Two-time Call of Duty world champion, Ian “Crimsix” Porter, addressed the impact the latest patch had on his team’s performance at the CDL launch weekend. Although the Dallas Empire were at the top of the power rankings going into the new season, they did not perform as expected. In their first match, they lost 3-1 to the Chicago Huntsmen. Following this, they lost 3-0 to Atlanta Faze, leaving them 0-2 to finish the weekend. While Crimsix does not entirely blame the new patch for the Dallas Empire’s performance, he recognizes that it was a contributing factor.
The new 1.13 patch
There were numerous changes as a result of the latest update affecting competitive Call of Duty. This includes neutralizing the flag in Domination, not previously an element of this game mode. In addition, the slide cancel exploit and headshot multiplier (which many pro players used to their advantage) were removed. This new patch was released on January 22, a mere two days before the CDL launch weekend. In effect, the application of the new patch meant that teams had to suddenly adapt their play style to compete.
Crimsix expressed the frustrations of his team by directly addressing developer Infinity Ward during an after match press conference. He stated, “IW, you guys put out a patch, in under two weeks before an event, I strongly urge that we do not play on that.” This complaint has been echoed by numerous teams in the CDL who feel they were not provided adequate practice time ahead of the competition.
After a controversial patch by @InfinityWard days before #CDL2020Launch, @DallasEmpire spoke honestly about their performance — including their issues with nerfing the the slide cancel — and praised host team @ROKKR. pic.twitter.com/xf7QAdfAcm
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) January 26, 2020
Although Crimsix describes the patch as changing the meta of the game, the Dallas Empire still have time to improve. The next opportunity the team will have to bounce back is at CDL London on February 8. For further Call of Duty coverage, stay up to date with Daily Esports.
