NBA 2K18 MyTeam: Weeks 43 and 44

Well it looks like we’ve hit the end of the road for new content in 2K18’s MyTeam, and boy did they go out with a bang!

The Duos premium pack has arrived, and not only has it brought a ton of new pairings, there are now two new pullable pink diamonds (MJ and LeBron) with a 99 for every single statistic. I’ll say that again: EVERY SINGLE STAT!

Not only that, but both cards have duos. LBJ is partnered up with pink diamond Magic Johnson, and Jordan’s duo is the diamond Pippen that was the Ice Cold collection reward. I’ve got Scottie, so now I’m trying to get my hands on that MJ, who is amazingly already BIN.

Here’s an updated list of duos now in the game, just in case you’re curious.

Also, if you haven’t been on the auction house in a while, check it out. Pink diamonds are crazy cheap, and diamonds/amethysts are going for next to nothing. When the crash happened, I just bought a bunch of cards I thought would be fun to try, and have been having a blast. Once I narrow down my final 2K18 lineup, I’ll sell (hopefully for a profit) all those diamond and pink diamonds, and get that uber-MJ. Maybe even the LeBron, too.

In case anyone is doing the same thing, here are a few standout cards I’d happily recommend you all try:

1. Pink Diamond Karl Anthony Towns: Unfortunately my coveted PD Hakeem has been seeing more and more of the bench because of KAT. His floor spacing seems to fit my playstyle better, plus he’s still awesome on the boards and on defense. His shot release takes a bit of time to get used to, but I’m good with it now. The other reason Hakeem hasn’t been playing as much is…
2. Diamond Yao Ming (plus his T-Mac dynamic duo) – This duo is awesome. McGrady was already amazing, but his presence bumps up Yao to a pink diamond, including an upgraded open-shot three of 85!
3. PD Kawhi Leonard –  I’ve always been a fan of Kawhi in NBA 2K but haven’t really used him much this year. A couple of days ago the price was right to try him out, and I got him mainly for his duo with my pink diamond Tim (locker code reward) Duncan. Having Kawhi bumps Duncan’s contested-shot-three to 90, and his open-shot-three to 98! It’s fantasy basketball at its finest, but in August I’m cool with that.
4. Diamond Gary Payton – He’s got a duo with Weekly Challenge reward Shawn Kemp, and they are sooooo fun to play together. Neither gets upgraded to a pink diamond or anything crazy like that, but Payton is a lockdown defender who gets a solid bump in shooting and athleticism, while Kemp suddenly become a 3-point threat. Then the best part is I found Payton for around 3K, and of course Kemp is essentially free.
5. Amethyst Josh Smith – I LOVE Josh Smith, especially this version of him when he was at his athletic and defensive peak. Add in the (currently crazy cheap) Joe Johnson duo, and J-Smoove becomes a diamond who can shoot the lights out.

What about you guys, any diamonds (or pink diamonds) in the rough?