The Scorpion EVO has returned inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, this time named the Rival-9. This SMG features an absurdly fast fire rate, moderate base damage, and just enough recoil to make long-range gunfights tricky without attachments. Fortunately, this gun has a suite of excellent attachments to choose from.

Whether you’re an aggressive player or prefer more cautious play, the Rival-9 can excel in virtually every situation if you use the right build. This guide will showcase three excellent Rival-9 builds that lean into accurate mid-range dueling and more stealthy playstyles. We’ll also give loadout recommendations for each weapon build.

Updated July 28, 2025, by Charles Burgar:The Rival-9’s Headhunter kit has received a massive buff in a mid-season balance patch, drastically improving its overall TTK and handling stats. We’ve updated this guide to include a powerful JAK Headhunter build for the Rival-9 that will excel in core Multiplayer and MWZ.

Pros And Cons

While the Rival-9 has a fast TTK up close, the weapon’s recoil makes it tough to use at longer distances. This build aims to fix that. TheRival-C Clearshot Barrelis easily the best barrel option on the Rival-9, granting a boost to the gun’s effective range and recoil control. We further increase our recoil with theRival Vice Assault GripandEXF Close Quarters Assault Stockattachments.

All three attachments willreduce your recoil by 25%and greatly improve your aiming stability, allowing you to engage targets at 25-50 meters without much issue. Damage falloff kicks in past 12 meters on this weapon, so we recommend using the50 Round Drummagazine attachment to give yourself some leeway for those mid-range duels. Throw on your favorite optic to complete the build.

Field Upgrade

Dead Silence

SMG builds should prioritize speed or stealth with their choice of perks and equipment. We have opted for the former since this build doesn’t use a suppressor.The Infantry Vestis ideal for SMG users since it doubles your tactical sprint duration and greatly reduces its recovery time, allowing you to run across the map much faster.

For perks,Tactical Padsare an amazing choice since they greatly improve your slide distance.Marksman Gloveswill help mitigate incoming flinch, andMag Loaderis great for lowering the Rival-9’s lengthy drum mag reload. Since this loadout doesn’t have any stealth-related neutral game perks, we recommendDead Silenceas your Field Upgrade. It’ll temporarily give you Covert Sneakers and Ghost.

The Rival-9 is an excellent SMG for CQC stealth builds, provided you use the right attachments. We’ll be using theSonic Suppressor Spaired with theRival-C Clearshot Barrelto greatly buff the Rival-9’s effective range while suppressing all outgoing shots. To further reduce recoil, we use theEXF Close Quarters Assault StockandFTAC SP-10 Angled Grip.

The stock greatly reduces recoil across the board, while the FTAC grip is used specifically to mitigate horizontal recoil that’s experienced with sustained fire. Throw on amagazine attachmentto finish the build. Since this build is tailored for close-quarters gunfights, we use the 40 Round Mag since its penalties are far lower than its 50 Round cousin.

Preference

Our loadout recommendation remains mostly the same for this Rival-9 build, although we have opted to use stealth perks for this loadout.Covert Sneakersare essential in one-life modes to flank enemies or safely navigate the map while tac sprinting.Ghostwill hide you from enemy radar while running, andAssault Glovesallow you to jumpshot with minimal ADS and accuracy penalties. The rest of the build remains the same.

The JAK Headhunter Carbine Kit converts the Rival-9 into athree-round burst SMGthat has a damage profile closer to an assault rifle. It’s possible to land a near-instant kill with three headshots from a single burst, but that’s not practical for most players. Landing four chest shots is far easier and still provides a competitive TTK value.

Beyond the conversion kit, we use theMTZ Maraduer Stockto buff the weapon’s firing aim stability, making your burst groupings much tighter. TheFTAC SP-10 Angled Gripwill then reduce the horizontal recoil this weapon has, making your bursts mostly vertical. Throw onany opticand theShadowstrike Suppressorto finish the build.

Tactical

Stim

Stealth is a great option for this weapon since it encourages you to fight at medium distances. TheAssassin Vestgives you the Ghost perk with 100% uptime, regardless of whether you’re moving or standing still. We then pair this withCovert Sneakersto muffle our footstep audio, making this a fantastic class for one-life modes.

The other perks and equipment you choose are down to preference. Some good picks areMarksman Glovesfor flinch mitigation,EODto reduce incoming explosive damage, andStimsto immediately heal after a gunfight.