Was the ISO Hemlock Banned From MW2 Ranked Play?

Season 2 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 brought us a Ranked Play mode that has proven to be one of the best we’ve ever seen. But it also brought in the ISO Hemlock assault rifle that happens to be incredibly powerful, and it was allowed for use in the Ranked Play modes.

From the start of the season, players were complaining about the new assault rifle as it quickly became apparent that it was overpowered in many situations. When weapons like the M4 and the STB 556 are banned, why was this allowed? Well, it might not be anymore. We’ll go over whether the AR is banned in Ranked Play for COD MW2 Season 2.

COD MW2 Ranked Play – Was the ISO Hemlock Banned?

The answer to this question is a definitive yes. The ISO Hemlock has been banned from use in Ranked Play and was added to the restricted list of weapons. This brings the total of restricted assault rifles in the CDL ruleset to four, which means we’re back to the meta that was set before Season 2.

With the ISO out of the picture, the TAQ-56 will go back to being the most dominant force in MW2 Ranked Play. Season 2 brought a nerf to the Vaznev-9k at range, so this will allow the TAQ-56 to be even more powerful in its role than it was. The ISO Hemlock offered an in-between to both weapons that will now be out of the question.

Related: Best Kastov 762 Loadout in COD MW2 Ranked Play

Will the ISO make a return to the Ranked Play mode at any point? So far, it doesn’t seem likely unless some major nerfs are brought to the game. Even weapons like the M4 don’t have much of a chance of returning. So, if you’re a main AR player, you’ll have to get used to the TAQ-56 alone in COD MW2.

And that’s all. For more on the Call of Duty title, head over to our dedicated Modern Warfare 2 section full of guides, news, updates, and more.