Call of Duty League bans tactical rifles & adjusts 2021 map pool

In anticipation of the upcoming Call of Duty League season, the CDL have adjusted their gun bans and map pools by banning tactical rifles and adding Raid to numerous modes.

Competitive Call of Duty fans have been anxiously awaiting news about the CDL’s upcoming season following months of offseason uncertainty. With rosters approaching finality and the league expected to start sometime in early 2021, it appears that the competitive ruleset is getting ironed out.

In a January 7 update to the Competitive Settings V1.1 page, the league has replaced three maps across Hardpoint, Search & Destroy and Control. Separately, they have decided to ban all four of BOCW’s tactical rifles from competitive play (the Type 63, M16, AUG and DMR 14).

These changes should bring the game closer to the level of competition that fans and pros alike have been hoping for. Deactivating what many consider to be overpowered tactical rifles (like the M16 in particular) while replacing maps with the newly added Raid are two strong adjustments.

As explained on the Competitive Settings section of the CDL website, Raid is finally being officially added to Hardpoint, SND and Control. This is delightful news to competitors and their followers, as the iconic map introduced in Black Ops II has become an instant favorite following its Cold War debut on December 16, 2020.

CDL Competitive Settings Changes

Maps & Modes

• Hardpoint: Removed Cartel, added Raid
• Search & Destroy: Removed Crossroads, added Raid
• Control: Removed Moscow, added Raid

Weapon Restrictions

• Added all tactical rifles (Type 63, M16, AUG, DMR 14) to the banned list

While subject to change as the season approaches, these adjustments leave us with five Hardpoint maps, five SND maps and three Control maps.

• Read more: 7 best Call of Duty pro players for 2021

As for weapons, pros are now restricted to assault rifles, submachine guns and sniper rifles for their primary weapons — following in the footsteps of the inaugural season’s Modern Warfare ruleset.

When BOCW officially released on November 13, fans and players in the competitive scene were immediately concerned with the power of the M16 and with the size of maps. For weeks now, scrims haven’t featured any tactical rifles and have limited playtime on the two largest maps: Miami and Moscow.

• Read more: Octane reveals CDL “sleeper” XM4 loadout

With these changes, Miami continues to be limited solely to SND and Moscow is now only present on two modes: Hardpoint and SND. Instead, the presence of Raid on all three modes confirms that there will be a balanced, medium-sized map that pros are already very familiar with. As we approach the season, we’ll continue to monitor ruleset changes while updating fans here and on DexertoIntel.