4 Things Card Modes Should Steal From Each Other

It’s easy to look at the prevalence of card-collecting modes in sports video games and their reliance on micro-transactions and find a lot that annoys and frustrates. Between how interminable the grind for good cards can be for the no money spent crowd and the tendency of these modes to try to steer people towards purchasing currency and packs, there’s no question that it can feel like the cons outweigh the pros. However, within every one of these card-collecting modes, there’s usually at least an idea or two that surprises me and has me wondering why other card-collecting modes don’t steal them for their own game. They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, so considering many of these modes have a lot of overlap already anyway, there’s no harm in finding a way to adapt a concept to fit within your own game’s existing framework.

4 Things Card Modes Should Steal From Each Other

Here’s a look at one unique and impactful feature each of these card collecting modes showcases and why it would be appreciated if these happened to be transplanted elsewhere. If sports teams are able to make trades, there’s no reason why card collecting modes can’t make a few swaps of their own. Please note that the one major sport I don’t play is soccer, so I won’t be able to speak to what can specifically borrowed from FIFA/eFootball.

Ascension (NBA 2K MyTeam)

Unlocked at several different levels as you attempt to climb to level 40 in NBA 2K22‘s MyTeam, Ascension is one reward that’s always highly anticipated. This is because it relies on some degree of chance but at least gives you some impression that you have control over what kind of prizes you will ultimately win from its boards. For the uninitiated, Ascension has you turning over cards of your choice from a group of them on a prize board, and your opportunity is over once you’ve  revealed a certain number of cards. The cards you turn over will reveal things like packs, extra picks, fouls (the worst), and the most most coveted card of all is the chance to ascend (hence the name) to a higher board with even more cards to flip. The third board you reach will be the highest board, and should you have the good fortune to select the right card, you can win the ultimate prize of whichever top-tier player happens to be offered in that season of MyTeam.

It’s readily apparent how something like Ascension could translate to other card modes without sacrificing any of the fun and excitement that comes along with trying to find the most desirable cards from within a large group of them. If other games wanted to avoid copying Ascension, they might want to introduce some kind of pack that you purchase or unlock as a reward, which would function similarly to Ascension in how it gives you a variety of cards from which to choose. As much as it might ultimately destroy me, it would be enjoyable to see which cards you didn’t pick after you’ve made your selection to determine whether you made the right choice or missed out on a better one. They could even go full Let’s Make a Deal and have you deciding between a player reward card or trading that in for the chance at a mystery card that could either be better or worse than the one you already have.

MUT Squads

It’s perhaps a little misleading to suggest that Madden is the only card mode that has a mode where you can play together as a team when MLB The Show 22 just introduced something similar, but that mode is so bare right now that it barely qualifies. It does seem a little ironic though that the two games to figure out how to incorporate team play into these modes are the ones that have the most players on the field. MUT Squads puts you on a team with two other players, and you each bring to the table parts of your team (offense, defense, playbooks) where you’re expected to build chemistry and strategize among yourselves to stay one step ahead of your opponent. As with online solo play in Ultimate Team. there are tiers that you can climb and better rewards that you can unlock based on how well you perform during each season.

MLB The Show obviously doesn’t have that far to go right now in order to follow in Madden‘s footsteps, as the game really just needs to have a specific program designated for its team play that will provide you with proper rewards for how you play. This could be modeled closely on existing ones like Battle Royale or Events, which offer better prizes if you’re able to string together a bunch of wins or even rack them up on a cumulative basis. NBA 2K and NHL have a little farther to go, but they could simply have five or six players respectively team up and each use their one preferred player and position. Both series already have career modes where you can play with a group of people so the framework is already somewhat in place. Of course, there are server concerns to worry about and, in the case of NHL 22, perhaps an issue with the small player pool, but a new component like this in card modes could generate some buzz and have more people playing.

Parallel XP

The concept of parallel XP that was introduced in MLB The Show 22 is fairly simple and yet there isn’t anything quite like it in other card modes. It basically makes every inning that you play with each player in your lineup matter more because you can earn XP for them that will in turn be able to eventually improve their overall abilities. With five tiers that you can reach as you accrue parallel XP while you play games, these upgrades can make your players significantly better on the field. It’s also a nice touch that the game keeps track of when you first hit a new threshold in relation to everyone else, making it the kind of exclusive achievement that created the chance for Braden Halladay to recently be the only one who was able to P5 his father Roy’s coveted card when it was released. In a realm of card modes where it can feel too often like you’re wasting your time, at least you can be comforted by the fact that you’re constantly piling up parallel XP to make your players and team better.

Other games could incorporate parallel XP or something similar without too much effort, but there are ways they might want to modify how it works to have it be even more rewarding. It would be interesting to see your performance with players influence not only their overall abilities but specific skills that could be targeted within a game. For instance, let’s say you had to make certain number of 3-pointers with a player in NBA 2K to boost their shooting attribute from behind the arc by a point or upgrade a player’s passing attribute in NHL by logging a set number of assists.

Player Customization

The NHL series might perpetually be considered the kid brother next to Madden and FIFA, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing a thing or two within Hockey Ultimate Team that’s worthy of being poached by other games. One such item that’s especially appreciated is how you can use cards to customize goal celebrations for your players that you can then unleash whenever they light the lamp. It’s a satisfying feeling to be able to punctuate a big goal against an opponent scored by someone like Auston Matthews by using his trademark hand to the ear celly. Though the other customization options might not be quite as impactful as celebrations, it’s still a treat to be able to designate a number you want a player to wear and who gets to adorn their jersey with the important “C” and “A” as captain and assistant captain.

It’s actually a little surprising that other card modes haven’t already followed NHL‘s lead by giving you more control over how you want to celebrate a pivotal play. It’s conceivable to imagine NBA 2K adding cards that you can earn and apply to serve up following a dunk or a 3-pointer, and Madden having similar options when you get a first down or score a touchdown. With the number of animations you can purchase in the MyCareer mode of NBA 2K22, there’s no reason these couldn’t be imported into the MyTeam mode as cards that you can collect. Madden already offers you a choice between a handful of ways you want to celebrate a touchdown, so it wouldn’t be hard to add your own custom one to go alongside the existing ones. If you consider how this could be applied to MLB The Show, it’s exhilarating to imagine how you’d be able to personalize a bat flip for a home run or some sort of celebration towards the dugout after a hit for every single player in your lineup.