The Modern Warfare 2 map has infuriated ranked game fans.
The Modern Warfare 2 ranked game has been a huge success since it arrived with the Season 2 update. Over the course of several weeks, players rose through the ranks and skill divisions, earning rewards for ranked play along the way.
Interest in Modern Warfare 2’s ranked play even coincided with a significant increase in viewership on Twitch. Community reaction to ranked play has been overwhelmingly positive, but the mode is not without its flaws.
For starters, players were furious at the introduction of the powerful ISO Hemlock in ranked play at the start of Season 2. Fortunately, the developers quickly added the assault rifle to the limited list of weapons.
Discussions on social media have revealed that the true culprit of the recent disappointment is not the “Control” mode, but the “Al-Baghra Fortress” map.
Most players agreed that “Control” is a great mode, and instead the problem is map related: “Don’t remove control, just remove this card.”
It looks like the combination of map and mode in “Control” in the Al-Bagra fortress is causing a lot of frustration not only for fans of ranked games, but also for CDL professionals.
One player stated in the comments that “Fortress management is the worst combination of game mode and map I have ever played.”
Due to the layout of the map and brutal spawns, it’s incredibly easy to trap a team on offense. The spawn trap is so effective and easy to manipulate that most of the time the attacking team is helpless and can’t even fight back. The team that provides the defense in the 5th round often determines the winner of the match.
Players agreed that since “Control is pretty fun, but [and] great for competition”, this mode should not be removed as a solution to this problem. Some have suggested that instead of Al Bagra Fortress, a map like Embassy or Mercado Las Almas should be used for control.
But it’s important to remember that Modern Warfare 2’s ranked play adheres to the competitive rules of the Call of Duty league. As long as Al Baghra Fortress remains a competitive Control card, changes to ranked play are unlikely to occur.
Ranked fans and CDL pros are hoping that the new map introduced in Season 2 of Reboot will be able to make it into the competitive rotation. Pros will likely test the card when it comes out, so we’ll keep you posted if it comes out.
