MLB The Show 20 Showdown: Tips & tricks to draft, win challenges, stubs, players & more

MLB The Show 20 has introduced a wonderful new mini-game... Showdown.

A game mode in Diamond Dynasty, Showdown challenges the player to draft a team and earn incremental upgrades before a do or die final battle.

Each challenge you beat will let you draft more players and perks, getting stronger for the finale.

Playing Showdown is a great way to grind stubs and players, but it's quite a challenge to go deep if you aren't drafting properly.

Let's go over some drafting tips for Showdown so that you can beat the scenarios and get your value.

Positional priorities

BRAND NEW: Each Showdown is different, know what you'll need ahead of time

Each Showdown features new challenges, but most challenges center on a couple key elements of the game.

More often than not your starting pitcher is the player put to the test on defense. This means you can skimp on fielding if you're competent from the mound, freeing you to pick up a team focused more on hitting and base running.

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Having a top-heavy bullpen in terms of skill gives more bang for your buck for shorter Showdowns. So grabbing an elite reliever, starter, and closer over depth allows you to draft better picks elsewhere.

A strong offense is important to help carry you through the many batting-focused challenges. Don't skimp out on both power and contact in your draft, and a little baserunning wouldn't hurt either.

Lineup management

You can gain a serious edge in Showdown mode by reading ahead on the next challenge and managing your lineups accordingly.

If your challenge is just three innings long, perhaps use your weaker starter to save your star. Up against a left-handed starting pitcher? Arrange your batting lineup to punish it. If your next challenge is focused on hitting, arrange your perks to power up.

Through decisions like these you can put your team ahead before the challenge even begins, and keep a weak team alive for another set of draft picks.

Don't get fooled by overall

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Overall seems like the perfect guide to a player's strength, but the stats behind the OVR are much more important.

A pitcher's OVR, for instance, can be inflated by unnecessary stats like bunting instead of a solid pitching foundation. This puts your higher overall player behind the curve where it really counts, and it shows in results.

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Not everybody needs to be able to steal a base, and not everybody needs to crack 500 foot home runs. Focus your draft on stats that come up the most, and build around a solid gameplan for consistency.

Find your fit

GET 'EM HOME: Home plate is home plate, even if you steal it

Everybody has a playstyle in MLB The Show, regardless of your lineup. Playing to your strengths in Showdown is an important step to maximizing your chances.

If you're a better base running player, draft a team that compliments this and steal some bases. If you're a better fastball pitcher, try to grab starters and relievers that aren't so focused on break.

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Regardless of how good your lineup is on paper, if your skillset isn't suited to your draft, you're less likely to get positive results. Make sure to draft for your own style and avoid reinventing the wheel.