The CDL weapon meta has completely changed during Major 3, as both meta weapons have been banned.
Everyone in the Call of Duty League knew there would be substantial changes coming after Major 2, but no one thought we’d be seeing an entirely new weapon meta. Major 3 has already seen some potential additions and subtractions in the map pool, but now, we’ve seen both the M15 Mod 0 and the Dravec 45 GA’d in the CDL.
In their place are two to three new meta weapons, one of which will likely be familiar to avid CDL fans.
New CDL weapon meta in place for Major 3
This sudden shift in the weapon meta comes after the Season 3 update in Black Ops 7, which significantly nerfed both the M15 Mod 0 and the Dravec 45. Specifically, both weapons had their damage ranges dramatically decreased, making them far less useful at longer ranges. While this wasn’t a particular issue for the M15, the Dravec became nearly unusable beyond 20 meters.
It seems like the M15 could have stayed the meta assault rifle in the CDL, but professional players clearly feel there are better options. Currently, the pros have chosen to GA the M15 and the Dravec and replaced them with the Voyak KT-3 assault rifle and the Kogot-7 submachine gun.
According to leaker @TheGhostOfHope, the MPC-25 SMG is also in contention for the meta, but it’s not clear to what extent yet. The MPC was previously seen as a niche option for SMG players on close quarters maps, such as Colossus, and it performed quite well in those specific situations. However, pros felt it performed a little too well, and it was promptly GA’d after showing up in a few matches during Major 1.
Apparently, however, the MPC is back, likely as another niche option for smaller maps.
The two main weapons, though, are the Voyak KT-3 and the Kogot-7, which are the DLC weapons from Season 2 and Season 1, respectively. We rarely see DLC weapons even be in contention for the CDL meta, but now two of those weapons are being used by every pro in Major 3 scrimmages.
It remains to be seen if this weapon meta sticks throughout Major 3. However, on the first day of scrims, there’s an entirely new weapon meta in the CDL.
From first glances at pro scrim streams, the Kogot-7 looks to be a little underpowered on larger maps, but the Voyak KT-3 is definitely a strong weapon for all situations. Kind of seems like we’re right back where we started with the M15 and the Dravec, but we’ll have to wait and see how the meta shakes out as scrimmages go on.