CoD pros reveal Warzone’s Tac Sprint cost them 20+ broken controllers

Call of Duty: Warzone has taken many virtual lives, but one of its mechanics is apparently taking out controllers IRL too. CDL and Warzone pros like Shotzzy and UnRationaL revealed just how devastating Tactical Sprint can be.

When Modern Warfare 2019 released, it introduced the Tactical Sprint movement mechanic. This, combined with slide-canceling, allowed players to endlessly sprint and finesse around the map at demonic speeds.

But the mechanics are demanding and controllers struggle to keep up. To properly Tac Sprint and slide cancel, a player needs to double-tap their left analog stick, double-tap their right analog stick, and click the jump button — all in rapid succession.

While Automatic Tac Sprint (ATS) means the left analog stick doesn’t need to be clicked as often, pros didn’t allow it in the Call of Duty League. And 2020 MVP Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas explained that he and his teammates broke dozens of controllers in the process.

CDL pros reveal MW19 Tac Sprint tore through their controllers

When Shotzzy, known for his movement skills, hosted a Q&A, we had to ask about the controllers. And he responded by explaining that he went through four or five, but it was even worse for his teammates.

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Specifying Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, Shotzzy revealed that the veteran “definitely went through 20-plus.” While even four controllers for one season sounds wild, 20-plus is on another level, and apparently Crim wasn’t alone.

ATS couldn’t save Warzone pros from broken controllers

Warzone is built on the MW19 engine and shares the same movement system. Fortunately, ATS is allowed in Warzone, so some button-mashing is prevented. Unfortunately, even that’s not enough.

According to UnRationaL, he’s burnt through “around 21” controllers since the start of Warzone. That’s about half as many as Crimsix annually, but still a considerable number.

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Controllers breaking to wear and tear is no new phenomenon, but the rate at which they’re dying has skyrocketed since MW19 and Warzone. Tac Sprint is considered the clear culprit, as the controllers’ analog sticks — through stick drift and the like — are usually the first piece to fall.

At the moment, CoD pro Doug ‘Censor’ Martin is still “fighting a war” to get ATS allowed in the pro circuit to save thumbs from injury and controllers from breaking.