The Call of Duty League entered the esports scene with a bit of controversy in its opening weekend.
The Los Angeles Guerillas are protesting their loss to Minnesota RØKKR after they forfeited a map due to the use of a restricted item. After losing the series 3-1 on the league’s opening day, the Los Angeles team took to Twitter to question the Call of Duty League’s ruling.
“While we accept a player did inadvertently use a banned perk, it did not affect the outcome of the game,” the team wrote on Twitter. “Enforcement of the violation was inconsistent with prior incidents of a similar nature.”
The Los Angeles Guerrillas stated that the allowance of specialist bonuses was decided through an “impromptu vote” they were not made a part of. They were also frustrated with how the Call of Duty League handled the situation, noting that officials weren’t even aware of the penalty until after the match.
The Guerillas’ captain, Patrick “ACHES” Price, was seen gesturing and even yelling at Minnesota fans throughout the match. But in the letter, the Los Angeles team notes that they have no problems with Minnesota RØKKR, writing that they “appreciate their hospitality and competition.”
Despite their frustration over the ruling, the Guerillas have told the CoD community that they will still be participating in all Call of Duty League competitions and obligations. While the response from fans was mostly positive, with followers calling their statement “respectful” and “mature,” the Call of Duty League itself has yet to reply to their protest.
This weekend was the big debut of the Call of Duty League, a 12-team league set up in a similar fashion to the Overwatch League, with each team representing their home city. And just like in the Overwatch League, each team will have a weekend where they host matches, bringing the Call of Duty competition all over the US, as well as to London and Toronto.
The launch weekend saw Minnesota RØKKR host all of their competitors. Things were going fine until their match with the Los Angeles Guerrillas, the last match of the day.
The LA team had taken the second map of the series 6-3 over Minnesota, but the teams were informed soon after that Guerrillas player Andres Lacefield had illegally used the Hardline perk, which grants bonuts points for certain actions, leading to scorestreak rewards faster.
As a result, RØKKR were awarded the second map. This tied the series 1-1. Perhaps because of their frustration or a loss of morale, the Guerrillas lost the next two maps in the series, resulting in a 3-1 win for Minnesota.
After spending the match heckling Minnesota fans, ACHES went to Twitter to continue airing out his frustrations. He explained that Lacefield “didn’t even have the specialist on” and it was all due to them having to “work around” a “fucked up CDL ruling.”
“The fact that shit like this happens in a $300 million league is fucking insane,” Aches said.
Call of Duty fans didn’t seem impressed with ACHES explanation or tone.
One CoD League viewer questioned a pro player being unable to properly set up his class in a pro game. This was a sentiment echoed throughout ACHES’ mentions.
For now, Guerrillas will have to take the L as they wait for the Call of Duty League to speak up about the ruling.
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