The inaugural season of the Call of Duty League already experienced a little bit of controversy after the Los Angeles Guerrillas forfeited the second map against the Minnesota RØKKR after going up 2-0 in the match. The 2-0 score was changed to 1-1 after it was discovered that a Guerrilla player used a restricted item during the map - the perk hardline. While they understand the penalty, the Los Angeles Guerrillas released an official statement regarding the incident and how it was handled by the league.
The forfeit was the result of a player using the perk hardline which makes it easier for a player to obtain killstreaks. What makes it tricky is the fact that killstreaks aren’t implemented in the league’s matches so from a gameplay standpoint, the Guerrillas were at a disadvantage from having a wasted perk slot. Unfortunately, the rules state the perk is restricted so LA had to forfeit the map. This proved to be a big moment for the match as the Guerrillas lost all the momentum they had built through the first two maps and eventually lost the match 3-1.
The biggest concern voiced by the Guerrillas’ statement is how the league has handled the rules of the league and the seeming lack of communication that led to them mistakenly using a restricted perk. Los Angeles also brought up their displeasure in the delay of matches that pushed the schedule back over two hours which is definitely a valid concern. The league has a few things they need to clean up including the time between matches and it looks like the implemented rules were hastily put together which led to the mistake by LA and the forfeit of the match.
Still, the Guerrillas technically broke the rules and should be punished rightly so, which they did. Unfortunately, it was off a mistake that weirdly put them at a slight disadvantage on the map. It’s also strange all banned items aren’t already removed from league play which could have prevented this entire fiasco. It isn’t a massive controversy for the league, but one to note as the league tries to establish itself as a top-tier esports league moving forward.
