Modern Warfare 2 CDL maps changed dramatically after massive backlash from pros

Just a few short hours after revealing the v1.0 competitive ruleset for Modern Warfare 2, the Call of Duty League made some major changes to the map pool for the competitive season after massive backlash from pros and top Challenger competitors alike.

On November 7, the CoD League revealed its opening ruleset for the launch of the competitive season, including all of the weapons and items that will be restricted, as well as the Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control maps that will be played.

These included some maps that pros and Challengers alike found very questionable, with just two Control maps that most players hadn’t even practiced yet and Farm 18 in the Search & Destroy rotation.

The notable omissions of Crown Raceway and Breenburgh Hotel were expected, given the legal issues surrounding them, but the community was still disappointed to see them absent.

With a Challengers tournament coming up on the following weekend, many top amateurs called out the CDL using them as “guinea pigs.”

With pros clearly baffled by the decisions, especially with the inclusion of maps they hadn’t scrimmed yet or asked to be included in the map pool, there were a lot of discussions online, and some concerns from pros that they hadn’t scrimmed said maps, or were unsure of how they would play in a competitive environment.

After such backlash from the community, and likely even more so in private, the CDL did the unexpected and gave the mapset a major overhaul just hours later.

They completely swapped out the Control maps, replacing both of them with three more, as well as adding Breenburgh Hotel to all modes, much to the surprise and delight of the competitive community.

This is a huge change to have been made, but definitely one that will improve community sentiment.

With rumors of a two-year Modern Warfare II cycle still up in the air, players are expecting some classic MW2 maps to arrive in the game, and that could change the competitive landscape for the better.