Call of Duty League Fixes Key Competitive Issue Ahead of Major 3

Following extensive player and fan feedback after Major 2, Treyarch has made a crucial map pool adjustment aimed at improving the competitive experience in the Call of Duty League (CDL).

Treyarch’s Testing and Community Reactions

At the start of Black Ops 6 Season 2 on February 4, Treyarch introduced Bounty and Dealership into the Ranked Play map pool to evaluate their viability for professional competition. Alongside these maps, the PPSh-41 SMG and Cypher 091 Assault Rifle were also added for community testing.

• Cypher 091 AR: Outperformed the AMES-85, making it a strong contender for competitive play.
• PPSh-41 SMG: Underperformed, failing to rival the KSV or Jackal PDW in effectiveness.
• Bounty & Dealership: Neither map made a strong impression, leading to no immediate changes before Major 2 Online Qualifiers.

However, the lack of adjustments proved to be a misstep, leading to widespread complaints about Search and Destroy’s (SnD) map selection during Major 2.

CDL Adjusts SnD Map Pool for Major 3

In response to these concerns, the Call of Duty League has officially announced that Rewind and Dealership will replace Vault and Skyline in Search and Destroy. This update applies immediately to Ranked Play and will take effect in the CDL Major 3 Online Qualifiers.

• Vault Removal: The A-bomb site’s layout forced all four players into a small, predictable engagement zone, making it frustrating for both players and viewers.
• Skyline Removal: Competitive fans grew tired of repetitive bomb site plants, leading to predictable gameplay patterns.

Despite these changes, many in the competitive community are more relieved about the map removals than excited about the additions.

Community Reacts to Dealership’s Inclusion

While Vault and Skyline’s removal was well received, the decision to add Dealership has raised eyebrows. Former CDL pro Octane expressed relief, stating:

“I’m more excited about removing the 2 than adding btw I couldn’t watch those maps anymore.”

Meanwhile, some players questioned why Dealership—a map previously voted against by pros—was being introduced. Challenger player Gunless voiced his frustration, stating:

“Dealership SnD is the biggest go f**k yourself that I’ve seen the CDL do cause, lord, that map as a whole isn’t competitive in the slightest.”

While the map pool adjustment is a step in the right direction, debate remains over whether Dealership is the right choice for high-level competitive play. As Major 3 approaches, all eyes will be on how these changes impact gameplay at the highest level.