Another year, another Madden NFL 22, and another wave of critics complaining the game mode requires deep pockets in order to succeed. Are the critics correct? Well, of course. Look at the prices required to get any player at a 90+ OVR, it's out of control.
But this really depends on the definition of succeeding. If winning every single game with a ridiculous lineup is the intended goal, spend away! But there is another contingency of players that actually really enjoy the modes, they just enjoy it on their own terms. And for those players out there, who want to enjoy the game without going broke, these are some tips that will help anybody get started.
10 Sign Up For EA Play
EA Play isn't free to sign up for. And if this is the only game EA makes that interests the player, they should ignore this point. But for even casual gamers, EA Play unlocks a ton of games, many of which are considered among the best of all time.
As far as Madden NFL 22 goes, EA Play offers the entire game for free and a whole bunch of player packs to come with it. It's much better to get one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for free this way rather than working for hours and spending actual dollars.
9 Value Stats Over OVR
The superficial observer might find it easy to just plug in the players with the highest OVR and get going. Sometimes this will work, but it's actually more important to look at the individual breakdown than to go with the overall rating.
The OVR factors in arm strength and blocking ability, even for positions that won't ever need it. Some of the best safeties in the game can't throw a football and that's just fine. Make sure they're fast and can pick the ball off instead.
8 Hold Off On Upgrades
This is a trap that sinks everyone's feelings when they fall for it. They'll get a card that looks pretty nice, bury a bunch of upgrades into it, and then find a better card a few hours later. And currency in MUT isn't exactly known for being easily refundable.
So before upgrading a card to hunt down ball carriers, make sure it is truly one of the best defensive linemen out there. Otherwise, it's pouring hard to earn resources into a vessel that won't be on the team in a few weeks.
7 Complete Challenges First
The challenges give players new cards, packs, and they refresh consistently. Not accomplishing these challenges is not only leaving players on the table, it's leaving valuable coins behind. They don't take long and even the toughest challenges can be retried at no cost.
It's tempting to just straight into the game and show everyone a new and amazing linebacker from the NFL, but this needs to be a team effort. The challenges are good about leveling up all of the base cards enough to establish a well-rounded team that is ready to actually compete.
6 Spend Wisely
There are a million flashy roadblocks in front of every legitimate purchase. Money builds up slowly and disappears in an instant. So remember that those new uniforms might look cool and all, but check the auction house for an incredible offensive lineman that actually makes a difference first.
Also, even though a card might be perfect and available doesn't mean it's a wise purchase. The auction house often inflates these costs. Keep in mind that the cards get much better as time goes on, so it's better to save than spend in the first few months.
5 Log In Daily
Forgetting to log in is just another way of failing to get the maximum amount of rewards. MUT's goal is to keep players coming back, so there are daily and weekly rewards for gamers who are dedicated to checking in.
These benefits really do add up eventually. It can take a long time to earn the best cards, but logging in for one minute every day will yield better rewards than players who log in fifteen hours in one day but don't show up for the rest of the month.
4 Participate In All Events
Nobody enjoys losing, but it happens. Until there is a way to make sure that cards are better balanced, players who don't spend extra money every day are going to fall behind the "whales" that drop a second mortgage to get the freshest cards.
The participation award is more than just a trophy. It's perfectly fine to lose every game in a tournament; the points gained will help out with upgrades and cards to trade in for better players.
3 Match Schemes
This might be the biggest difference-maker on the list. Each card has extra benefits when playing in a certain scheme. Having a mix of cards is not ideal; having half the defense good at zone defense while the other half prefers man-to-man ensures that the team is never at full strength.
Make a plan before really making a push to put a team together. There's nothing worse than saving up for a really expensive card, buying it, and then finding out the scheme bonus isn't one that the player enjoys using.
2 Complete Sets
One easy way to get high-ranking elite cards is to complete the team sets in the game. For most of the set, they require gold, silver, and bronze cards, which are cheap and plentiful. They then require one elite card to top it off, but the reward is a very high-ranking card.
Unlike most cards in this tier, players can take direct control and legitimately earn it. Sell duplicate gold, silver, and bronze cards, then take the proceeds to fill in any gaps that are missing. The sets, over time, will yield a complete team that looks like somebody spent lots of money on it (but they didn't!).
1 Put Players Out Of Position
When organizing a team, one rookie mistake is to think that the offensive line needs to have a left tackle play left tackle, a right guard play right guard, etc. This is not the case. Left tackles tend to be the best offensive linemen in the game, so feel free to put on in every position on the line.
Safeties can play corners and vice versa. Tight ends can receive. Halfbacks can play fullback. Don't feel the need to have a player in the position on the card, that's part of the fun of MUT in Madden NFL 22.