Stock Rising: The Breakout Players of the Monster Kickoff Invitational

The Monster Kickoff Invitational is in the books, with OpTic Texas claiming the win, but the bigger picture is all about the players whose stock skyrocketed over the weekend. From unexpected standouts to established stars already looking locked in for Black Ops 7, these players delivered the strongest performances of the tournament and made it clear they’ll be ones to watch when the CDL officially returns on December 5.

Cuyler "Huke" Garland - OpTic Texas

Huke looks like the best player in Black Ops 7 currently, playing at a superstar level in all three gamemodes. The OpTic SMG led the tournament with a 1.31 K/D over the five series victories, while also having a 1.24 K/D or higher in each of the three modes. The efficiency with the SMG was the eye-popping metrics, leading the team with a 64.0% TES Rating (64% of his engagements were kills or assists) and 75.0% non-traded kill percentage. If this continues into the CDL season, watch out for MVP Huke season.

Photo by @OpTic

Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero - Toronto KOI

Just in case anyone was worried, JoeDeceives is still rocking in Black Ops 7. The rising star led the new-look Toronto KOI with a 1.18 overall K/D with a 61.3% TES Rating. While it's impressive that Joe had a 1.12 K/D or better in all three modes, it's really the objective work that highlights his immense potential this season. JoeDeceives led the team with 10 plants in SND, 6 goals in Overload, and had the second-highest hill time per 10 minutes (72.8 seconds) in Hardpoint. Now repping KOI, JoeDeceives is ready to hit new levels.

Kyle "Kremp" Haworth - G2 Minnesota

While Kremp has always shown high potential since breaking into the League years ago, he has been unable to string it together consistently. Over the weekend, the SMG again showed that high potential, finishing with a 1.18 overall K/D for Minnesota. In the new mode, Overload, Kremp led the tournament with 30.7 kills and 3649 damage per 10 minutes, while adding in a 1.26 K/D. That wasn't the only dominant respawn mode, though, as he also set the Hardpoint kill record with 53 kills in a Colossus Hardpoint vs FaZe Vegas. With this G2 Minnesota team looking dangerous after the Kickoffs, look out for Kremp to take another step this season.

Photo by @C9COD_

Mason "Mercules" Ramsey - OpTic Texas

There has been no hotter player in the competitive landscape than Mercules during the Black Ops 7 Kickoff season. The BP Rookie of the Year finished the tournament leading in multiple stat categories, including Overall K/D (1.31), TES Rating (64.0%), and Respawn K/D (1.27). He put in superstar performances against FaZe in Winners Round 3, finishing with a 1.71 series K/D with a 121.8 Slayer Rating. Then in the Winners Finals, Mercules dropped a 1.52 series K/D to take down Paris Gentle Mates. He'll be one of the favorites for MVP heading into the season.

Cesar "Skyz" Bueno - G2 Minnesota

Expectations from the community were low for Skyz heading into the year, as many weren't thrilled with the signing for G2 Minnesota. Skyz proved he still has the talent with the right team around him, posting 1.14 Overall K/D and 1.46 Search & Destroy K/D. He wasn't just smashing lower teams either, as he was key in matches against LAT (1.30 K/D), New York (1.36 K/D), and Paris (1.14 K/D). While there are a lot of unknowns going into the year, Minnesota has put itself on the map for teams to look out for.

Noah "Lunarz" Whillock - Vancouver Surge

Fans finally got to see the Lunarz that dominated the Challengers circuit last season before joining the LA Guerrillas M8. While it has been doubted by some, the young AR undoubtedly has potential, but just wasn't able to put it together last season. Finishing with a team-high 1.19 Overall K/D, Lunarz looked like the shining light for the Surge. He led the tournament with a 76.7% non-traded kill percentage and added a 1.38 K/D in SND. While the team didn't place well, Lunarz showed in all three series that he is one of the stock risers heading into the season.

Photo by @CODLeague

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