Mohak : “Being able to come back like this definitely feels great and I’m super grateful for my team”
“Regain” is a term often used in the competitive COD community, and it’s a great way to describe the recent career path for Challengers Player Mohak “MohaK” Kumar. The back-to-back Challengers Champion stepped away from COD after the 2023 Challengers Cup #6 (played on Feb. 19, 2023) and returned to action in time for the NA Elite Stage 3 Qualifier (played on Mar. 23, 2023). After returning from a personal hiatus, MohaK added to his career accomplishments with a new team, Millenium 7 (Roster: Prolute, Spart, MohaK, Neptune), and captured the 2023 NA Elite Stage 3 title.
One of the most decorated stars in the Call of Duty Challengers scene provided us with a closer look at the player behind the controller and how he got started as a competitive COD player.
Q: PescaroDB – “When did you first start competing in Call of Duty and what is your favorite aspect of playing the game more seriously?”
A: MohaK – “I initially started playing competitively at the end of IW [Infinite Warfare] which was also when I first started playing for money. I found the wage aspect of the scene extremely interesting when I discovered it as it made me realize the passion for the game as there was a whole community that constantly played CoD matches for lots of money which adds a much more serious vibe to playing competitive CoD.”
Q: PescaroDB – “What is your favorite COD title that you have competed in? What is your favorite video game aside from Call of Duty?”
A: MohaK – “WW2 was definitely my favorite title that I played competitively in. I just found the gun meta really fun as the gunfights had a skill gap but at the same time the game required a lot of strategy so you had to be a well rounded player to compete in a title like this. I really don’t have a favorite game that can compare to CoD for me. I’ve enjoyed many other games like Borderlands, GTA, and Halo, but I haven’t put nearly the same time in as I have for CoD.”
Q: PescaroDB – “Which former and/or current COD pros do you look up to or model your game after?”
A: MohaK – “ I haven’t really modeled my gameplay style of another pro. I kind of just try to learn what others do best and try to add it on top of the way I’m already playing. When I first started playing competitive the top streamers at that time (who were also winning lots of SnD Tourneys) was players like Cellium, iLLeY, Dashy, and Simp so naturally I tried to see what strategies these players would use to separate themselves from the rest of the competition for a competitive advantage.”
Q: PescaroDB – “What moment in your competitive career convinced you that you could legitimately compete amongst the top players?”
A: MohaK – “ Around when Bo4 was the latest game is when I was playing the most high roller challenges/wagers vs top SnD players and I started to realize that I could hang as I was playing good players often which made me improve fast which gave me the confidence to continue putting more hours in with the hope of out-grinding the top players”
Even for someone who has spent years competing in Call of Duty, stepping away for a month can be a big gamble. In an industry with so much uncertainty, there’s no guarantee that there will be a spot for you when you return, or that you’ll be able to get back to the same level of play. Sometimes, you have to put your personal well-being first and that’s exactly what MohaK did.
Q: PescaroDB – “How much time did you spend away from the game during your hiatus?”
A: MohaK – “ I took a break from competing for roughly 5 weeks or slightly over a month. I didn’t touch the game really at all during this time period besides maybe one or two days for a couple of bot sessions”
Q: PescaroDB – “Were you in contact/keeping up with the Challengers scene during your hiatus?”
A: MohaK -” I watched some of the elite playoff matches here and there including the grand finals but overall, I was in the dark with the latest challengers results on a day to day basis.”
Q: PescaroDB – “What was the process of getting up to speed after your hiatus?”
A: MohaK – “ I knew the only way to get back up to speed was to just try my best to put the effort in daily to get comfortable again with the basics and trusting that it would only get easier with time. Overall, it didn’t feel like I was gone a whole lot plus the meta was pretty much the same so the game didn’t play a whole lot different from when I left.”
Q: PescaroDB – “How did you end up on Millennium 7 and what were your initial thoughts of your new teammates?”
A: MohaK – “Prolute hit me up along with Spart asking if I’d be down to team as well as Nep within the same day. I was very excited when this happened as I really had no clue on what team I would be on after my break so I just knew that this was the best case scenario. We joined Millennium 7 right after we qualified for playoffs during the group play matches.”
The time away from competing was well worth the potential risk and MohaK was able to land in a perfect situation. In his first tournament action with Millennium 7, they were able to defeat Hive x Street Mob Gaming to capture the NA Elite Stage 3. MohaK and co. won $20,000 from this online tournament and added 15,000 Challengers Points to their resume.
With so much accomplished at the Challengers level, it’s hard to imagine MohaK has anything left to prove regarding if he’s ready for the next stage in his career. The 2023 CDL Season has featured numerous call-ups from Challengers to the Call of Duty League [Beans, Ghosty, Uli, Fame, Kremp, etc.] and there’s still time for more of that to take place.
Q: PescaroDB – “What is left for you to prove on the Challengers level that you deserve the opportunity to play for one of the twelve Franchised teams?”
A: MohaK – “ I feel like being as consistent as possible is definitely a factor that will help my case in trying to move into the CDL. To accomplish this I’ve been focusing a lot on my health outside of the game to allow myself to have much more energy at all times to help me stay locked in and focused.”
Q: PescaroDB – “Compared to your other accomplishments in your career, what/how much did winning the 2023 NA Elite Stage 3 mean to you?”
A: MohaK – “ Winning this latest Elite Stage definitely felt a lot sweeter than other wins. Before I took my break it was much harder to expect winning results due to me leaving the scene for more than a month. Being able to come back like this definitely feels great and I’m super grateful for my team for helping me feel as comfortable as possible with a lack of reps.”
Winning this latest Elite Stage definitely felt a lot sweeter than other wins. Before I took my break it was much harder to expect winning results due to me leaving the scene for more than a month.
Mohak
A veteran of the amateur scene, MohaK has plenty of experience throughout the past four years of competing. This is what he had to say for those out there who are still on the fence about whether or not to load into that first competitive match.
Q: PescaroDB – “What is one piece of advice you would give to newer players in the Challengers scene that have dreams of one day competing in the CDL?”
A: MohaK – “ I would definitely recommend joining a “Higher brand/stock” team any time you get the chance. The Challengers cycle is extremely volatile so you always want to take every opportunity you get to move up. There is really no way to truly improve your situation without leaving your comfort zone with your previous teammates/circle so for this reason you have to always be willing to do what’s best for your career.”
Q: PescaroDB – “Is there anything else you’d like to add in regards to your story of returning from Hiatus and winning the 2023 NA Stage III Elite? Anything you would like to say to fans, supporters, teammates, doubters, etc.?”
A: MohaK – “ I just want to give a shoutout to all the people who were tweeting/DMing me on twitter before, during and after my Hiatus. It’s extremely motivating to see so many people who are constantly spreading love and hoping that I succeed no matter the current circumstance. I also really want to thank my teammates Prolute, Spart and Neptune for taking the chance to play with me after not playing for so long. They could have easily played with someone who has been playing but they took a leap of faith and I’m glad it’s working out so far.”
There is really no way to truly improve your situation without leaving your comfort zone with your previous teammates/circle so for this reason you have to always be willing to do what’s best for your career.
MohaK
Qualifiers for the 2023 NA Elite Season 4 kick off on April 26. MohaK and co. will look to defend their crown which starts with qualifying for the Season 4 Elite. The Millennium 7 roster features three players with CDL experience during Modern Warfare II. After CDL Champs in June, I would not be shocked to see this whole roster being considered in Free Agency whether that’s done individually or as a unit [similar to what LAG did with their Academy Roster after Major I].
