The KAR, ITRA and Shotgun all Made Appearances in a Pro League Challenge Match
Red Reserve took on FIRESMACKIN in the first round of the July 1st CWL Pro League Challenge and things got out of hand quickly, resulting in banned weapons and trash talking between the two teams.
The match started off well enough with Red taking a routine Hardpoint, before moving to USS Texas S&D. That is where it started to go downhill.
Those watching the match through Adian ‘GorgoKnight’ Provenzano’s stream may not have noticed, since the match was not being casted, but a FIRESMACKIN player was using the KAR-98k sniper rifle and it appeared in the kill feed. Viewers in GorgoKnight’s chat noticed right away, however.
Professional Call of Duty players decided to stop using the KAR sometime in January, due to its ability to consistently beat ARs and SMGs in a closer range than intended. Red Reserve did not take kindly to breaking the agreement and retaliated with an agreement break of their own, pulling out four smoke grenades.
Some FIRESMACKING players, either acting or genuinely unaware of their teammate using a KAR, were shocked that Red were the ones breaking an agreement. Some foul language ensued, with Rhys “Rated” Price and Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall of Red Reserve even popping into GorgoKnight’s stream chat to voice their displeasure with the KAR use.
Other pros were watching the match and chimed in, with James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks of eUnited questioning the use of the KAR. Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry also stopped by to say “good guy GorgoKnight” after Adian stopped his stream in between matches to address the KAR situation, claiming he did not know it was being used.
FIRESMACKIN won the S&D to tie the series at 1-1 heading into CTF on Flak Tower. The tension did not cool down during the break, in fact it escalated. Red came out of the break using shotguns and the ITRA burst, two weapons also banned by the players, and FIRESMACKIN took out shotguns of their own.
Red Reserve won the CTF by a score of 4-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series
It is worth noting that nothing in the match was actually illegal in the eyes of MLG or Activision, since the weapons are still technically allowed in competitive play.
Weapon choice went slightly back to normal for the game 4 Hardpoint, with only occasional ITRA appearances. The trash talk did not stop at any point, however, as Red continued to chat in GorgoKnight’s stream while FIRESMACKIN kept talking.
The match went to a pivotal Game 5 Round 11, with Red Reserve taking the hostile match. The agreements being broken and cameos in the chat from top pros made for a surreal experience. In the end it was one of the most entertaining Pro League matches of the year, you can catch it all below.
The match begins at 59 minutes on the stream timeline. Warning, the language is obviously offensive at times.
Watch PRO LEAGUE CHALLENGE Vs Red Reserve w/ @GorgKnight from GorgoKnightTV on www.twitch.tv