The baseball season is finally here, which means the return of MLB The Show 23 Diamond Dynasty mode. This Ultimate Team style game mode lets players build teams and take them online to compete against others.
This year's edition brings plenty of new and exciting changes to the game mode, that will surely improve the gaming experience of players. It does retain that classic feel though, with Stubs, packs, and iconic players.
Find out all you need to know about Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 23 right here.
Diamond Dynasty
In MLB The Show 23, Diamond Dynasty brings a lot of exciting new features, with the innovations that were included in the title substantially improving the gaming experience and immersion.
There are plenty of changes, so be sure to check out the video, and get an overview of each of them below.
Sets and Seasons
The way you build your squad and play Diamond Dynasty is getting a huge revamp in MLB The Show 23, with the introduction of a card set rotation system.
As explained in a clip posted by the official MLB The Show Twitter account:
Some modes throughout Diamond Dynasty, like Ranked and Conquest, will require Season Squads made up of In-Season cards, keeping squads fresh and competition fierce!
In-Season cards consist of the sets released during the current and previous seasons, in addition to all Core Set cards which are always eligible.
The Core Set is listed to include all Live Series Players, Negro Leagues Storylines Rewards, Live Series Collection Rewards, and a few more.
If a card is released in Season 1, it will be tagged as Set 1, if it is released in Season 2, it will be Season 2, and so on.
Seasons will last for 6-8 weeks, with new sets introduced, staying In-Season, then rotating out, such as in the laid-out example below:
- Season 1: Core Set, Set 1
- Season 2: Core Set, Set 1, Set 2
- Season 3: Core Set, Set 2, Set 3
- Season 4: Core Set, Set 3, Set 4
Not all game modes will require you to use Season Squads, so there will still be freedom to include all your best cards from throughout the year in one team.
The modes that you will need to use In-Season squads are as follows:
- Ranked: Always
- Events: Sometimes, depending on the requirements
- Conquest: Yes, if the map is time-limited, otherwise no
- Mini Seasons: Mainly, but that can change depending on the theme
The idea behind this change is that it allows users to play with 99-rated cards from day one of the game's release, while also keeping rosters fresh and ever-changing.
Wild Card
A Wild Card slot has been introduced in Diamond Dynasty due to the implementation of Sets & Seasons.
It means you can play one player from any Set to your side, even if that Set has rotated out and is no longer In-Season.
Designated Hitter & Two-Way Player
Introduced in MLB last year, a Universal Designated Hitter will now be in Diamond Dynasty!
Full Two-Way Player functionality has also been implemented, with secondary positions given to players, so you can use pitchers as the DH or in your starting rotation.
Captains
Another new feature of Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 23 is Captains.
Captains Series cards will each have a unique ability, which requires you to build your squad in a certain way, and by meeting the requirements you will unlock boosted stats for the captain and your other players.
This will mainly help when building theme teams, as including more players from the same side will unlock further tier boosts.
The idea behind this is to elevate lower-rated cards that wouldn't see much use, transform their stats with a captain boost, then they will become competitive and get more play!
There are eight Captain's cards in the diamond series Captain pack. You will need to select one of them to be your team Captain. All of these cards have great attributes, but some provide better boosts to their teammates. This means that some cards can be more useful than others, especially at this beginning stage of the game.
You have two captains in your team, a Hitting Captain and a Pitching Captain. Selecting the best Captains for your team is very important. You should check their general stats, and pay close attention to their attribute boosts.
You can actually include any number of Captains Series cards in your team, but only one Hitting Captain and one Pitching Captain can have their boost active at any one time.
As mentioned above, all of them have great stats, but some of them stand out more than others, mostly because of the attributes boost they offer. If you want to know everything about Captains in Diamond Dynasty, including which ones are the best, be sure to check our Diamond Dynasty Team Captains guide.
Worth noting that, Captains won't be supported in Battle Royale, but will feature in the following modes:
- Ranked
- Ranked Co-Op
- Play vs CPU
- Conquest
- Mini Seasons
- Showdown
Mini Seasons 2.0
Mini Seasons is a single-player mode in Diamond Dynasty, where you play a 28-game season each of three innings, against CPU-controlled rosters based on themed squads and real-life DD users.
It challenges you to build a team with theme requirements - such as all lefties - then battle it out against the CPU. Mini Seasons will give you plenty of rewards, such as cards or Stubs, that will help you improve your squad.
There are three challenges in the Mini Seasons game mode, with all of them having a 28-game regular season and two best-of-three playoff games. However, you don't need to play all the regular season games. If you win your 14 home games, you will be automatically qualified for the playoffs.
You can also skip the away games, by jumping into the game and then quitting. This will help you finish the challenges in a faster and more effective way. If you want to know more tips and tricks that can give you an advantage in this game mode, check our Mini Seasons guide.
Introduced with MLB The Show 23 are:
- Theme Seasons
- Stat Tracking & Awards
- Custom Away Stadiums
- Revamped UI
Ranked Co-Op
In Co-Op, you combine your Diamond Dynasty squad with your friends (of any level) to play 2v2 or 3v3 matches against another Co-Op team.
Ranked Co-Op has now been introduced in DD, allowing you to gain rewards and move up and down the rating ladder depending on your results.
This will work just like Solo Ranked, however, your Ranked Co-Op rating will be separate from your Solo score.
The Ranked Program score will be impacted by both Solo and Co-Op ratings.
You can also now earn the rewards three times, once in Solo, once in Ranked Co-Op, and once via Ranked Program!
Big changes have also come to cut down on the number of Co-Op matches ending early.
In a 3v3 match, if a player from one side drops out, the game will now continue as a 3v2 match.
If you quit a Ranked Co-Op match early, you will now be hit with a Cooldown Penalty, which stops you from entering a match straight away, and can stack up if you keep leaving early, lasting all the way up to a week!
There is also a new Surrender Vote, which your whole team can vote on, and if that is unanimous you can end the match early, resulting in a loss for your side.
Program Rewards
Unlimited Program Rewards have been introduced to Diamond Dynasty, meaning the XP you earn after completing the main program will no longer go to waste!
Instead, after the final boss pack, your XP will now go into an infinite loop at the end of the main program, and each time you gain enough XP to complete the loop you will earn extra rewards.
Conquest
Conquest is a solo game mode inside Diamond Dynasty. It's played in a similar way to the board game Risk, and is definitely a game mode you should try out. The game has four phases, the attack phase, steal fans phase, reinforce phase, and the move phase. All of them are equally important, so players should master them all.
By acquiring fans, reinforcing territories and conquering others, you take over a map to complete it and earn rewards.
You will only play against the CPU, with a territory representing a three-inning game, although that can be simulated in most cases apart from when attacking a stronghold.
Rewards of XP, Stubs, player cards and card packs are awarded for completing goals, which can include gaining a certain amount of fans and capturing strongholds.
Conquest maps will continue to be added throughout the year, and are often linked to the Featured Program. There are also plenty of Hidden Rewards in the multiple conquest maps. These rewards vary from map to map, but all of them will help you upgrade your team, especially at the beginning of the season.
There are many ways to complete the Conquest maps, but one is easier and faster than all the others. If you want to know all the tips and tricks to complete Conquest maps in an easy and fast way, check out our Conquest guide. You will also get to know all the Hidden Rewards and how to achieve them.
What is Diamond Dynasty?
For those who haven't played it in previous years, Diamond Dynasty is MLB The Show's own version of an Ultimate Team game mode.
It's similar in many ways to Ultimate Team in FIFA 23, Madden 23, and NHL 23, but Diamond Dynasty is catered to the nature of baseball and tends to run much smoother than any of EA's iterations of the game mode do.
Players play to earn new packs which contain cards featuring baseball stars of the past and present, but these virtual cards also often pull classic card art from some of the most gorgeous baseball cards ever made.
The mix of classic card art for some and modern designs for others provides a unique balance as you work to unlock new players and round out your Diamond Dynasty lineup.
As players play through Diamond Dynasty, every game provides experience and allows you to unlock more packs and gain access to more powerful players.
Diamond Dynasty Game Modes
The core Diamond Dynasty game modes from last year returned in MLB The Show 23.
With a mix of single-player game modes to play offline and some online competitive options for multiplayer action.
Here are the Diamond Dynasty game modes in MLB The Show 23:
- Battle Royale: This online multiplayer mode lets players draft their own teams ahead of time just for these matches, levelling the playing field if you don't have enough cards yet, and you compete to get as many wins as possible before losing three games.
- Conquest: This exciting single-player mode works like a strategic mini-game similar to RISK, and you battle opposing teams to gain territories with the opportunity to earn hidden rewards that are in specific territories.
- Events: Events change every week or two starting at launch, and these restrictive competitions require teams made up of specific kinds of players as you compete against others online.
- Moments: This single-player mode is often linked to Player Programs, and it lets you play out specific historic games or innings from the careers of baseball's legends.
- Showdown: This single-player mode lets you draft a team and choose specific perks for your lineup before taking on a series of challenges culminating in a final boss where you must outscore them with a number of consecutive at-bats.
- Ranked Seasons: The final and most challenging game mode is the one where the true legends of Diamond Dynasty and the game's most competitive players go to prove themselves. Battle others near your ranking or skill level for huge rewards at the end of each in-game season.
- Mini Seasons: A single-player mode in Diamond Dynasty, where you play a 28-game season each of three innings, against CPU-controlled rosters based on themed squads and real-life DD users.