Optic Scump thinks slide canceling mechanics lowers the skill gap in Call of Duty

Call of Duty World Champion Scump has a very unpopular opinion about the mechanics that drive the gameplay of recent titles. In a recent Optic podcast on YouTube, Scump spoke about jumping and slide canceling mechanics in CoD titles and how, in his opinion, they reduced the skill level of the game.

For those unaware, slide cancelation is a movement mechanic that has become popular since the 2019 Modern Warfare was released. Players cancel the slide mechanic midway to aim faster than their weapon's standard sprint to fire speed.

This gives them an advantage while engaging in gunfights with enemies, retracting from gunfights if need be, and re-engaging from a better power position quickly.

Scump believes these movement mechanics bring down the skill level of the game, and players had to be more skillful in past CoD titles because movement mechanics were less evolved to help them get out of a gunfight.

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Should slide canceling be banned from Call of Duty tournaments?

Scump's opinion about slide canceling might be an unpopular one, but many pros have hated the mechanic ever since it became majorly popular in 2019. While pros cannot play a game without slide canceling, it also makes the games quite toxic for casual players who are yet to master the art.

Furthermore, many times, the visual representation of a slide cancelation is not perfect and confuses players while playing Warzone or Vanguard.

Scump believes the more movement mechanics are added to Call of Duty titles, the less the skill gap becomes.

The more variables, I feel like lessens the skill gap. Slide canceling and jump mechanics, it creates unpredictability… He could slide cancel you and you could not expect it because he has so many things in his arsenal that he can use. It’s unpredictability, which makes it less skillful.

Scump and co-podcaster Dashy also mentioned Jetpacks and high jump mechanics from the previous Call of Duty titles, Black Ops 4, and Advanced Warfare.

These mechanics ruin the chances of a straight gunfight contest between players and add tons of dimension, which Scump believes is the main reason behind a dropping skill level in the game.

Optic Scump actively participates in this year's CDL edition and can be found slide canceling his way to victory or defeat on every CDL Major night.