He is the "French Phenom." That’s the tag Paco Rusiewiez has carried since he first stepped onto the North American Call of Duty scene, but even that feels like an understatement now. If you've been following the Call of Duty League (CDL) for the last few years, you know that HyDra isn't just another submachine gun player. He’s a glitch in the matrix. When you watch him play, it looks like he’s playing a completely different game than the four guys trying to shoot him.
It’s fast. It’s violent. It’s incredibly frustrating for his opponents.
Most people see a high K/D ratio and think "slayer," but with HyDra, it’s deeper. We are talking about a player who redefined what it means to be a "roaming slayer" in a structured, tactical environment. People used to say you couldn't win in Call of Duty by just out-talenting people at the highest level. Then HyDra arrived, and he started doing exactly that.
The New York Subliners Era and the Rise of a Dynasty
Let's look at the facts of his trajectory because they are kind of insane. HyDra joined the New York Subliners (NYSL) during the Black Ops Cold War season. Back then, there were massive questions about his English, his ability to adapt to the American "meta," and whether his flashy playstyle would actually translate to wins. He shut everyone up pretty quickly.
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By the time Modern Warfare II (2023) rolled around, HyDra wasn't just a star; he was the sun. He led the Subliners to two Major wins and a World Championship. He became the first European player to win the CDL MVP award. Think about that for a second. In a league historically dominated by American talent—the Scumps, the Simps, the AbeZys—a kid from France became the undisputed best player on the planet.
His 2023 season was statistically one of the greatest individual performances in the history of the franchise. According to CDL data, his slaying efficiency and ability to find "first bloods" in Search and Destroy were off the charts. He wasn't just getting kills; he was getting the right kills.
Why HyDra is Actually Hard to Play Against
If you ask a pro player what makes HyDra so difficult, they won't just say "he has good aim." Everyone in the league has good aim. It’s his movement. In the Modern Warfare III and Black Ops 6 eras, Call of Duty has leaned heavily into "cracked" movement—sliding, diving, and jumping. HyDra uses these mechanics to create "camera" advantages.
Basically, he moves so quickly around corners that he appears on his opponent's screen after he has already started shooting them on his own. It’s a networking and perspective quirk that he has mastered.
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He also plays with a weird lack of fear. Most SMG players will wait for a teammate to throw a flashbang or a stun grenade. HyDra? He just goes. He’ll fly into a room with three people, take two of them with him, and leave the third one so weak that his teammates just have to sneeze on them to get the scrap. Honestly, it’s a nightmare to prepare for because you can’t "strat" against someone who is just fundamentally faster than you.
The Impact of the LA Thieves Superteam
The biggest story in Call of Duty right now is the "Superteam" era. After the 2024 season, the landscape shifted. We saw the New York Subliners core essentially dissolve, leading to one of the biggest roster moves in esports history. HyDra joining the LA Thieves alongside players like Ghosty and Scrap is the kind of move that keeps other coaches awake at night.
It’s a massive shift in power. For years, the "Tiny Terrors" (Simp and AbeZy) on Atlanta FaZe were the gold standard for sub duo play. Now, the conversation has shifted. Can HyDra carry that same MVP-level dominance to a new organization with a different support system? Early indications suggest yes. His ceiling is so high that he doesn't just fit into a system; he is the system.
Breaking Down the "Slayer" Misconception
There is a common criticism that HyDra "kill-whores"—a gaming term for someone who ignores the objective to get a better K/D. This is mostly nonsense. If you watch his mini-map positioning, he’s often playing the "cut-off" role.
- He blocks spawns so the enemy team can’t get close to the hill.
- He pushes out lanes to give his ARs (Assault Rifle players) more room to breathe.
- He baits for his teammates when he knows he’s in a losing position.
The nuance of his game is that he knows exactly when to be selfish and when to be a teammate. In the 2023 Grand Finals against Toronto Ultra, he put up a 1.20+ K/D while also having some of the highest hill time on his team. You don't do that by accident. You do that by having a superior understanding of the game's flow.
What You Can Learn from HyDra’s Playstyle
You aren't going to have HyDra’s reflexes. Sorry. Unless you are 19 years old and drinking nothing but iced coffee and adrenaline, your thumbs don't move that fast. But you can copy his decision-making.
One thing HyDra does better than anyone is "centering." He always has his crosshairs exactly where an enemy’s head is likely to appear. He doesn't look at the ground. He doesn't look at the sky. He is always ready for the engagement.
Another thing is his use of "re-engaging." If HyDra gets hit, he doesn't just lay down and die. He slides out, resets his health, and then attacks from a completely different angle three seconds later. It’s about being unpredictable. Most players are linear; HyDra is circular. He circles his prey until they make a mistake.
The Future: Can He Be the GOAT?
The "Greatest of All Time" conversation in Call of Duty is usually reserved for Scump, Crimsix, or Karma. But those guys played in a different era. The competition now is much tighter. Every single player in the CDL is a superstar. To dominate this era the way HyDra has is arguably more impressive than winning tournaments in 2014 when the talent pool was shallower.
If he wins another ring with the LA Thieves, the conversation is over. He will be the greatest European player to ever touch a controller, and he’ll have a very strong case for being the best individual talent the game has ever seen.
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He is currently in his prime. Usually, CoD pros start to slow down in their mid-20s. Paco is still in that sweet spot where experience meets raw, twitchy talent. We are watching a historical run in real-time.
Actionable Insights for Competitive Players
If you want to improve your own game by watching HyDra, focus on these specific habits:
- Master Centering: Stop sprinting around corners blindly. Keep your reticle at chest height and pre-aim common head-glitches.
- Vary Your Movement: Don't just slide-cancel because it looks cool. Use it to "camera" opponents when you know exactly where they are sitting.
- Watch the Mini-Map, Not Just the Red Dots: Look at where your teammates are not. That’s usually where the enemies are going to come from. HyDra excels at filling those gaps.
- Analyze His SnD Routes: Search and Destroy is where HyDra makes his money. Watch his "first blood" routes on YouTube. He often takes high-risk, high-reward paths that catch teams off guard during their setup.
- Adapt Your Sens: HyDra plays on a relatively high sensitivity but keeps his Deadzones tight. If you feel sluggish, try bumping your horizontal/vertical sensitivity up by one notch, but spend an hour in private matches against bots to lock in the muscle memory first.