Published on: 28/11/2022
Modern Warfare 2: Sniper rifles ban lifted after major criticisms from community
After the widespread criticism from the Call of Duty community, Modern Warfare 2 sniper rifles are no longer banned from Call of Duty League season which commences on December 2 with CDL Major 1 Qualifier.
CDL Intel was the first to report the lifting of the ban, posting on Twitter, “BREAKING: Sniper Rifles have been removed from the GA list.”
To put things into perspective, when a new Call of Duty game is released, its players must devote considerable time to determining the best weapons, equipment, scorestreaks, and other features.
Gentlemen’s agreements, or GAs, are a set of non-enforceable rules of the CoD game. It allows the competitive professional community to exempt firearms, equipment, and other items that they believe are too powerful or broken to be used in a competitive setting despite being essentially approved under CDL rules.
Sniper rifles were initially banned by professional Modern Warfare 2 players. However, the decision was bound to elicit criticism and discussion.
Sam ‘Octane’ Larew of LA Thieves tweeted on November 27, “Hope you guys enjoy watching SND this year with no snipers! Played all of Vanguard with snipes and no smokes, but geez it sure is OP! Sh*ts comical bruv.”
Several high-profile community members criticized the decision, including former CWL announcer Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop called this rule a “joke.”
“It’s an absolute joke that certain CDL players are trying to ban snipers this year. One of the most exciting parts of the game for a spectator. Help yourselves out, man,” Dunlop said.
The decision was labeled “stupid” by 100 Thieves founder and co-owner Matthew “Nadeshot.”
“I don’t know both sides of the argument very well and haven’t been able to play MW2 competitively, but regardless, GA’ing snipers out of Call of Duty for the CDL is just downright stupid,” he said on Twitter.
Nadeshot also criticized the decision for “sucking the fun out of the game.” He then elaborated on his point in response to a different comment. The 30-year-old claimed while aim-assisted snipers aren’t new in CoD, long-range rifles in competitive matches make for some fantastic moments.
Gentlemen’s Agreement v2.0
The GA results from forcing a competitive scene into a game intended for a more casual audience. As mentioned before, the GA ensures that competitive play in CoD is as fair and balanced as possible. This agreement avoids situations where a single weapon or feature completely dominates a competitive tournament.
A majority of the players must agree to include their input in the GA. However, only competitive players have a voice. The GA is usually finalized in NA by Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat and Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi. Lewis “LewTee” Todd is in charge of finishing the GA in Europe. They all have been in the CoD professional scene for a long time and are well-known in the community.
The Gentlemen’s agreement v2.0 was agreed upon by all 12 teams. The list includes the prohibition of weapons such as assault rifles, namely the Kastov-74u and STB 556, and the Fennec 45 submachine gun ban.
The agreement also prohibits M4 under barrel attachments, and only “FSS Sharkfin 99” and “Edge-47 Grip” are permitted. Furthermore, only the “Hightower 20′′ Barrel” M4 barrel is allowed.
The agreement also listed that weapon modification is not permitted. Any weapon cannot have attachments that enhance hip fire accuracy. Trigger Action attachments like pistols are not allowed.
In addition to weapons, the GA prohibits using equipment such as Flash Grenade and Smoke Grenade in all modes. All game modes only allow a maximum of two Trophy System per team.
The agreement also prohibits streaks like SAE, which is restricted in all modes. They also preclude using challengers such as pistols, except the X12 pistol.
