Jump into Black Ops 7 right now and you can feel the room tilt the moment the match loads. Everybody's doing the same little check: what's in their hands, what's in yours, and how fast the first guy gets deleted. More often than not, it's the Maddox running the show, and if you're not on it you're basically signing up for hard mode. People joke about "broken" every season, but this time it doesn't feel like drama. It feels like the game's daring you to use anything else. Even folks who just want a chill session or a few warm-up fights—maybe after messing around in a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby—get tossed into regular lobbies and instantly see the same blueprint over and over.
Why It Wins Every Range
The weird part is it's labeled an assault rifle, but it doesn't play like one. It moves like an SMG, then still hits like an AR when you try to stretch the fight. You'll slide into a doorway, pre-aim for half a second, and the other guy's gone before their gun's even settled. On small maps it's nasty, sure, but it doesn't fall apart on mid lanes either. That's the problem: there's no "okay, back up and you're safe" moment. If you're running a true SMG, you're supposed to win up close. Lately you're getting outgunned by the Maddox anyway, and that stings.
Recoil That Doesn't Ask Questions
Fast TTK is one thing. Making it easy is another. With this build, recoil isn't a fight; it's barely a suggestion. You can keep your crosshair glued while hopping, strafing, doing whatever movement tech you've been grinding, and it still stays tidy. Most high fire-rate guns need some kind of tax—kick, sway, bloom, something. Here, it's like the gun's already doing the correction for you. And when shots are coming back at you, the flinch feels muted, so trades that should be messy turn into clean beams. That's where the frustration lands: it narrows the skill gap in a way you can feel mid-gunfight.
Handling That Encourages Bad Habits
The handling is the final shove. ADS snaps up quick, sprint-to-fire feels forgiving, and it rewards the kind of nonstop ego-challing that usually gets punished. You can fly around corners and still get first bullet like you were posted up the whole time. It changes how people play the map: fewer slow clears, fewer off-angles, more full-send. And because it works, everyone copies it. So if you're trying to run something "fun" or different, you're constantly paying for it with lost duels.
What Players Can Actually Do Right Now
Until the devs rein it in, most players end up with the same choice: mirror the Maddox or accept you're at a disadvantage. If you're sticking it out, play tighter cover, force awkward angles, and don't take fair fights in the open—because the Maddox loves fair fights. Stack utility, hit crossfires, and make them move first. If you just want to breathe and still keep your aim warm, mixing in lower-stress reps can help, whether that's private matches or even a few rounds in CoD BO7 Bot Lobbies before you jump back into the chaos and deal with the meta again.