Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play Bans Popular New Gun

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has banned a popular new gun from being used in Ranked Play. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 just recently entered its second season and released a ton of new modes, maps, weapons, and other long-requested features for the game. One of the big new additions to Modern Warfare 2 is the arrival of Ranked Play, a 4v4 mode that is highly competitive and requires players to play by a very specific set of rules and win to rank up and gain rewards/flex on other players. It's incredibly rewarding, but it can be limiting if you don't know how to utilize the best gear in it. A number of weapons, perks, and other items are banned from Ranked Play due to the fact that they're perhaps overpowered, lack balance, or are just better suited for more casual gameplay.

When Ranked Play started last week, fans were trying to figure out what the best gun to use was. In Ranked Play, you do not need to unlock anything, everything is given to you as if you are max level, so fans turned their heads to season 2's new assault rifle: the ISO Hemlock. Outside of Ranked Play, this new AR is only available through the Battle Pass and it's very, very good. Within a day of Ranked Play launching, it became the meta weapon and fans started sharing their builds of the weapon. As a result, it also became something fans hated getting killed by, so the ISO Hemlock has been banned/restricted from Ranked Play. You may be able to make a Hemlock class still, but if you enter a match and try to use it, it will just give you a TAQ-56 instead.

Some fans are pretty divided on this as they got comfortable with the Hemlock. Others are celebrating the removal of the gun, hoping that it will create some variety in what guns are used by players. Whether or not the Hemlock will return to Ranked Play remains to be seen. There's a chance Infinity Ward may try to balance the gun more, but that would also likely impact its performance in Warzone and casual play. 

What do you think of the decision to ban the Hemlock in Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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