No competitive multiplayer game has the perfect balance, but some games had an era that players still shudder to think about.

In a Reddit thread from June 20, players reminisced and debated some of the worst and most unfair metas from various popular games over the years. There are some smaller shoutouts to things like Smite's Gauntlet of Thebes metagame that made every character frustratingly tanky or Pokémon VGC's Smeargle meta, where it was impossible to keep every 'mon on your team from being put to sleep with Darkrai's signature Dark Void move. Some stood out above the rest as some of the most disgusting and infamous metas.

It would be a lie to say that a Call of Duty game has ever been balanced, but at least there are no more cheap perks like Martyrdom and Last Stand. Martyrdom was a perk in the original Modern Warfare and World at War, as well as a Deathstreak bonus in the original Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 that caused you to drop a grenade upon death. This was especially punishing for players who used knives or close-range weapons like SMGs, as there was little time to react before the grenade went off. As a player, it always made sense to have this perk, as it was a promise of free kills with no downsides.

Likewise, Last Stand was a perk throughout the original Modern Warfare trilogy, along with Advanced Warfare, which oddly rewarded players for losing a firefight. Taking critical damage while Last Stand is equipped would, instead of dying instantly, cause your character to fall into a prone state with only a pistol that you can potentially use to kill your attacker. Again, this felt cheap, and from a competitive perspective it always made sense to have this perk since it guaranteed extra health and a chance for a kill with no disadvantage.