Have gentleman’s agreements gone too far in the CDL?

While every esport is unique in its own way, Call of Duty is especially unique thanks to its rule set. Though there’s an official set put forth by the Call of Duty League (CDL), players often take it into their own hands to create rules. These guidelines must be agreed upon by a majority of teams, or that specific rule doesn’t pass. This process is known as the gentleman’s agreement, or GA for short. It’s been common in Call of Duty esports for years, but this year with Modern Warfare things may have gone too far.

Gentleman’s agreements in the CDL

As with every year, there are a plethora of rules in the GA guidelines. These are kept up to date by players and coaches so no teams get confused if a rule is changed. As of right now, there are over a dozen different restrictions set forth by teams.

These include restrictions on weapons, equipment, and killstreaks. In fact, killstreaks as a whole are on the GA list, as players felt they were too powerful for competitive play. Normally, teams abide by these rules since failure to do so results in severe consequences. For example, if a team breaks a rule on the GA list, other teams will refuse to scrimmage them.

However, recently at CDL London, it appears the Chicago Huntsmen broke a rule in the GA guidelines. Ian “C6” Porter pointed this out in a recent Twitch stream.

While it’s clear that Chicago had more than two stun grenades, this seems like a silly rule in the first place. In Modern Warfare, there’s not a substantial difference in flash and stun grenades. So though Chicago did apparently break a rule, this seems like a minuscule issue.

It’s most fans’ belief that professional players should use what they want as long as it’s not restricted by the CDL itself. However, there’s also an argument to be made that Infinity Ward and Activision don’t implement the best competitive rules.

We’re not sure what the Huntsmen’s rule-breaking will result in. Though, hopefully, the players can find a middle ground with the GA and CDL rule set in the future.

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