Pro CoD players agree new ‘GAs’ in Modern Warfare for CDL 2020

Professional Call of Duty players in the CDL have set out new ‘GAs’ (gentlemen’s agreements) between themselves for the rest of the Modern Warfare season, after much debate and controversy.

There has been lots of discussion in recent weeks over some of Modern Warfare’s in-game mechanics, such as snaking and slide-canceling, with pro players arguing over what some call ‘broken’ features.

After it was shared that players and coaches had been working on new ‘gentlemen’s agreements’, where teams handshake over not using certain features in competition, a list featuring the new changes was finally confirmed on May 26.

Dallas Empire’s Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro was among the first to confirm the new GA rules during a livestream, explaining that Automatic Tactical Sprint, Merc Foregrip, and the Snaking mechanic had all been ‘GA’d’.

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“Auto Tac Sprint is GA’d, Merc Foregrip is GA’d and Snaking,” he explained, listing the new restrictions that the players had agreed upon. These changes are not officially enforced within the CDL ruleset, and there has been controversy in the past over whether such agreements should be allowed.

The CoD stars were likely keen to get rid of Automated Tactical Sprint as it can be used to abuse the slide-canceling mechanic in Modern Warfare, giving players an edge in movement speed and making them harder to target in gunfights.

While certain features such as Auto Tac Sprint and Merc Foregrip can be disabled prior to a match, Snaking can be much more difficult to enforce during competition. It has caused no end controversy when it has been GA’d in previous Call of Duty titles.

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While it is unclear how these changes will affect the current meta, Seattle Surge star Octane joked that teams such as Atlanta FaZe, who have been a consistent contender at events, were among the first to take advantage of these features and could be affected by some of the unofficial rule changes.

One key feature that was also up for the gentlemen’s agreement debate was the 10mm mags attachment, which is often seen on the Mp5 for improved range during long-range fights, however, despite many claiming that it is overpowered, it seems to have escaped this wave of GA bans.

Although some fans argue that GAs shouldn’t be permitted, others believe they are necessary to ensure fair and balanced gameplay. Because official bans will often take longer and require more bureaucracy, GAs are affective at bringing fast, small changes in time for tournaments.

The Call of Duty League will return on June 6 for Minnesota’s Week 9 event, giving players a chance to compete with some of these new changes.