The game of Madden has been evolving for some time. Moving away from a Franchise Mode of realism, towards the online excitement of quick fun against other humans. The rise of MUT is well documented. But it does have its detractors, and that has left EA Sports looking at new modes to try.
Due to the nature of modern gaming, new elements can be trialled at ease and even added after the game has launched. This is what happened with Superstar KO, and it has been getting decent feedback from different parts of the Madden community. Especially as this wasn't pay-to-play.
What is Superstar KO Mode? What are the rules?
Designed for bursts of fun, Superstar KO simplifies every part of the game.
It reduces the playbook to a few plays, reduces options for adjustments and gives you access to elite players from the MUT world. This then takes you to an online world in which matches last ten minutes or less.
BIT OF FUN: A nice little addition to a growing collection of game modes
READ MORE: The best playbooks in Madden 20
The aim of Superstar KO is to score the most points with a single drive from your own 25-yard line. There are no special teams in SKO. It forces you to go for it on 4th down and for 2pt conversations. If you are tied after the first round, there is then a tug of war, play by play, with a shrinking field until a player scores.
Superstar KO Mode can be played in 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 with user players.
Picking a Team
The first thing you do is pick a team. There are some exciting crossovers with the head coaches and celebrities, even DJ Khaled makes an appearance.
READ MORE: How to scramble with the QB in Madden 20
The choice of team is incredibly important. Because the playbooks are cut down, you may find yourself with only running plays and a Star QB like Tom Brady being wasted.
SUBSTANCE OVER STYLE: Ignore the star, look at the playbook
Get to know the teams and what they offer, they make sure you select your players accordingly;
- Dot City (Coach: Odell Beckham Jr.)
- Passing Heavy Offense & Defense
- GNP (Coach: Emmitt Smith)
- Rushing Heavy Offense & Defense
- Magicians (Coach: Patrick Mahomes)
- RPO Balanced, Slight Pass Offense & Rushing Defense
- Snappers (Coach: Bruce Arians)
- Balanced
- Record Breakers (Coach: Sean McVay)
- Passing Offense & Rushing Offense
- Shutdown (Coach: Dr. Jennifer Welter)
- Passing Defense & Rushing Defense
- Florida Keys (Coach: DJ Khaled)
- Blitzing Rushing Defense
- Backyard Heroes (Coach: Lil Yachty)
- Fun Passing Offense
READ MORE: How to rush the passer in Madden 20
Picking Players
Next, you will be given a selection from a group of 4 players with an indication of their rarity. Depending on the team you have chosen, you will have different plays that suit different types of players so do your best to align.
You will get to pick up 3 players using this method.
LEGENDARY: Look for less common players under their name tag, this indicates ability
Each time you win a game, you get to add another player. By the end of a cycle you will have played 3 times and go into your final game with 3 stars on each side of the ball;
- Common- No color, only possess their Superstar X-Factor ability
- Rare- Blue color, possess X-Factor ability and a couple Superstar Abilities
- Ultra-Rare- Purple color, possess X-Factor ability and even more Superstar abilities than Rare tier
- Legendary- Gold color, possess X-Factor plus an enormous amount of passive abilities
Smart Offense, Risky Defense
The key to playing Superstar KO is to treat it like a game of 2 halves. Turning over the ball is going to kill any chance of being successful and so on offense you have to look after the ball.
READ MORE: How to block in Madden 20
Often human players in this game mode are very pass-heavy, and by seeing what team the other player has selected you can know their strengths. The players are high powered, so focus on exploiting the teams weakness with the star players you've selected. If you've got George Kittle at TE, make plays to him.
Don't be afraid to run the ball and take your time. There's no clock, so there's no rush.
On defense, the opposite is all true. You are going all out to get a big turn over. Hit stick (up on RS) and strip ball (R1/RB) are your friend and will change the course of the game.
Again, use your stars effectively and it should lead to success. What do you think of this new game mode?
READ MORE: The
best Dallas Cowboys cards in MUT
Superstar KO has rewards that feed into Ultimate Team that you can't get anywhere else.
MUT is full of high-quality cards, and that will only increase as the year goes on. Right now elite speed is hard to come by, but it’s vital to the success of your team. That means you need to find the fastest cards around and fit them into your squad where you can. We have these cards for you here.