Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 24 allows players to build rosters you could previously only dream of. If you’re new to the mode, it can seem a little daunting at first. To help, we’ve got five tips to get started in Diamond Dynasty.
Play the Market
Opening packs and collecting players is one of the most fun aspects of Diamond Dynasty. However, there’s a method to the madness and utilizing the marketplace to your advantage will help you a lot.
Never use the “buy now” or “sell now” buttons. You’ll be costing yourself stubs, the in-game currency in MLB The Show 24. When you want to buy or sell a player card, create a buy order or sell order. Place the order for one stub more or less than the current best offer, depending on whether you want to buy or sell.
This method will help you be most effective in the marketplace, especially if you’re looking to complete the live series collection. Look for opportunities to “flip” cards—buying them low and selling them high—to build that stubs balance.
Understand Sets, Seasons, and Core Cards
Sets and seasons debuted in MLB The Show 23, and they’re back this year—albeit in a slightly different form. Seasons now last about twelve weeks each, and each season has a corresponding set. Set 1 cards can be used in Season 1, but you’ll need to earn and use a Wild Card slot to use one in Season 2. The idea is to allow players to get high-end teams faster while still encouraging constant variety in rosters.
The exception to this rule is Core cards. Core cards consist of the Live Series and Live Series collection rewards, and they can always be used. Because the power creep is back this year, high-end Core cards will be very valuable.
Each season will begin with a reset of teams back to around 85-90 overall. Over the course of each season, you’ll be able to earn new and better cards to ramp your team up to 99-overall status by the end of the season. Then, you get to do it all over again.
Complete Team Affinity
If you’re a no-money-spent kind of player, Team Affinity will be the best and fastest way for you to field a competitive team. Team Affinity allows you to earn one diamond-level player from each MLB team just by playing games and completing objectives. It’s a fast and easy way to get a team that can hang in games online against good competition.
The Team Affinity model is changing a bit in MLB The Show 24, too. Last year’s game featured one Team Affinity list per season, and it was honestly a slog. In MLB The Show 24, progressing through Team Affinity is a much faster process, There will be three Team Affinity programs per season, with each one offering better players. In Season 1, the first round of players were 89 overall. The next will be around 93-94, and the final one will likely be 99s.
If you pay attention to the objectives, you can complete Team Affinity really fast. I completed the first chapter of Season 1 in about two weeks.
Don’t Ignore Cornerstone Cards
Cornerstone cards are new to MLB The Show 24 and are Sony San Diego’s latest effort to get players to embrace captains. This time, though, it appears to have worked. These new versions of Captain Cards offer significant boosts to your squad that will give you a big advantage if you use them.
While regular Captain Cards often require you to use a set number of players from the same team, Cornerstone players help you decide what type of team you want to be. If you take Nolan Arenado in Season 1, you’ll want to find a lot of slow players with power to maximize your boost—think Yordan Alvarez, Corey Seager, and Aaron Judge. Meanwhile, selecting Byron Buxton can help you build a team with speed and power, but you’ll need a lot of players with low vision. In other words, you might strike out a lot.
There are two pitching captains and two hitting captains that act as Cornerstone Cards in Season 1. They each offer massive benefits while exposing serious flaws on your team. When choosing which one you want, really think about the type of squad you want to have.
Play Conquests
Players who are really good at MLB The Show can jump into online play right away and thrive. For the rest of us, you’ll want to accumulate some good cards so you have a chance to be competitive when the waters get a little deep.
A great way to get stubs, packs, and cards is to complete conquests. They’re single-player experiences, allow for different difficulties, and are a a really good way to get used to your squad. Think of Conquests in MLB The Show 24 as the baseball version of Risk. You’re capturing territories and defeating bosses for rewards.
Most of the maps are themed for specific programs, but there’s also the huge USA map. Themed Conquest maps will get you additional progress toward the program they apply to, like Team Affinity. With 3-inning games, it goes by fast and isn’t quite as mundane as Mini Seasons.
Have Fun!
Play the way you want to play. There’s no set rule that says you HAVE to sell a diamond player below a certain OV rating (though it’s a good idea to sell players below 90 in the first few weeks of the game). Ultimately, if you really like a player, keep him. Build your team how you want to.
Also, play the modes you want to. Yes, there are rewards that nudge you toward different modes, but if playing Battle Royale gives you a headache, don’t play it. Stick to Ranked Seasons with the rest of us. The best thing about Diamond Dynasty is the sheer amount of options you have. Enjoy MLB The Show 24 how you want to, and have fun.
Published: Mar 28, 2024 12:33 am