Esports
FaZe Vegas Reveal Powerhouse Modern Warfare 4 Roster: Scrap, HyDra, Simp, and Alluka
Source: FaZe Vegas / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
The FaZe Vegas Modern Warfare 4 roster, piece by piece
Winning a championship is hard. Repeating is harder, and FaZe Vegas knows it — which is why the 2026 Call of Duty League champions just rebuilt their starting lineup for the Modern Warfare 4 season. Unveiled on October 19, the new FaZe Vegas roster is: Thomas 'Scrap' Ernst, Paco 'HyDra' Rusiewiez, Mohammed 'Alluka' Bindal, and Chris 'Simp' Lehr.
On paper, this is a superteam. In practice, it is a fascinating gamble — two established stars, one returning legend, and one unproven prospect, all asked to gel before the Monster Energy Launch Invitational. Let us break down why each piece matters.
Why Scrap and HyDra are the headline
Scrap and HyDra arrive as a package from the Los Angeles Thieves, where they spent the last two years as one of the most productive duos in the league. The resume since 2024: one Major title, two Minor titles, and two Grand Final appearances in 2026 alone. That is not potential — that is production.
Scrap is the kind of player who bends a map around himself. Aggressive, fast, and mechanically disgusting in the best way, he forces opponents to spend resources accounting for him, which opens space for everyone else. HyDra is the perfect complement — ice-cold in big moments, absurdly consistent, and the player you want holding a retake when the round is on the line. Pairing them with FaZe's existing core was the obvious move the moment they hit the market.
Alluka: from substitute to starter
The boldest call on this roster is Mohammed 'Alluka' Bindal. FaZe signed the hot prospect after a strong Challengers campaign, and he spent last season as a substitute — including a loan stint with the Riyadh Falcons at the Black Ops 7 CDL Championship, where he finished top-four. Now he is a starter for the defending champions.
Promoting a rookie into a championship roster is how dynasties either extend themselves or blow up. The logic is sound: Alluka has already shown he does not shrink on big stages, and learning next to Simp is the best education in Call of Duty. But the CDL does not give out participation trophies, and the jump from substitute to week-one starter is the steepest learning curve in the game.
Simp gets one more run at history
Chris 'Simp' Lehr is the only member of the Black Ops 7 championship roster still standing, and he is now entering his eighth year representing FaZe. Three CDL championships. A career that has outlasted metas, rosters, and entire franchises. If anyone has earned the right to anchor a rebuild, it is him.
The cost of the rebuild: Jovan '04' Rodriguez, Jordan 'Abuzah' Francois, and Zach 'Drazah' Johnson all move to Paris Gentle Mates. That is a real exodus of talent — three starters from a title-winning team walking out the door at once. FaZe is betting that Scrap and HyDra are an upgrade, not just a lateral move. Time will tell, but the ceiling on this roster is absurdly high.
The full lineup
- Thomas 'Scrap' Ernst — signed from LA Thieves
- Paco 'HyDra' Rusiewiez — signed from LA Thieves
- Mohammed 'Alluka' Bindal — promoted from substitute
- Chris 'Simp' Lehr — returning, 8th year with FaZe
First test: the Monster Energy Launch Invitational
We will not have to wait long to see whether this works. The new lineup's first outing comes at the Monster Energy Launch Invitational, as Modern Warfare 4's competitive scene fires up — the game's new DMZ mode just went into early access today, so the whole CoD ecosystem is in launch-week chaos.
That chaos might actually help FaZe. New game, new maps, new metas — everyone is learning at once, which favors raw talent over established playbook knowledge. And this roster has talent to spare.
Can anyone actually beat them?
The honest answer: probably, eventually. No roster in CDL history has looked unbeatable in October and stayed that way — the league is too deep, and the FPS esports scene just watched FURIA defend a title the hard way at Thunderpick. But FaZe Vegas did not assemble Scrap, HyDra, and Simp to be 'pretty good.' They built this team to win Majors immediately, and on talent alone, they are the favorites until someone proves otherwise.
