Qualifiers. The team ended with a 3-4 record, earning the 5th seed but with a lackluster map count of 14-13 (52%). While losses to Atlanta (1-3) and Toronto (1-3) were understandable, setbacks against Carolina (2-3) and Seattle (1-3) were more concerning. The Major followed a similar trajectory to Major 2, as an opening 3-1 win over LAT wasn't enough to carry them past Atlanta, resulting in a 0-3 defeat. After avenging their earlier loss to Seattle, New York was eliminated by Texas 3-2 in Lower Round 4, finishing 4th. While the results weren’t terrible, they fell short of the form they had displayed the previous season.

📸 Photo by @Subliners

As the 4th seed, the Subliners needed a strong performance in the final stage to secure a better seed. However, they stumbled in the first two weeks, entering week 3 with a 2-2 record. In the end, they finished with a 4-3 record, securing the 7th seed for Major 4. Concerns arose after losses to Las Vegas (0-3) and LAT (2-3), but they fought through it.

Doubts crept in quickly at Major 4, as a 0-3 loss to Atlanta sent them to the Lower Bracket right away. However, much like many past Major winners, the Subliners began to string together victories and build momentum. After three consecutive 3-1 wins over Minnesota, Las Vegas, and LA Thieves, they found themselves in Lower Round 4 against the Ultra. On Sunday, New York went to work, defeating Ultra 3-0 and then LAG in the Lower Finals. In the Grand Finals, the Subliners took control early against Atlanta FaZe, and after a few back-and-forth maps, they secured the Invasion Control to win the tournament. After multiple low points throughout the season, HyDra & Co. won the final Major, gaining significant momentum heading into COD Champs.

📸 Photo by @Subliners

With the top eight teams at Champs, New York faced a tough battle to become the first team to win back-to-back Champs. They displayed their clutch ability early, winning game 5s over Seattle and Atlanta to advance to a Upper Bracket Finals match against Texas. While the Subliners would fall 2-3, they’d quickly bounce back against the Ultra. Paco would go 18-5 (3.60 KD) in SND during the series to will the team to the Grand Finals. The team would look to get revenge against Texas, but surrounded by the OpTic crowd, Subliners were unable to take them down. OpTic Texas would come out victorious 5-1, knocking out the Subliners in 2nd.

How good was HyDra in 2024?

Hardpoint

HyDra's best individual mode of the season was easily Hardpoint. Paco ranked highly in each of the slaying stats. He finished with a 1.15 KD in the mode, 2nd in the CDL. On the per 10-minute stats, he led the League with 25.5 kills and 3rd with 4632 damage. He did rank 61st in seconds of Hill Time per 10 minutes (41.1) but his teammates were able to soak the hill with his slaying. All of his slaying numbers improved on LAN, finishing with 27.1 kills/10m, 1.18 KD, and 4903 damage/10m. Paco finally led the League in maps with 30+ kills (29), maps with 40+ kills (3), and maps with 5,000+ damage (38). HyDra was elite at his role for the Subliners, showing why he was one of the best players in the World in Hardpoint.

The Subliners had a slow start in Hardpoint this season but managed to turn things around. They finished with a 47-39 record in the mode, placing 4th in the CDL. The team excelled in rotation percentage, ranking 1st at 57%, but struggled with holding, ranking 8th at 73.9%. This indicates that their initial setups were a weakness, and addressing this could have led to better results. While they had a tough time in Map 1s (26-25), they performed significantly better in Map 4s (21-14), suggesting that map pools and vetoes may have contributed to their challenges. Despite it being their weakest game type, the Subliners still ranked 4th in the League.

Search & Destroy

Paco has been known for his exceptional respawn play, but he finished with strong SND impact as well this season. HyDra finished with a 1.12 KD in the mode while adding 0.77 kills per round, 153.8 ADR, and an opening duel win rate of 49.2%. His slaying numbers improved on LAN as well. The French Phenom ended the LAN circuit with a 1.13 KD, 0.79 kills per round, and 162.1 ADR. When HyDra finished with a positive KD in the mode, the team went 35-6 (85.4%), the best win percentage on the team. But when he finished negative, the Subliners went 8-22 (26.7%), which was the lowest win rate with a negative KD on the team. That showed the impact he had on the map if he got going.

One of the most well-rounded teams in the Call of Duty League, the Subliners were formidable on nearly every Search & Destroy map. New York finished the season with a 43-28 record in the mode, securing 2nd place in the CDL. Renowned for their sharp fundamentals and creative play, they were the team that demonstrated the most thorough research into lineups and grenades. The Subliners led the League with a 76.2% conversion rate on opening duel wins and ranked 1st in Post-Plant Win Percentage (74.7%) on the attacking side. With solid setups and strong fundamentals, the Subliners were consistently a threat in Search & Destroy.

Control

Respawn modes were where HyDra had the strongest impact for the Subliners, and Control was no exception. Paco finished the game mode with a 1.13 KD, leading the team. He finished with 21.6 kills and 3940 damage per 10 minutes played. His weak point was again objective play, ranking 63rd with 0.9 ticks captured per attacking round (out of 65 players). He made up for this with a league-high 17 maps with 30+ kills in the mode, achieving this in 32% of his maps played and leading the League. His slaying and damage output were not matched and allowed his teammates to roam the map while Paco achieved map dominance.

As a team, the Subliners were solid in Control but faced some challenges along the way. They finished the season with a 30-23 record, placing 4th in the League. This included map records of 10-6 on Highrise, 14-11 on Invasion, and 6-6 on Karachi. The Subliners excelled on the attacking side, boasting the 3rd best win rate overall (42.2%), with standout performances on Highrise (50%) and Invasion (32.1%). On Highrise, they also led the League in average life margin (+0.4) and average ticks captured (3.8). However, their 1-4 record in the final 5 maps revealed some vulnerabilities against the top teams in the League.

A look ahead to Black Ops 6

With the Esports World Cup still on the horizon and Cloud9 now officially acquiring the franchise, there are lingering questions about the team’s future. Cloud9's owner has confirmed that player options will be extended, but could a disappointing result at the EWC alter any plans?

It seems unlikely, but it’s worth noting that the team made a roster change after winning CoD Champs last season. If any of the other Top 4 teams were to falter and make surprising roster moves, putting elite players on the market, New York would certainly explore those options.

📸 Photo by @Spribs_

However, until more information emerges, the current roster is set to compete in Black Ops 6. This lineup is undoubtedly among the top 4 teams and a contender in every tournament they enter. HyDra has been a top player since he joined the League in Cold War, next year will be no different. The 2023 MVP & World Champion has said that his goal is to win multiple World Championships. Paco will have plenty of competition, but New York will be championship contenders with him on the roster.

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