Call of Duty League (CDL) replaces Checkmate Search and Destroy with Standoff in the competitive map rotation.
Standoff returned to Call of Duty after its original introduction in Black Ops 2. The beloved map did not make a resurgence in any of the other Treyarch Call of Duty titles. Standoff did make a return with Call of Duty: Mobile in 2020.
Now that Standoff is a playable map in Cold War, it has joined the competitive map rotation for the CDL. It will replace Checkmate, a popular Search and Destroy map on which multiple teams have high win rates. Express and Raid are two more examples of competitive maps from the previous Call of Duty titles that have made their way into Cold War. Raid is both a Search and Destroy and a Control map, while Express is only the former competitively. For now, Standoff will remain strictly a Search and Destroy map unless professional players decide it is better for another mode.
Standoff returns to professional Call of Duty
Activision announced the return of the beloved map alongside an update to Cold War on May 20. Within the update, they explained that the 6v6 map would become the latest addition to the rotation during Season Three. Activision also included an informational background on the map and added 10 helpful tips for those who need a refresher on how the map can be played effectively.
Welcome Standoff to the #CDL2021 Search and Destroy map rotation in place of Checkmate S&D 🚨
Stage IV starts this Thursday on https://t.co/wmB1gxdegF! pic.twitter.com/Tz7B65R5qk
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) May 24, 2021
Standoff is a border town under siege that shows signs of attack with a crumbling and flaming tower at the center. The medium-sized 6v6 map forms a U-shape around the central hotel and courtyard. Several large buildings surround the winding road through town and create several hiding places for rifles. Several battered cars parked near the sidewalks provide additional cover for players trying to duck between buildings. For a Search and Destroy map, there are many places to hide and wait for the enemy team to attack.
