MUT22 - No Money Spent (Madden Ultimate Team)

[QuikSand]

Sold 2 of 3 of the 88 guys (cold feet) but staying open to this play

[QuikSand]

So, I’m not even sure what is worth offering an update here on. The weekend is typically noted for relatively low prices, making it a good time to buy, and a poor time to sell. The problem with that is that I’m doing this for fun, and it’s more fun to do something, then to sit around and twiddle thumbs. Anyhow, I am stuck in the middle a little bit… My gold was up over 600,000 a while ago, now I’m down below 300,000. I have several cards up for sale for a number of hours, with hopes that they will sell out, and restore my cash to 500,000 or so.

One small roster note… I completed a small challenge in game, and my reward was to choose among several power ups, among them was cornerback Joe Haden, who previously played for the Browns. I was not even aware that he had a power up card, but that card along with a bit of training, has now become CB3 in my roster, rated 82 I think right now.

[brett32z]

This thread has me perilously close to buying Madden for the first time in 15 years or so. How much time would I need to devote to this to make it worthwhile? Would an hour or so 2-3 nights a week be enough to have fun? I have more ability throughout the day to check in on the app for a few minutes at a time but limited "blocks" of time to devote.

[QuikSand]

LOL at "perilously close"

I'm not sure what to say... I think overall, if you could commit that kind of time (1 hour a few times a week) that would keep you lively in the challenges, that are part of grinding out free stuff for your team. You cannot be cutting edge with that amount of time (and I cannot be with the time I have spent, either) but it's enough to feel like you're "in it" I think.

And in the end, to be fully honest... what I'm doing is more or less just rosterbation. The big sharps are playing in the online leagues against one another, Elo-adjusted or otherwise, and that's fine... my team-building skills far outstrip my button-mashing skills, which are adequate at best. (I still really have real trouble making fast decisions playing defense, and am still not that good at calling audibles or formation adjustments, which all the sharps do)

So, your call.

And, if you're in the fence...they appear to have put some real time into the "Franchise" segment of the game (multi-year career style sim)...and if that moves from being nearly useless to somewhat entertaining, that would help merit the investment of either money or time, whichever you value more.

[QuikSand]

So, Sunday evening is the end of the week, here's the status of the Browns theme team:

(For reference, here's the maxed-out theme team, with every card available if you had unlimited time/coins/cash

-Chemistry: my lineup right now has 52 units of Browns chemistry, 2 more than absolutely needed for the maximum benefit to Browns players... meaning if I wanted to draw the line at "must have 50 Browns" I still have 2x slots to fiddle around with (LT and DT might be my top candidates, if so)

QB: Young is very good but I haven't spent the $ to add scrambling boosters... backup who cares but Baker is just awaiting an improved card to become relevant

RB: I paid to PowerUp Chubb to 89, I can pay to bump him up another click, and after that I'd need the super-expensive Limited Edition card... if I remain frustrated with my inability to re-sell some of these 85s, I may flip three for enough training to max out Chubb (for my purposes)... Hunt is elusive but not a difference maker...no other attractive options out there except Mostert (fast but very expensive)

FB: have Janovich maxed out, he's solid, no improvement possible within CLE chemistry

TE: Njoku is the classic fading card... my first 84, felt like a cheat code against rosters with mostly guys in the mid-70s... now he's still solid but would make a really nice TE2 behind something better... TE2 Hooper is a 79 and likely to get a bump someday... Ozzie perhaps one day

WR: For my team, I'm still relying a lot on my gift players - Captain 89 Alworth and Season Champion 85 Devin Hester as my WR1 and heavily-used slot guys. OBJ is a contested catch guy downfield better than his overall rating (83?) suggests. Landry at 81 is fine depth.

OL: LT 76 Wills is the weak link now, everyone else is into the 80s, and I could plow more training into maxim them out further - C Mack has an 88 card from this latest set, so does RG Kevin Zeitler but that would mean getting his Power Up card, adding the training, and THEN adding the 88 card to max him out...just sitting on Teller and awaiting a new card seems fine. OL is a relative strength here.

P/K: fine but nothing special at all

DL: I watched live as Garrett and Clowney pincered Mahomes today (in the "before times") and that's what we're trying to get from our guys here... 87 and 88, respectively. DE Ogbah is playing inside at DT a lot, for lack of legit options. If I were to make this silly play to build then sell the 91 Megatron card, I'd surely go grab Dalvin Tomlinson, an 88 DT card from that set, to be a major talent boost for us for a while. Still mulling it over.

OLB: Three talented guys for CLE all naturally play LOLB... not ideal. I have 84 JOK as my starter cause he's crazy fast, and 83 Carl Banks behind him. I don't even have Jamie Collins, who maxes out at 89... in theory I could use him, but right now I'm pretty content with JOK who flies around subbed-in as a MLB in my nickel package, which I play 75% of the time... for lack of a natural ROLB I have been playing rookie 86 card Jaelen Phillips who has been fine but not great

MLB: weak spot... I have finally maxed-out 85 Demario Davis, that took time and patience, but behind him there's virtually nothing from CLE... so my next plug-in guy, 86 Micah Parsons from the Rookie Premiere is very solid and fast... SS Kam Chancellor at 83 and ever-increasing as I continue to stumble across performance markers drops into play some MLB as well (in nickel)

CB: With recent addition 83 Joe Haden, I have two CLE guys good enough to not worry about, and RP 86 Jaycee Horn is CB1 for now. It's fine... Denzel Ward should get a boost at some point, and after that we'd be hoping for some of the founders of the Dawg Pound to help out (Frank Minnifield please)

S: Browns are deep with pretty good guys available here, and Kam makes it even more so... the 85 card for John Johnson made his fully Powered-up 86 version my SS1... I haven't even bothered yet with Jordan Poyer or Jabril Peppers but a new card for either could remedy that at some point... Kam and Peppers both can play FS as well, and that might help at some point since right now 86 Trevon Moehrig is my starter, over mere 72 Grant Delpit


Priorities short term:

Not a lot, to be totally honest... 500 training (~20,000 gold) to add a scrambling boost to Vince is in play... could pay to bump up Chubb... and nickel-and-dime stuff here and there... mostly waiting for new players to pursue

[QuikSand]

Well, it seems like the dip in prices over the weekend was not a function of the weekend, but probably a gradual reset. Things are just about where they have been… My 85 rated players from the ultimate kick off program are still going in the low to mid 30s. That is, more or less, the best available price to buy training. I have managed to offload all but two of the ones I bought in the low 30s, at a price of 39-40, and feel lucky to have done so.

I am back to around 500,000 gold, so basically fairly cash rich, which puts me in a position to welcome an overall softening of prices.

[QuikSand]

Tomorrow, we should see our first installment of "Team of the Week" in MUT 22. Basically, this is a weekly slate of new cards, mostly based on players who were exceptional in their real life NFL games this week.

So, players like Jalen Hurts or Jameis Winston who don't have a meaningful card in the MUT 22 game yet are prime candidates to be in this week's batch - whose ratings will range from "decent" 79-82 up to "elite" high 80s, most likely.

It's usually done with some eye toward the longer season... so while Tyreek Hill might have had the best fantasy stat line in the league this week, he might not get the top card, on account of him already being a top-tier card as it stands. (There is a quiet thing they can do in such cases... release a lower-level card for him like a seemingly useless 82, but then accompany that with an extra +1 step for his Power Up card to develop, raising his ceiling... that happened last year a couple of times with Devante Adams, as you might imagine)

If they follow last year's pattern, then on top of the players from this week, they will also include a couple of "Player of the Week Heroes," guys who are no longer active but who put up big numbers in a Week 1 of a year gone by, one offense and one defense. These would be highly rated cards... at this point in the game, I'd expect them to be maybe a 90. And then, on top of that, for a couple days a "limited edition" card available only by opening packs from the Madden store, who would be a click or two higher than even these guys... so maybe a 91, more or less matching the top-rated players in the entire game.

With each week will presumably come new sets -- ways to "build" the top cards from the week, by collecting lesser cards. So, even if the 79-rated guy doesn't help your team, that card might still have value as a component toward a set that you, or someone, needs to get the big time guys atop the weekly list. (Over time, these sets can become really handy, I managed to go back to weeks-old sets of TOTW guys last year and found them mightily profitable given certain situations)

Anyway... unlikely any Browns will make the list given their loss (and Chubb's already having gotten a Ltd card last week)... but who knows what veterans might pop up here?

[QuikSand]

Well well, the Limited Edition player this week is… 92 Myles Garrett. Whoa.

[brett32z]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

LOL at "perilously close"

I'm not sure what to say... I think overall, if you could commit that kind of time (1 hour a few times a week) that would keep you lively in the challenges, that are part of grinding out free stuff for your team. You cannot be cutting edge with that amount of time (and I cannot be with the time I have spent, either) but it's enough to feel like you're "in it" I think.

And in the end, to be fully honest... what I'm doing is more or less just rosterbation. The big sharps are playing in the online leagues against one another, Elo-adjusted or otherwise, and that's fine... my team-building skills far outstrip my button-mashing skills, which are adequate at best. (I still really have real trouble making fast decisions playing defense, and am still not that good at calling audibles or formation adjustments, which all the sharps do)

So, your call.

And, if you're in the fence...they appear to have put some real time into the "Franchise" segment of the game (multi-year career style sim)...and if that moves from being nearly useless to somewhat entertaining, that would help merit the investment of either money or time, whichever you value more.

Yeah, I had decided I was done with Madden but this is intriguing.

Appreciate the response and enjoying the read.

[QuikSand]

But here's the deal. Playing "No Money Spent" is very much like being in the all-natural section of a Mr. Universe contest. Sure, it is its own competition, but you are simply not magazine cover stuff, right?

It's tricky because most of the MUT content creators worth anything are talking about building god-squad teams with the best players available, period. My favorite such guy literally just made a specific comment about my 89 Vince Young card (who has completely transformed my offense with his rushing ability) and just casually dropped (paraphrasing in quotes here) "well, I mean the powered-up 90 card... the 89 is just trash, but the 90 is my #2 overall QB in the game right now."

For me, buying his Power Up card for around 10K and then using perhaps 200K in training to get him from 89 to 90 (mainly so I can then spend another 60K on training to add one more scrambling-related ability to him)... it's just beyond my NMS budget. (I think it is, at least)

Alas. Set the rules, play within them, do your best.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So, weird dilemma for me right now.

I can buy the 88-rated players in the Ultimate Kickoff set today for around 105K each, 420K for 4x of them. That's enough for a set to get the 91-rated Megatron WR or Sean Taylor. Those are God Squad cards right now that everyone wants so they are selling for... close to 400K.

So maybe I spend 420K and get back 360K by selling the 91 card. But in the set you apparently also get back 4x of your choice of the 88-rated cards, in a restricted version (can't auction, trade, or use in sets). Four 88-rated players would be meaningful to my team right now, if I am willing to depart that much from my theme team. Have to stew on it a bit but I think this is too good to pass up.

Still ruminating on this. Very hard to conclude anything other than this is a major improvement to my team for rather small gold investment. For me, it's more about how far am I willing to drift away form a legit "theme team" here.

I have 2x of these 88-rated guys in hand from playing challenges. I have LE Clowney already, and have yet to decide what to do with the other "fantasy pack" unopened. But that could be C Alex Mack, for example, if I wanted to stick with the Browns. Or, it could be Will Fuller if I wanted to develop my 1B project, a Dolphins theme team.

Anyway... if I went ahead and did this set, I'd end up with a 91-rated guy to sell, and then 4x non-tradeable non-auctionable 88-rated cards that are basically only usable as players, and nothing else. So, I'd likely end up with a total of 6:

DE Clowney
C Mack
RG Zeitler?
WR Fuller
...and then since I'm out of theme fits, maybe
DT Tomlinson (major need right now)
TE Everett (same)
or
LT Fisher (76 to 88 is a huge move, even if OL are unexciting)

So - that would be a pretty meaningful moved-the-needle play for the short term on my theme team. And what would it cost?

Right now:

-the 88-player market has settled (largely because of everyone wanting to do this set) around 100K for each card... maybe with discipline I could spend 380K to get 4x of them for the set

-the 91-rated guy I'd get back, right now, looks to sell for about 330K, so the wise assumption is that I'd be able to get back 300K "after taxes"

-the set would only cost me about 80-90K, I suspect, assuming everything goes according to plan (there's some risk that I mis-time the market somehow and have to settle for a lower 91 sell price, or something like that)

Seriously, for 80K, right now, I can just barely upgrade my Jack Conklin RT card from 83 to 87. That's for context. This is a HUGE upgrade in talent, for right now, for an awfully small investment. It's hard to justify not doing it unless you're a very committed theme teamer.

The devil's advocate argument is that in a little time, these 88 guys will no longer feel special, and since I can't auction/sell/quicksell them for anything, it's just a lost investment. They give me a 90+ rated Joe Thomas at some point (pretty likely), and I suddenly have zero need or desire for my non-Browns 88 LT, it's garbage to me. That's where all of this will surely be in, say, 6-8 weeks time.

[QuikSand]

Either I had the math wrong, or they changed this set. Regardless of which, I still concluded it was worth it to buy five pieces to make the set, and get five pieces back. So now I have 7x of the 88 players, everyone mentioned, and still over 400K in gold.

Played a couple challenge games, it’s a noticeable difference on the DL and at TE2.

[QuikSand]

So... as I have muttered here from time to time, I have been amassing the pieces of a legit Dolphins theme team, as well. Not sense yet of what this will constitute -- will I settle for a "as many MIA players as possible, then fill in with others" approach? Or will this be ALLPHINS like I built in Madden 20, without the use of any non-MIA players, and without the use of any of the "helper" cards (like my 89 Alworth, 85 Hester, and 84 Chancellor) that can be used for any team chemistry?

Regardless... grabbing the 88 Will Fuller card was a nice plus, and then they dropped this last night in advance of today's 5-card "Rising Stars" release:

Jaylen Waddle pic.twitter.com/IfXe7X0tR7

— MUTality (@MUTality7) September 14, 2021

So... a pure MIA theme team could be just fine without Alworth/Hester, I reckon, at least for a while. Will have shortcomings elsewhere, but it is sorta fun in a "house rules" sort of way.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The multiple theme-teams deal was one of the things I enjoyed about MLB:TS grinding.

In the first few months of the season (and since I started late I had a lot of options to grind for) there were various challenges involving each of the six divisions. Basically that meant you had reason to build up six "theme teams".

And now that they haven't refreshed though in a couple months and I've finished all of the ones for each of the divisions, I suspect that's one reason I'm playing less. There's simply not as much to do, less opportunity for sense of progress / accomplishment.

[QuikSand]

As a reward for playing through four weeks of minor "Wildcard Wednesday" challenges, I got a free card from any of those sets... so welcome aboard, 89 Jaylen Waddle.

[QuikSand]

In between meetings today, have been fiddling around in the market via the app.

87 rated players are worth 1,500 training points - enough for me to do a lot of things I want/need to do short term. If I can land one of those cards for 50,000 gold, that's a pretty reasonable ratio of 33 gold/training. (It's absurd that this ration will approach 1:1 toward the end of the yearly cycle, but it is what it is)

Anyway, in pursuit of that I have bought a few guys at 47K, 51K, and 52K and then put them up for resale, as they can then show up as the cheapest version of that exact card at a profitable price, like 62K. So, I may just try to "churn" a little bit here... hard to tell when prices might come down again, usually Saturday morning is active and a good buying opportunity, but... hey, I've got 6 minutes until my next WebEx, maybe I can go buy one more guy...

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I am now plunging money into what I think will be the next big thing: Team Diamonds. Last year, it was rolled out with many huzzahs, as a major set for each franchise - with one high-rated player for each NFL team obtainable through a multi-part set. Last year, the set for each NFL franchise included one each of maybe 15(?) gold cards in the 70-79 range, then a handful of lower "elite" cards from the 80-84 range... all from that team. Complete that many-part set and you are awarded, IIRC, one copy of the Team Diamonds player from that franchise - last year he was 89-rated, along with a lower-rated Power-up of the same player.

So, I'm working with the assumption that they will roll this out soon, and it will look very similar. In pursuit of other sets (like the Team Builders set noted above) I have been scouring for Gold players... one set needs 70-74 guys, i have been buying them for around 1200-1400 each. Another set needs 75-79 guys, and they have been costing roughly 2500-3000 each. Most of these guys have been tossed into sets to generate something of higher value.

The exception? Browns and Dolphins. I have just been sitting on all the CLE and MIA gold cards I can find cheaply. I reckon that I have well over 100 such cards at this point.

The thinking here is: when they unveil the Team Diamonds program, which many observers think will be this week or next, then (1) these will be widely-pursued sets, and (2) the component parts will go up in price as a result.

So, all these 1,200 gold investments into mostly useless 71-rated players on MIA and CLE... at the very worst, most of these players will rise to maybe 3000 in value? Or, based on what I saw last year, sporadically up and down, where someone well stocked like me could afford to be patient and just drop one copy of a specific player into the market knowing he might be the last piece of someone's set, and ask 10,000 for him. It can work.

Also, I may have pieces of these sets in place, and have started making spec purchases on the elite players to go with them. So, maybe I will have enough to actually complete a set quickly. Whether that's to get out there and kick butt with him, or, knowing me, to sell him off while the market is hot... either way should work for me.

So... my Browns could really use a MLB (D'Qwell Jackson? Chip Banks?) or a TE (Ozzie Newsome?) or perhaps a DT (Michael Dean Perry?)... and I'd even take a CB (Frank Minnifield was last year's guy for this program) or a FS (Thom Darden?). Lots of options. Tantalizing. I'm ready.

BTW, EA has confirmed that they will roll out the Team Diamonds program next week, I suspect most likely Monday or Friday. I have not been watching the market for golds, but I might fiddle around and buy up still more of these guys on spec. It could be a great wave of money-making opportunities.

Last year they had a global set-building thing... if you completed the Team Diamond for every single franchise (32) then you got tokens to use to get a special 93 Barry Sanders card which was absolutely dominant, and who could gain chemistry for any franchise. HUGE card at the time. I was not sufficiently wizened to the ways of the market to really grok it then, but if they do something similar (PLEASE not a running back, make it Mean Joe Greene or something) then that could make this promotion absolute FIRE.

[Izulde]

Just dropping in to say I'm following along and really enjoying this.

[QuikSand]

glad to hear...

Coming Attractions:
-maybe this morning we officially launch the boy's team
-I open up and start actually building up my own MIA theme team

[QuikSand]

Okay, it's 10:15 ET... in 15m they will release the two new Legends players for today. Nobody fits for my theme team(s) so this is just a money-making opportunity for me... the market can plunge here because lots of people rush out to get the new players.

Anyway, I am going to be watching the markets. In specific, when someone wins/opens an 89-rated Curtis Martin card, he may try to sell it, but without any/many copies in the auction house, it's not clear what the right price is... so this is a good shot at a stupid market. That's what I want.

Target buy prices right now:

90 for 190K
89 for 130K
88 for 80K
87 for 55K
86 for 40K
85 for 25K

...hoping to see some weirdness ahead, and some chances for card-buying arbitrage.

[QuikSand]

Well, I might be left holding the bag a bit here... bought 3x 84 FS Roy Williams cards as they were just coming out, at prices around 30K, seeking to flip them quickly for 36-39K... and the market seems to be settling into the high 20s instead of the high 30s.

[QuikSand]

yup, i messed up here, badly... the 84s are now going for around 24K. ugh.

[QuikSand]

Spent down most of my cash into various money maker plots (hopefully)… back to 110k as I write, hoping by Monday I will be back to over 300k.

[QuikSand]

Spent down most of my cash into various money maker plots (hopefully)… back to 110k as I write, hoping by Monday I will be back to over 300k.

[QuikSand]

So, I perused the side project Dolphins theme team, and it’s not in bad shape. I have enough guys on hand to get to the 50 for maximum team chemistry, and am amidst the process of getting the stadium and uniforms (those are “cards” too, available through sets or in the auction house… and those sets are indeed printing as usual).

If I were to keep this as a pristine Dolphins team, it will be awful, but maybe fun in a “house rules” kind of way. Really weak at TE, DT, LB, right side of OL. Lots of places with very low depth.

Then I could sprinkle in the “gift” players, like a captain (maybe DE Youngblood on this team?), and the other guys (might choose LB Seau, and SS Chancellor)… they all get whatever team chem you want.

And then there’s the path of saying 50 Phins is enough, and you just need that… and fill in elsewhere with BPAs. Improves the team a good deal, but at the cost of its identity to a degree. I really prefer both the challenge and the “vibe” of having Tua throw to Waddle, rather than… well, Vince Young throw to Gerald Everett. I want to be elated when they drop RG Larry Little as the Miami Team Diamond, rather than just play Wyatt Teller there.

So, I think for now I’ll split the baby a bit… when I play the Dolphins, I will switch over the gift players to help out, but I’m going pure Dolphins chemistry. Main limitation there fir now is at QB… 83 Tannehill or 79 Tua with some add-on skills and the scrambling archetype. I have a good deal of training needs for my various power up cards, probably will need 150-200k to bring up guys like G Incognito, C Pouncey, S Fitzpatrick, LB Quinn, and most importantly RB Bush. (Not a single current Phin among them, notably)

[QuikSand]

Hoping in the Team of the Week they squeeze in a useful card for Browns FS Grant Delpit. He wasn’t Roquan Smith but he had a very nice week in the CLE win, and is stuck with a lousy 72 card.

[QuikSand]

In the meantime, I have been turning coins mostly by just being smart and reviewing very select parts of the market that are easy to follow. The best ratio of gold for training is always important to keep in mind for this kind of activity… Buying somewhere right around that floor is almost always short term profitable. Mainly, I have been scouring the 87 rated players, position by position. For most positions, I buy if the player is under about 55k and seek to sell around 67k. At FS, for some reason, Minkah’s 87 card reliably sells for 75k so I’ll buy as high as 60 and still flip for profit.

[QuikSand]

Oooooh both of my theme teams luck out as the veteran choices for the TOTW are TE Ozzie Newsome and LB Joey Porter, both 91 with lower power up cards as a stepping stone for me to build them up. Huge!

[QuikSand]

So, here's a tweet showing the basics of the Ozzie card:

Ozzie Newsome pic.twitter.com/lUpCLfGzyp

— MUTality (@MUTality7) September 20, 2021

For me as a poor NMS guy, the plan will definitely be to get his Power Up card (likely a high-70s) fairly affordably if I can (like uner 20K gold?) and then do what I can afford to improve it incrementally, using the training currency gained by selling other cards, to get him at least into the high 80s. This card looks VERY good at this point in the game - Newsome wasn't really known for great speed, but I'll take the ratings I see here as the end goal. I likely can't afford to power him up all the way to 92 (including buying/building the 91 card above) but if I can get him to 88/89 that will make him a mighty weapon for my team, and give me 3-deep with quality at the position, assuming I keep using my 88 Gerald Everett.

For gameplay, this is big. One of my go-to plays that I can execute well and can read defenses pretty well with involves TE1 running a go route off the right edge, and TE2 running a fairly quick left-side corner route about 9 yards deep.

These are very exciting moments for the committed theme teamer!

[QuikSand]

Painted myself into a bit of a corner today... we'll see how this plays out. I've been watching those 87s for a while now, looking for guys who occasionally pop up at 54, 52, maybe even 50K. Insta-buy, then try to sell them at 66 or more, for a quick flip.

Today, in the TOTW release, there was an 87 Lamar Jackson, and the market flooded with them. I took my whole cash and sunk it into copies of the 87 Lamar, around 51K each on average. For a while they were even popping up and selling under 50K.

My short term hope is that this was a blip, and these cards will all sell for 66, and I will make money from this.

But right at the moment, I have only 20K in cash and can't do much of anything.


By the way... even the Power Up card for TE Ozzie Newsome is going for a lot (40K when it first got released). Not sure when I will get a quality Ozzie onto my roster, even before this foible with the 87s.

[QuikSand]

Not encouraging

Lamar 87 still selling around 50

[QuikSand]

Okay, sold 2x Lamar 87s at 60k, I’m back to 170k in cash to do stuff.

Ozzie power up calming down to around 20k. Still too poor to max it out.

[QuikSand]

Up to 300K coins now, after selling off 2x more Lamars and one other 87 card.

Details on the Team Diamonds coming out - they are 90 cards with power-ups to potentially go to 91. Dolphins get Ricky Williams, so a power RB to complement receiving back Reggie Bush. Fine, but other positions felt like a much greater need.

Browns...looks like we have to wait until a full reveal tonight. Hoping for DT Michael Dean Perry that would really complement our current strengths, but I'd be happy with CB, FS, or MLB.

[QuikSand]

...it appears that the set for each team's 90-rated Team Diamond will include BOTH of the 84-rated Team Builders for that franchise. That should rive up the price for those cards - I see today they are back into the 40s, after being down even as low as 25K yesterday. So... profit to be made, probably, building those sets with elite/gold cards as I outlines earlier as a solid strategy. I am going to start buying up 75-79 gold cards for under 3K in advance of this becoming a money making angle.

[QuikSand]

So, just to be clear, I do not have the bank roll sufficient to just use various cards I already own, and others that I can buy or assemble through sets, to get myself one of these 90 rated players, just to make my team better right now. That is not the plan. The plan, instead, is to take advantage of the overzealous people who are doing that… And for those who are impatient, or not well informed about the cheap way to do the various things they need to do, I want to sell them the components they need at high prices.

On a certain level, yes, I am interested in the new players that fit my theme teams being ones who will be useful and helpful. I would love a defensive tackle for the Browns, I have made that clear, and that is true. But, more immediately, the point is that I have been accumulating lots of 70 rated cards, buying them cheaply in anticipation of them becoming in higher demand as components for these much sought after sets. Right now, I am hoping to make money by leveraging the team builders cards… The market has already anticipated these becoming in demand, they are now selling in the 40s, but I’m still occasionally buying them at 35 or 38. I am also buying components to assemble them, when I can muster the energy to get down to my console. (I’ve been ill)

So, the real goal is that over the next couple of weeks, I can turn my 300 K bank roll into 500 or 600 K… Mostly by using the various components of this new game changing set of cards, and the sets to create them.

[QuikSand]

Right now, the gold players rated 75 through 79 are still going for about the same prices that I am used to… Reliably available for 2500 gold or less. This is a mistake, I think. Many of these cards will be part of the set for their franchises team diamond card dropping tomorrow, and the demand for them will immediately go up. In addition, any of them may be used as a component in completing the set for a team builders card, And since the team builders are themselves a component in the team diamond set, that means they will appreciate in value… That is already happening.

So, right now, independent of whether the car is any good as a player on the field, a gold player rated 75 to 79 should probably be selling for 3500 to 4500 gold. Anything I can find for 2500 or less, is an instant buy for me… And they likely quick turnaround for profit.

[QuikSand]

My plan for the weeks ahead, is basically to hoard copies of the various gold players, rated between 70 and 79, for the two franchises that I have targeted, browns and dolphins. I’m just going to sit on three or four or five copies of each of these guys, and routinely post them for sale at a ridiculous, but not eye-popping price. For a 70 or 72 rated player, a fair price is probably 2000 coins… My plan will be to post my guys at 4000 or 6000 or 8000. The person I want to take advantage of is the guy who is just about done with his set, he has all the hard to find pieces, he has done all the work to get his 87th and 84s and 82s and all the hard stuff, and is really excited to get his good 90 rated star player… And all that’s left is this piece or that piece. I want to be the guy to sell him this or that piece, and to do so at a premium. This is a circumstance where I have the luxury of patients, because I don’t have a bunch of cash.

[QuikSand]

(Please forgive audio typos)

By the way, I have resorted to reciting these messages by phone, and if there are audio typos along the way, please forgive me… It makes this a lot easier. The message above is from my phone as an auto correct for the letters PFAT

[QuikSand]

So, I just saw that the Atlanta Falcons team diamond player this year is Andre Rison. Bing Bing, another Cleveland Brown on the way. If I remain really thin at middle linebacker, the play for me may be to switch Devin Hester out for Junior Seau, and use sale as a Cleveland Brown centerpiece player. Our depth at wide receiver may improve soon, if I can get a Rison power up to the mod/high 80s.

[QuikSand]

Browns Team Diamond is 90 rated WR/KR Josh Cribbs. So, switching from Hester to MLB Seau seems like a no brainer now, once we have one or both of these guys up to snuff and playing. Nice boost to our LB group, at least.

[QuikSand]

Based on the freeze pane from a YouTube video I have not yet watched, it looks like the capstone player from the Team Diamonds program (if it's like last year, he will get chemistry with any franchise) is... a 95-rated Dan Marino.

Holy shit. The very best players in the game right now are 91-92... a 95 who likely has a strong arm and fast release will be titanic. This ought to be nutso.

It will take forever for me to work my way up to that card, but the many who will be motivated to get him will make lots of coin-making opportunities pop up for us who shoot the angles along the way.

[QuikSand]

Okay, so the Team Diamonds program is live in-game right now.

I have tried not to inundate you with details here, but here's what it takes to complete the set to receive your 90-rated Browns Team Diamond WR Josh Cribbs, who is selling in the auction house for around 200,000 gold:

86 RB Nick Chubb
84 LOLB JOK
84 TE David Njoku
84 Wyatt Teller
83 RT Joel Bitonio
83 CB Denzel Ward
81 SS John Johnson
80 WR Odell Beckham Jr
80 LE Jadaveon Clowney
80 WR Jarvis Landry
80 RT Jack Conklin
80 RB Kareem Hunt
80 QB Baker Mayfield
79 C JC Tretter
79 TE Austin Hooper
79 ROLB Malcolm Smith
77 SS Ronnie Harrison Jr
77 TE David Njoku
76 LT Jedrick Wills
75 MLB Anthony Walker
74 DT Malik Jackson
74 WR Rashad Higgins
74 CB Greg Newsome
73 DT Andrew Billings
73 CB Troy Hill

...that's a boatload of cards, and a lot of work. I have not yet done the math, but short term I don't think this set is actually profitable... the Chubb card is going for 60K, the two 84s are around 40, that's 140K right there, and all the 80+ guys are above 10K each.

So... I am likely to build one myself, with parts I have lying around, but I reckon my main play will be to put parts up for sale in hopes that the market remains thin. I have multiple copies of lots of these 70-something guys, and if I have the only one available, that's where I move in and ask 6999 for a guy who's really only worth 1500.

Big change in the game.

[QuikSand]

Built my first Josh Cribbs set.. the 90 card already sold for 200K (I guess I aimed too low) and the Power Up that came with it is up at a 60k price. Market kinda flooded with stuff from people like he who were prepared but over time there will be shortages in various low level cards.

I’m not too far from completing a Miami Ricky Williams set also.

[QuikSand]

Ricky in higher demand, his cards now up for sale for 299K and 95K. Hoping for a sale.

[QuikSand]

So, a lot of transactions today… I have sold off a lot of things, capitalizing on investments made over the last few weeks leading up to the release of this program. I’m close to 600 K in coins, so that’s pretty good.

[QuikSand]

The Dan Marino cards you get for completing all 32 franchises’ team diamond sets are selling for huge money right now… 2M for the 95 card and over 600K for the 83 rated power up. Some people who really had their ducks in a row, and put some muscle into this, are profiting mightily from this. The Marino cards will remain hot properties for a while (that 95 will be by far the best QB in the game I’d assume) but being really early is rewarded by the lazy/wealthy.

[QuikSand]

…up to 850K now as another wave of “aggressively priced” items have sold. This is taking a profitable turn, as lots of people are presumably going for Marino, and trying to do all 32 Team Diamond sets to get him.

I now have several components of the Browns TD set available at silly prices… traps set FOF the guy thinking about $2 million… hoping he’ll just pay my 8999 rather than wait it out for some 74 card worth 2000.

[QuikSand]

I am now the victim of the same kind of profiteering that I’m trying to engage in myself. I am assembling the cards to complete the set for Falcons team Diamond Andre Rison, and there is a 76 rated card for Kyle Pitts necessary to complete the set… Instead of going for a fair market price of around 3000 gold, the cheapest you can find it is about 40,000 right now. So, I will wait, I’m not paying the extreme price… I’m mostly looking for places to set the extreme price.

[QuikSand]

In more relevant news for my Browns team team, the power up card for a wide receiver Josh Cribbs is apparently not in very high demand. The power up card is the principal way to extend a player to have team chemistry for all the various franchises for which he played over his career. For a guy like Andre Rison, who is a highly sought after card because of his particular skills, the power of card is essential because that’s the way to give him chemistry for five or six different teams. Cribs only played for one team, the Browns, and therefore his power up card is not all that big of a deal, unless you’re in my situation.

So, while the two cards look basically the same right now… High 70 rating power up toward a 90 rated MasterCard… The Andre Rison is selling for 90,000 coins, and the Josh Cribbs is selling for about 15,000 coins.

[QuikSand]

So, an interesting note on the marketplace for these cards… The only way to get the power up card for a player like Andre Rison is by completing the team diamond set, which gives you the full 90 rated card, plus the 77 rated power up card. Because people are profiteering on the component pieces for the Andre Rison sad, however, that means it’s really hard to finish that side right now. Meaning, scarcity for those pieces.

Somebody, not me, just put two into together there… And decided to buy the three available copies of the Andre Rison power up card at 90 or 100,000 coins each, and post two of them for sale for 150,000 each. Because the set is so difficult to complete right now, it’s possible he will get that high price by people who are impatient, or not knowledgeable, and basically get his own copy more or less for free.