Madden 20's Ulitmate Team players are well into Series 6 and awaiting the easter promo.
We expect Madden 21 will release sometime in August, as Madden usually does, which puts it ahead of the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Nevertheless, Madden 21 promises to be a huge step for the Madden NFL franchise as the next-gen of consoles will usher in revolutionary and never-before-seen features.
Undoubtedly, Ultimate Team is set to be a big beneficiary of improvements, as the mode has risen to be the flagship game mode in Madden.
So what would we love to see come to MUT 21?
Formation Subs
SCHEME FIT: Moving players around by formation is crucial to create mismatches
While MUT lets you build the team of your dreams, with players from many teams, decades and styles, and lets you pick any playbook you like, the team management aspect of the mode still falls short in some ways.
Just like in real life, players have
different skill sets and fit in certain schemes/positions better than others.
In Franchise Mode this isn’t an issue, as you can put them in the right spot
for your team using formation subs.
You can go through your playbook and assign the first choice players for all 11 players on the field for any formation. But, you can’t in MUT.
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This takes away a huge part of roster building and diminishes the effectiveness of many players within certain systems. For example, you may run a 3-4 hybrid playbook, so you prioritize pass rushing OLBs, but in formations of your playbook thatt look more like a 4-3 they are mismatched.
You can change this in game, but it is a
long and repetitive process.
There needs to be a tab in the MUT menus
that lets you take control of your team fully by utilizing each player to their
best strength.
Auto Subs
ROTATIONS: Keep your players fresh with constant substitutions
This is another feature that is in every
mode of the game except for MUT.
It dictates the frequency of your players substituting when they are fatigued and can be a great tool to keep players fresh for later in the game, and for making sure every player sees the field if you have lots of talented options.
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Too often when playing MUT, whether solo
challenges or online, players do not sub out when they are fatigued, and line
up for a play slouched over, out of breath. This diminishes their effectiveness
on the ensuing play and increases the chance for a big play for the other team.
This could be an easy addition to the team setup menu. It could go as another tab after your team's uniform and stadium selections (along with formation subs).
Multiple Filters
DECISIONS: Gamers should be able to combine filters
The Auction House is massive, and finding
the right player or item quickly is crucial to many.
However, due to its size, and the
specificity of many people’s needs, it can be a chore to find the exact card
you’re looking for.
There are already a lot of filters to sort players, and in general it is set up very well to find what you want. However, with a more powerful console at hand, and load times said to be a thing of the past, there is no reason the filters can’t be made more customizable.
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For example, theme teams where you pick one or two teams to revolve around, say the Chiefs and 49ers, are not uncommon.
It would be great in the auction house if you could search 'QBs, rated 88+ from the 49ers and Chiefs' rather than the current format of doing it once for the Chiefs at 88-89 OVR, then 90-91 OVR and so on, and then the same for the 49ers.
This will make the Auction House easier and
quicker to use.
Other improvements
Around the entire MUT community there are a
number of additions which would be welcomed, here are just a few others.
- View Auction House prices for
cards directly from packs - More alternate but real
uniforms and stadiums - More training points as rewards
- More players at release to
build decent/good theme teams