MLB The Show 20 Livestream Breakdown - Diamond Dynasty, Showdown, Team Affinity and More

Another SDS stream is in the books and the amount of content dropped is nearly impossible to comprehend. However, we have compiled all your Diamond Dynasty information here. This year will bring an immense amount of new card types, new pack types, and new ways to earn rare cards in Diamond Dynasty and beyond.

Choice is once again the name of the game. You’ll have the ability to go in several different directions in how to play the game, how to earn cards and which players you want to anchor your squad. Lineup variation should once again be at an all-time high. There’s several ways to pave your own path toward program star rewards, including missions, Conquest, Showdown, statistical achievements, collections and more.

New Cards And Packs

One of the biggest things emphasized this year was the inclusion of so many new card types. Maybe the most exciting and game-changing card series will be the new “red diamond” cards. These “prestige” diamonds are essentially stat-grind versions of inning bosses. In the example provided, the inning boss version of Todd Helton is 91. With enough time and stat-grinding, the former Rockies first baseman can be elevated to a 94 overall (it seems like all the initial red diamond cards will get a +3 stat boost across the board). The absolute only way to acquire these cards is through grinding. They will not be available in Battle Royale. Making the task even more exclusive, these stat tallies need to take place in online competitive PvP modes.

Similar to prestige diamonds, another new card series will be the evolution cards. Evolution cards will be available in packs throughout the season. The pack will contain a silver version of a card (or sometimes another level), but with stat grinds and competing challenges built around that card, it will “evolve” into a gold version of the player, and eventually the diamond version of the player.

One of the most sought after card types in MLB The Show 20 will be prospect cards. Every team will have a gold prospect card at the very least in their Team Affinity area. There will be diamond prospect cards all over the game as well. These cards can be found in packs, or built into the game elsewhere as rewards. Most of the prospect cards will be available to purchase in the community market. On day one, you will have access to two 30,000 stub prospect choice packs that have tiers like last year. There’s seven prospects to choose from split over three tiers — the highest tier containing a 90 overall Luis Robert card.

Yet another new card series featured in the stream today was the Face of the Franchise cards. These cards will be unlockable exclusively via Team Affinity grinds and will feature a player from the team you elect to grind that represents the face of the organization. The card will mimic the abilities of its live series version, but will be elevated to diamond status if it’s not already there. These cards are meant to truly show off your fandom in a unique way.

Speaking of Team Affinity, community feedback last season suggested the mode got a little stale after the first month or so. This year, team affinity is back with much better rewards and longevity. There will be several different ways to gain Team Affinity points. Maybe most important to the mode, Team Affinity will also have new additions as the season goes on. San Diego Studio will introduce new stages throughout the season, allowing for new rewards based on your favorite team — certainly a good reason to keep going back and unlocking new cards highlighting your favorite franchise to use in-game.

Headliner packs return for MLB The Show 20, but they’ll be a little different than last season. This year, each headliner pack will contain just one player you can earn. But unlike last season, new headliner packs will drop twice per week, allowing for over 100 headliner cards to hit the community market and pack store throughout the season.

Another new card series being brought to the table this season will be single-season achievement cards. These cards will be Cy Young, MVP, Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year cards that highlight the achievements a player had during a single season campaign. The card art for this series is absolutely beautiful and the art team at San Diego Studio deserves a giant pat on the back for their efforts.

A final new card series called “Prime Cards” will represent a player’s best years in the league. These will represent several seasons, but not quite to the overpowered degree that Signature Series cards do.

But there’s more…

One last inclusion to this year’s crop of cards will be that of cards you can unlock in Classic packs. This pack series will contain fan favorite cards from the past several years of MLB The Show. Some people adored these cards. Some might argue these were troll cards. Alas, they’ll be in the game this year and maybe, possibly, the way the game is built, the meta, won’t make them as overpowered as they once were. The 2017 Future Stars Gary Sanchez card and the 2018 Future Stars Adalberto Mondesi card were two of the prime examples folks can expect to see and earn. These are not sellable.

Diamond Dynasty Gameplay Changes

Arguably the biggest change coming to Diamond Dynasty this season is pitcher energy. Pitcher roulette is officially gone in Ranked Seasons and Battle Royale (and everywhere else). Instead, it will now work like the bullpen has worked in that every pitcher will now have energy attributes. You can choose whichever pitcher you’d like to start for you during any game. That being said, if you elect to pitch with a pitcher that has been overused and is gassed, that pitcher will almost certainly struggle. It’s a balancing act. This, coupled with the fact users can now start a game with a reliever, akin to real-life openers, makes for some serious strategizing. Like reality, starting pitchers can be brought in at any time during a game now. Just remember, any time you use a pitcher in any way, it will adversely affect your ability to use that pitcher for the next few games as it will take time for a player to earn back their full stamina.

(Note: you can’t remove the pitcher from your team and wait for him to get stamina back and then put him back on your team. The only way the pitcher gets stamina back is if he’s on your team for an actual game that you play. In other words, you can’t game the stamina system.)

One really nice addition to the game mode involves what players can see when they view their cards. This season, you’ll be able to pull up a tab called Locations. This tab will highlight where you can unlock or earn any card in the game. This is definitely a nice addition for those players who don’t know where to access a card they’ve been trying to unlock, especially if said card is not available on the community market.

Another new addition to your player cards will be the ability to differentiate stats earned in online play or against the CPU. In the past, statistics were always buffed a bit by games played in Conquest or in offline modes. Now, you’ll be able to see just how much success you’re having with your cards against online competition in Ranked Seasons, Battle Royale and more.

Battle Royale Changes

Speaking of Battle Royale, some big changes come to the table this season. You will now earn a diamond reward at 9 wins instead of 12. Flawless rewards will obviously return, along with the ability to showcase how many times you’ve gone flawless with variable avatars and nameplates. Season one flawless rewards include a 90 overall Jo Adell prospect card, a card that will immediately be in high-demand.

Also new this season will be the draft format for selecting cards. This season, there will be two diamond rounds, two gold rounds, nine silver rounds, nine bronze rounds, and two common rounds — certainly far less common rounds this year. With the ability to choose your starting pitcher in any mode, the ability to select a diamond starting pitcher now becomes a little more appealing. But again, that pitcher will be gassed for your second game should you choose to select him in the game prior. Battle Royale games scale to nine-inning games too, so energy will sap much quicker in this mode.

1^st Inning And Ranked Seasons Rewards

The 1st Inning Program bosses will be pretty strong out of the gate, featuring the likes of Todd Helton, Duke Snider and Roy Oswalt. Should you reach the World Series in Ranked Seasons at launch, Juan Pierre, a very appealing Adley Rutschman prospect card and Rogers Hornsby will be the first set of rewards.

Showdown

The new Showdown mode will be a combination of Battle Royale and Moments. The cool thing about Showdown is the addition of in-game perks to boost your chances of beating the bosses. You’ll draft a team like you do in Battle Royale, though drafts will be shorter because you’ll play Moments to snag perks and better players to boost your team before the final Showdown. The best part? Perks will stack, allowing for some insane buffs if you elect to draft the same perk or earn the same perk along the way. Showdown will give you access to program stars, stubs, XP, packs, collectables, and sometimes, mode-exclusive diamond players. Like Battle Royale, there is an entry fee for Showdown, and once you lose a challenge, you’ll be kicked out of the challenge.

Showdown will feature exclusive rewards that are only unlockable with a premier performance in the mode. If you think your team is ready to beat the final boss, you can skip as many challenges as you want. But again, for each challenge you complete along the way, more perks and better player cards will be available at your disposal.

Miscellaneous

One thing that wasn’t unveiled is the complete collections reward for acquiring every live series card. We expect that to be shown off prior to launch. That being said, highly demanded Yankees great Mickey Mantle joins the cast of legends this season. He’ll be a Day 1 choice pack option, but only his 88 overall card. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that a Mickey Mantle Signature Series card will be the penultimate reward.

Stay tuned.