News Tag: Buy MLB 26 Stubs

Although the recent reception for MLB The Show 26 has been somewhat mixed, if you intend to keep playing, you'll need to actively participate in every new program released to bolster your team roster!

Among the popular programs launched this week are Mural Program and Rivalry Weekend Recap. While the former is part of a larger, more extensive series, the latter, though smaller in scale, offers several excellent free player cards!

In this guide, we'll walk you through the complete Rivalry Weekend Recap Program, ensuring you don't miss out on a single player card reward!

Rivalry Weekend Recap Program duration

This program went live this Wednesday, May 20th. The exact end date has not yet been announced; however, judging by its scope, it is expected to run for approximately 1 to 2 weeks.

Therefore, to play it safe, we recommend earning enough Program XP to unlock all rewards within the span of a single week if possible.

What rewards can you earn?

Rivalry Weekend Recap Program reward path consists of five tiers, each awarding a specific player card. This means you don't have to worry about the randomness of card packs resulting in duplicate players or cards of low value!

Unlocking all rewards requires earning a total of 50 XP, with a new card awarded for every 10 XP accumulated:

• 10 XP: Edgar Quero
• 20 XP: Tyrone Taylor
• 30 XP: Munetaka Murakami
• 40 XP: Cam Schlittler
• 50 XP: Shohei Ohtani

The ultimate reward, Topps Now Shohei Ohtani card, boasts an impressive OVR 94. Furthermore, as a player for Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani is an incredibly popular figure in the sport.

In-game, this card features excellent stats across the board, covering Power, Contact, Pitching, Baserunning, and Versatility, making it an ideal addition to your roster.

How to earn rewards?

Rivalry Weekend Recap Program offers two primary methods for earning XP: Missions and Moments. Completing all available missions yields 41 XP, while completing all moments yields 34 XP.

Since the total available XP adds up to 75, you are free to mix and match Missions and Moments based on your personal preferences or areas of expertise, provided, of course, that you earn at least 50 XP in total.

Below are the names of all missions, their specific requirements, and the corresponding XP rewards:

Below are all the moments. With the exception of the final one, which offers 10 Program XP, all others award 3 XP:

• Schlittler Silences the Mets
• Murakami Goes Deep Twice
• Harper Takes on Skenes
• Taylor Stuns the Yankees
• Quero Walks It Off
• Arraez Owns the Bay
• Ohtani Fuels the Freeway Series
• Sheets Crushes Seattle
• OPTIONAL EXTREME: Guardians Go Yard

To complete this final moment, which is more difficult but offers a higher XP reward, you must hit multiple home runs using Cleveland Guardians players.

To achieve this, it is highly recommended that you first buy MLB 26 stubs on IGGM to acquire powerful hitters. After all, the rewards within Rivalry Weekend Recap Program do not include Stubs or Cleveland Guardians players.

Generally speaking, players who belong to All-Time Best rosters, or pitchers capable of throwing fastballs while ahead in the count, make for excellent choices.

Building upon this foundation, you must also master the precise positioning and timing of your PCI to successfully complete this specific Moment with the fewest possible attempts.

The best strategy for unlocking rewards

While Guardians Go Yard Moment is notoriously difficult to complete, the other eight Moments are relatively straightforward; therefore, you should prioritize completing all of them first to earn 24 XP.

This approach leaves you needing to earn just 26 additional XP to reach your goal. To achieve this, as you progress through the various missions, you may opt to skip the optional and often extremely difficult Home Run challenges.

However, if you do possess the skill to complete Home Run Challenges, it is highly advisable to stack your lineup with as many eligible players as the restrictions allow, aiming to complete multiple Home Run Missions within a single game whenever possible.

Furthermore, when earning PXP using Topps Now Series players, the most efficient strategy is to accumulate 4,000 PXP in a single session, as this allows you to instantly complete two separate missions simultaneously.

It is anticipated that over the coming months, MLB The Show 26 will continue its current cadence of releasing one or two minor programs each week, while simultaneously maintaining ongoing updates for its various monthly series.

Although this approach has drawn some criticism from the player base, it appears the developers currently have no plans to alter their strategy. Consequently, the best course of action for you is simply to buckle down and complete all the new programs as they become available!

Players, it's been two months since MLB The Show 26 was released, and it's now presenting a somewhat complex situation. On one hand, the development team has made some delightful innovations in certain systems; on the other hand, the game is revealing increasingly deeper problems in areas such as the economy and gameplay. Has the development team already turned their attention to the next generation of games?

Three Commendable Aspects

Mini Seasons Customizable Upgrades

Mini Seasons are no longer as frustrating as last year. This year, new features have been added, including customizable season length and match duration, along with recurring objectives and item exchange systems, significantly increasing re-playability.

While the game still forces players to invest a significant amount of time grinding Mini Seasons, the mechanics themselves represent a huge improvement. Hopefully, future updates will allow for fully immersive customization, such as replacing other teams with real MLB teams instead of fake rosters.

Amazing Number of Cards

Even if not every card is top-tier, the number of diamond cards released this year is astonishing. Almost every team has at least eight diamond cards, with each update releasing over thirty cards at once.

This high density theoretically does increase roster diversity, but it was subsequently stifled by an unbalanced meta and a reduction mechanism. However, in terms of sheer volume of content, it's still commendable.

Parallel Mods

Parallel Mods are this year's most valuable innovation, allowing players to focus on improving a player's specific ability. For example, enhancing the outfielder's defensive speed or specifically boosting the batter's strength. This greatly encourages players to experiment with different cards and play according to their personal style.

More importantly, players can turn off these mods at any time, reverting to the traditional +1 to all attributes per level. This truly allows players to play the way they want.

However, Parallel Mods have a significant flaw: the requirements for relief pitchers are extremely unreasonable. Unlocking a certain mod requires pitching 90 innings, which practically excludes relief pitchers from enjoying the system, exposing a crude design threshold.

A Barrage of Deep-Seated Negative Issues

Menu Lag

While the new menu escaped the aesthetic fatigue of previous years, the actual experience was disastrous. The menu is extremely laggy and slow, often requiring more than ten seconds of waiting after an action to register. It's even difficult to tell whether the game has crashed or is still loading.

This inevitably raises suspicions that the development team used AI to generate the menu architecture, but regardless, their design logic was utterly chaotic. Multiple performance updates failed to fundamentally solve the problem, representing a failure at the most basic level.

Shrinkage Mechanism

Shrinkage is like a cancer in online games, forcibly shrinking the player's hitting radius and increasing the difficulty of hitting the ball. It directly led to the current meta being dominated by ambidextrous hitters.

A healthy online game would proactively balance overly strong metas, but MLB 26 development team did nothing. This severely damaged the diversity and immersion of online matches, becoming one of the most infuriating design decisions.

Strike Zone Penalties

The initial adjustments to the strike zone were met with fierce criticism from players. In the early stages of the game, players genuinely found the strike zone penalties annoying. After two months, players have gradually accepted the adjustment.

The new mechanism awards more balls that touch the edge as strikes, forcing batters to take more initiative. Gameplay is smoother, and the game's realism has actually increased.

A Monotonous Gameplay Cycle

Aside from the previous Egg Hunt Program which offered some surprises, almost all content updates have been geared towards the same goal: playing matches, grinding stats, and unlocking player cards.

For high-ranking players, their strongest lineups are already set; new cards are merely decorative, with the vast majority never getting a chance to be used.

Market Manipulation

The game's economy system has reached new heights of exploitation this year. The developers limit each player to investing in only 20 cards, drastically reduce the frequency of player stat updates, and even keep players whose performance has plummeted at high-priced diamond cards. The aim is likely to increase the difficulty of completing collectible sets.

The most extreme example is Shohei Ohtani. After the price cap on MLB 26 stubs was removed, its price skyrocketed to 13 million stubs, compared to the original cap of approximately 500,000. This effectively forced players to abandon normal market trading.

For ordinary players, this is blatant suppression, and this trend continues and worsens every year.

Operational Communication

MLB 26's community communication also plummeted this year.

A typical example is that the official team initially announced the removal of a mechanism strongly opposed by players, stating that they had heard their voices.

However, after the game's release, the mechanism remained, and they later posted an arrogant statement saying they simply wouldn't change it.

This approach of appeasement followed by mockery completely destroyed player trust, and the quality of communication within the development team fluctuates annually, seemingly depending entirely on who was in power at the time.

While the flaws of MLB 26 may not be substantially changed this year, we still hope to see reforms to provide a unique experience for players who love baseball games.

MLB The Show 26 has been out for two months, and the development team shows no signs of slowing down, continuously releasing updates. They just released Update 9, which officially launched on May 14th at 4 AM Pacific Time, available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. This is a perfect opportunity to review how far MLB 26 has come since its release.

From refining the gameplay and enhancing Diamond Dynasty, to the deep overhaul of the trading logic in Franchise mode, MLB 26 has delivered satisfying results on multiple levels this year, continuously evolving through frequent patches.

This update focuses on fixing those frustrating bugs in various modes and also addresses other issues in the game.

Addressing Pain Points

PCI Anchor

The most welcome update in Update 9 is undoubtedly the fix to the long-standing PCI Anchor display problem.

For weeks, players have repeatedly pointed out misalignments in PCI Anchor and strike zone anchor positions, causing significant instability in accurate hit detection and home plate coverage.

This update finally addresses this issue effectively and should bring back the signature crisp and clean hitting experience of MLB The Show series.

Diamond Dynasty

In addition to fixing PCI Anchor problem, update 9 also brings numerous adjustments to the core game modes.

In Diamond Dynasty mode, this update allows real-time content tiles to be manipulated directly from the home tab and fixes an issue where XP wheel wouldn't display non-silver card rewards correctly.

The particularly annoying bug that could previously result in empty cards as rewards in Mini Seasons has finally been resolved in this update. Update 9 also fixes the incorrect team logo issue in Mini Seasons and resolves the display issue of letters with accents on uniforms.

These seemingly minor tweaks demonstrate that the development team is truly listening to player feedback.

Franchise

Regarding Franchise mode, the changes are more structural.

The bug that prevented arbitration offers or contract renewals when a team's roster reached the 93-player limit has been fixed. Trade counter-proposals involving budgets have also been optimized.

Furthermore, the update adds restrictions to prevent trades from exceeding the roster limit for pitchers or positional players.

The development team stated that future Live Roster updates will specifically address the realism, long-term playability, and stability of Franchise mode, with more significant rating updates expected at key points such as All-Star break, Trade Deadline, and the end of the regular season.

Updated Player Models

This update also includes a long list of updated player models:

• Luis Arraez
• Nick Gonzales
• Zach Neto
• Luinder Avila
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr
• Jeremy Pena
• Ben Brown
• PJ Higgins
• Joc Pederson
• Edward Cabrera
• Nick Kurtz
• Ted Radcliffe
• Ryan Campos
• Joel Kuhnel
• Agustin Ramirez
• Matt Chapman
• Joe LaSorsa
• Rob Refsnyder
• Patrick Corbin
• James McCann
• Austin Slater
• Aaron Civale
• Luis Medina
• Ty Southisene
• Kerry Carpenter
• Gage Miller
• Mitch Spence
• Nick Castellanos
• Carmen Mlodzinski
• Carson Spiers
• Travis d'Arnaud
• PJ Morlando
• Will Taylor
• Chris Devenski
• Andres Munoz
• James Wood
• Jake Fraley
• Cedric Mullins
• Grant Wolfram
• Tanner Gordon
• Noah Murdock
• Cole Young
• Yoendrys Gomez

For players who spend hours studying batting styles and pitching motions, these visual refinements will provide a substantial improvement.

Game Evolution Retrospective

Diamond Dynasty

Diamond Dynasty remains the soul of MLB 26, and this year the mode has received one of its most significant upgrades to date.

World Baseball Classic has been fully integrated into Diamond Dynasty, including WBC-exclusive stadiums such as Tokyo Dome and Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Players can challenge top teams from around the world with their custom lineups and earn WBC-themed cards.

The revamped Parallel XP is also a highlight this year, offering unprecedented freedom in player development. It also introduces Red Diamond rarity level, containing top-tier player cards that surpass traditional diamond levels, enough to change the course of a game.

The competitive side of Diamond Dynasty has also been simplified. The development team focuses the spotlight entirely on the Legend bracket. This means fewer divisions but a higher concentration of players, creating a more competitive environment.

Simultaneously, the prize pool has been increased across the board to match the higher level of competition. Legend bracket champion now receives 5,000 MLB 26 stubs plus an exclusive card pack. Celebration Series also returns with a more packed schedule and richer rewards.

Franchise

Franchise mode has arguably undergone the most dramatic changes in MLB 26. The all-new Trade Hub has become a one-stop platform for all lineup management activities, equipped with a completely rebuilt trading logic system. For the first time, you can complete a 4-for-4 trade. This adds a new dimension of complexity to lineup building.

Furthermore, speed players will no longer be automatically placed in the first batting lineup, as the system now optimizes your batting lineup by taking into account the second position and various dynamic factors.

Player degradation and progression mechanics have also been refined to simulate real-world team decision-making logic, making long-term roster planning more realistic and believable than ever before.

Whether you want to meticulously manage every playoff decision and trade negotiation, or prefer a streamlined approach to quickly progress through multiple seasons, Franchise Mode can adapt to your playstyle.

Combined with this Update 9, these changes are sure to bring players the long-awaited depth and realism.

The various bug fixes in Update 9, especially the improvements to PCI Anchor and Franchise trading logic, demonstrate the development team's dedication to refining the player experience. Go live and experience it now!

In MLB The Show 26, the arrival of May brings more than just the update of Spotlight Drop series program switching to May Spotlight Drop; it also introduces a host of additional daily programs, offering you fresh opportunities to grind for powerful player cards.

Accordingly, yesterday, Tuesday, May 12th, MLB The Show 26 launched the reward path for its extensive Multiplayer 3 Program. While this program is set to run for a considerable duration, you can certainly expect other new events to go live in the interim.

To ensure you don't miss out on Multiplayer 3 rewards, while still keeping up with your progress in other programs, we've put together this comprehensive guide on how to earn them!

Multiplayer 3 schedule

This program went live on May 12th and is scheduled to run until June 9th, giving you nearly a full month to complete it.

In fact, Multiplayer series constitutes a major program category within MLB The Show 26; Multiplayer 2 Program, which originally launched on April 13th, concluded on May 12th.

Based on this pattern, we can anticipate that Multiplayer 4 will launch on June 9th and subsequently conclude sometime during the first or second week of July.

Multiplayer 3 reward path

The program's reward path features a total of 25 milestones, requiring you to earn at least 150,000 XP to unlock them all. The rewards span a variety of categories, including MLB 26 stubs, in-game XP, card packs, and several specific player cards.

One particularly unique reward is Dragon Fire item, located at Milestone 10. This item previously appeared in MLB The Show 22 as an equipable bat skin (or gear item) for players.

We anticipate it will serve the same function in MLB The Show 26. Dragon Fire should provide a boost to the equipped player's power and contact attributes; we recommend assigning it to your offensive-minded players.

Below are all Multiplayer 3 rewards and the amount of Program XP required to unlock them (listed in ascending order by Milestone level):

It is worth noting that Program XP is a cumulative process; you do not need to earn the specific XP amount for each individual reward separately. For example, unlocking Milestones 1 and 2 requires a total of 10,000 XP, not the sum of the two individual requirements (15,000 XP).

How to unlock rewards?

The sources for Multiplayer 3 Program XP are quite focused, consisting solely of completing missions. The combined total of all 23 missions offers over 200,000 Program XP, yet unlocking all available rewards requires only 150,000 XP.

Therefore, you do not need to force yourself to complete every single mission; instead, you can prioritize the ones that are easiest for you or that align best with your strengths. Additionally, IP mission, which requires pitching 9 innings in any multiplayer mode, is repeatable.

Listed below are all the missions and the corresponding Program XP rewards they offer (all missions must be completed in multiplayer mode):

Generally, we recommend that you first focus on a specific mission type you excel at, such as racking up a high number of hits to earn XP efficiently and in a concentrated manner, before moving on to the next mission type.

What is MLB 26 multiplayer mode?

Multiplayer mode is currently an integral part of the core mode Diamond Dynasty experience, operating under a unified seasonal program system.

More specifically, participating in any competitive mode where you face off against human opponents counts as playing in Multiplayer Mode. Furthermore, the game supports both cross-platform play and cross-platform progression sharing.

Common specific game modes include Ranked Seasons, Battle Royale, Weekend Classic, and more.

• Ranked Seasons: Features standard 9-inning games, allowing you to compete using your custom Diamond Dynasty lineup while working to climb the competitive ranks.
• Battle Royale: Select 26 players from a randomized card pool to assemble a team, then complete a limited-time series of three games while adhering to specific thematic rules.
• Weekend Classic: A multiplayer mode available exclusively on weekends, designed primarily to offer special card rewards and help you advance your progress within the current program.

All in all, if you are familiar with MLB The Show 26, completing Multiplayer 3 Program shouldn't be too difficult for you; the key requirement is simply dedicating sufficient time. Therefore, be sure to plan your gaming schedule accordingly.

That wraps up everything we have to share with you today. We hope this information proves helpful for your MLB 26 gaming experience over the coming month!

Is it possible to build a super-strong lineup for current MLB The Show 26 without spending stubs? Players, have you ever wondered about this? Well, let me tell you directly, it's possible!

Even low-budget or free-to-play players can have a super-strong lineup, covering multiple options including batting lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen. Let's take a look at which player cards are available!

Catchers

Here, we can choose free or low-cost top-tier player cards.

Players can obtain Victor Martinez through Weekend Classic rewards. He's considered one of the top three catchers in the entire game. His market price is only 10-18K MLB 26 stubs, making him extremely cost-effective.

He has two free alternative players. First is Brandon Belt, an ambidextrous player with very solid defense, although his swing is slightly lacking.

Next is Ben Rice, who can fill in as a catcher. He has an excellent swing and good traits, can be obtained for free through events, and performs well even on Legendary difficulty.

First Baseman

The first baseman position also offers top-tier options with near-fast-selling prices.

Eddie Murray can be unlocked for just 4k stubs. He's one of the most popular first basemen among many players. He boasts a .382 batting average in 89 at-bats, with excellent contact and power on both sides. His swing is smooth, and his defense is solid.

Ben Rice can still be considered a free alternative to Eddie Murray, as he can also play first base.

Second Baseman

We can obtain excellent second baseman cards for free through April Spotlight Program.

Kevin McGonigle is one such card obtained for free through Spotlight Program. He has solid contact on both sides, adequate power, an excellent swing, and good traits like Dead Red and Breaking Ball Hitter.

If your budget allows, then Jimmy Rollins can play second, third, range, and center field. He has good speed and defense, and possesses Breaking Ball Hitter, costing around 45-50K stubs, making him a good choice. He's also a reward from Cityscapes Collection.

Shortstop

The shortstop position has some absolutely free top-tier player cards.

Also from April Spotlight Program, the free card Elly De La Cruz is widely recognized as an excellent player. With speed and fielding mods, he has 88 speed and 95 steal, with outstanding defensive animations. He has excellent contact and power on both sides, a great swing, and traits like Dead Red.

Another free card released this week is Bobby Witt Jr. He has good contact on both sides and his defense is also quite good. He can play shortstop, third base, and even second base. This player's attributes and performance usually far exceed his stats.

Third Baseman

You can directly use Bobby Witt Jr., as he is perfectly capable of playing third base.

Alternative players include Max Muncy, who requires around 20K stubs. Carlos Correa is also an option, but his strike zone is a bit high. Josh Jung is only good on one side, but his unilateral power is amazing: 106 Contact and 112 Clutch.

Left Fielder

Ian Happ is irreplaceable for this position. Obtained for free through Cityscapes Collection, he is arguably one of the strongest cards in the entire game.

He is ambidextrous, with excellent Contact and Power on both sides, and possesses Dead Red and Breaking Ball Hitter abilities. If you add a speed mod, his speed can reach 99, allowing him to play almost any position infield or outfield. He must be in your lineup.

Center Field

Mike Trout is a free card from April Spotlight Program. He boasts one of the best swings in the game, with an extreme pull-hitting tendency and powerful swing. With speed and fielding mods, he can anchor center field and performs consistently year after year.

Right Field

Kris Bryant comes from Jackie Robinson Day free event. While his left-handed contact is slightly low, this can be improved with mods, and his swing and characteristics are excellent.

Defensively adequate, he can play outfield or third base. For players playing on All-Star or other veteran difficulty levels, the vision attribute has little impact. Overall, this card is incredibly strong.

Starting Pitcher Rotation

Here we can be a little more extravagant, but there are still free and low-cost options available.

First, there's Noah Schultz, who costs approximately 15-17K stubs. He's extremely difficult to deal with on higher difficulties, and opponents have a hard time reading his release point. He can also be obtained for free through events.

Next up is Emerson Hancock, requiring approximately 12-14k stubs. His unusual pitching mechanics and release point make him difficult for opponents to adapt to on lower difficulties.

A free option is Parker Messick. A left-handed pitcher with equally unusual mechanics and a wide variety of pitches, he's quite a headache for opponents.

The most expensive player in this recommendation is Sandy Alcantara, requiring approximately 46k stubs. He performs well on all difficulties. Although slightly expensive, he's well worth it.

Bullpen Pitchers

For bullpen, we mainly focus on unusual release points and speed differences. Most cards are free or very inexpensive.

Although Louis Varland has low stats for right-handed pitchers in nine innings, he has a high nine-innings and strikeout potential against left-handed pitchers. With many ambidextrous hitters in the game, he's quite valuable.

Jolt Darren O'Day is inexpensive and can be obtained for free through Team Affinity. Unfamiliar opponents can easily struggle against him.

Finally, an excellent free player card is Jolt Eric Gagne. A 99mph fastball paired with a 68mph curveball will absolutely devastate your opponent.

These lineups mainly come from various free events and are strong enough to compete against most teams, making them perfect for beginners or players who don't want to spend stubs. Good luck with your game!

Guys, MLB The Show 26 Weekend Classic 2 is underway, featuring two brand-new Weekend Classic Choice Pack rewards. However, to earn these rewards, you'll need to perform at your best in the game, ideally by first securing the best possible roster. Today, we're bringing you pitcher rankings to help you determine if they're worth using in Weekend Classic 2:

• Tier S: Randy Johnson, Felix Hernandez, Kenley Jansen
• Tier A: Ryan Helsley, Clayton Kershaw, Noah Schultz, John Franco
• Tier B: Paul Skenes, Aroldis Chapman, Jacob deGrom, Mason Miller
• Tier C: Tyler Rogers, J.R. Richard, Satchel Paige, Parker Messick 
• Tier D: Justin Verlander, Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Weathers, Mark Davis

Note that these rankings are based on a combination of actual pitching ability and the challenging environment, not just overall rating or rarity.

Tier S

Players in Tier S are practically invincible; if you have them, you're truly lucky.

Randy Johnson

Starting pitcher. Huge speed difference, with a Fastball and Splitter speed difference of over 15 mph. Surprisingly excellent control, even better than in previous years. Still one of the top left-handed starting pitchers in the game.

Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez possesses an Outlier, slider, and circle change, almost an upgraded version of Ryan Helsley. His control is a bit floaty, but his ball-handling skills are too strong, making his pressure output top-tier.

Kenley Jansen

One of the strongest right-handed bullpen players. His cutter is extremely accurate, and he possesses a Sinker and Circle Change. His Sweeper can be used for chase pitches. Better control than Felix Hernandez, a consistent closer.

Tier A

While Tier A players may not be as outstanding as Tier S players, they are still the mainstream first-choice players.

Ryan Helsley

As the only bullpen pitcher to possess outliers, fastballs, and cutters simultaneously, Ryan Helsley's release point is unpredictable, and his dominance is consistently strong, making him one of the most unique right-handed pitching options currently available.

Clayton Kershaw

Starting pitcher. Clayton Kershaw is very strong on Hall of Fame and higher difficulty levels, but lacks speed on All-Star difficulty levels, making him vulnerable to being hit. However, many top players still favor him.

Noah Schultz

Also, a starting pitcher. His release point is extremely unpredictable, and his control is inconsistent. On All-Star difficulty levels, he is surprisingly effective against lower-to-mid-level players, easily causing swings and misses.

John Franco

A bullpen player. A consistent left-handed long reliever, suitable for winning two innings when leading by 3-4 runs. He tends to explode against skilled opponents, but overall remains consistent.

Tier B

You can certainly use the players here, but they are not best considered your first choice, as they all have noticeable weaknesses.

Paul Skenes

His ball combinations are poor. Although there's been a slight improvement, he's still not highly recommended overall.

Aroldis Chapman

He lacks an Outlier and four-seam fastballs, and isn't currently very strong.

Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom is a relatively easy player to play against. Not recommended for active use.

Mason Miller

He has an Outlier and powerful ability to drop the ball. However, his ball control is extremely poor; even a perfect release might land on the edge of the strike zone, making him very reliant on luck and inconsistent.

Tier C

Tier C players generally have significant weaknesses, so players should choose carefully.

Tyler Rogers

Somewhat more effective against those who cheat by reading pitch trajectories. Tyler Rogers must be paired with white shorts to make the ball harder to spot. His effectiveness against normal players is average.

J.R. Richard

Far left-handed pitchers, J.R. Richard can currently only throw sliders; skilled players can simply ignore him.

Satchel Paige

Not only does he lack an Outlier, but his ball combinations don't complement each other.

Parker Messick

His maximum pitch speed is only 95 mph, suitable only for players with extremely limited MLB 26 stubs as a transitional option.

Tier D

So, for the final Tier D players, try to avoid them.

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander not only lacks speed, but his overall rating is also very low. There's little reason to choose him.

Craig Kimbrel

This is a completely unreliable player; playing him might have terrible consequences. Anyone else is better.

Ryan Weathers

A free, high-rated trap card, but actually really bad; you'll know once you use it.

Mark Davis

His pitches don't complement each other, he doesn't have a Sinker, and every pitch he throws is decent but not threatening.

Key Combinations

The Only Cheat Countermeasure: Tyler Rogers + White Shorts

If you encounter an opponent who is obviously cheating and can read the ball's trajectory, remember to switch to Tyler Rogers and make your shorts pure white.

Because of the white shorts, combined with Tyler Rogers' low release point and unpredictable shooting motion, it will make it extremely difficult for the opponent to see the ball's spin, significantly weakening their ability to read the ball. Although this will make your jersey look worse, it's worth it for winning.

The Most Powerful Bullpen Combinations

• Right-handed pitchers: Kenley Jansen (controller) + Felix Hernandez (pure pressure)
• Left-handed pitchers: Ryan Helsley (with Outlier and Cutter) + John Franco

If you can only remember one name, it has to be Randy Johnson. He will definitely make your Weekend Classic 2 a success.

As we head into May, MLB The Show 26 April Spotlight series concludes with the release of Drop 5 program. This release also signifies the arrival of the final player card, Ben Rice, needed to complete April Lightning Collection.

We have previously introduced you to the full roster required to complete this collection, as well as the value of the ultimate collection reward: Elly De La Cruz.

Given that April Spotlight Drop 5 is the final program in the series, and having just launched recently, you may not yet know exactly how to complete it to acquire Ben Rice. The following are the specific guidelines we provide.

April Spotlight Drop 5 duration

This MLB 26 program went live on May 5th. While an official end date has not yet been announced, most other April Spotlight Drop programs have lasted for approximately one week, so that serves as a good benchmark to keep in mind.

However, regardless of exactly when it ends, it is highly recommended that you complete it as soon as possible. This ensures you don’t miss out on the final Ben Rice player card and by extension, the ultimate reward for completing April Lightning Collection.

How to complete this program?

The primary sources for earning XP in April Spotlight Drop 5 include completing Missions, Moments, and Collections; typically, the first two are the focus.

To unlock all available rewards, you need to earn a total of 100 Program XP. Since the combined XP offered by all available challenges exceeds 200, you have the flexibility to prioritize and complete the specific challenges you excel at within the given scope.

Missions:

Moments:

Collections:

What rewards are available?

April Spotlight Drop 5 reward path contains 10 items (or XP rewards), with one unlocked for every 10 Program XP earned:

Why complete this program?

First, as the reward path indicates, it includes many guaranteed player cards. If you find a player you like, or one that fills a vacancy in your lineup, that’s even better!

Additionally, April Spotlight Monthly Pack reward offers a chance to pull the player cards needed to complete another collection: April Retro Lightning.

Completing that collection unlocks the ultimate reward: Chipper Jones. With an impressive OVR of 94, currently ranking 6th among all third basemen, this player’s exceptional power-hitting ability is sure to deliver spectacular results for your lineup.

How to complete April Retro Lightning Collection?

This collection consists of 18 cards; however, you only need to acquire 16 of them to unlock Chipper Jones. Additionally, collecting 5 and 10 cards, respectively, will earn you a 1 April Spotlight Player Pack and José Soriano as bonus rewards.

The cards required for April Retro Lightning Collection are obtained randomly from the packs awarded during April Spotlight Drops 1 through 5. Drop 5, specifically, may yield the following players:

• Chase Dollander
• Ildemaro Vargas
• Matt Olson
• Andy Pages
• Jordan Walker
• Xavier Edwards
• Bryce Elder
• Liam Hicks
• Louis Varland
• Moisés Ballesteros

Additional tips

In addition to April Spotlight Drop 5 and the two collections mentioned in this guide, there is currently another active program in MLB 26: April Showcase Event. This event is set to conclude on May 8th (having started on the 1st).

The key value of this program lies in its rewards: the first four of the five available rewards correspond to April Spotlight Weeks 1 through 4.

This means that even if you missed the previous four April Spotlight Drop programs, you still have an opportunity to acquire the cards found within their respective reward packs, thereby helping you complete April Retro Lightning Collection.

That covers everything you need to know about completing April Spotlight Drop 5, as well as all other major, recent MLB 26 events associated with it. In short, your main objective right now should be to act fast and complete as many programs and collections as possible!

If you happened to miss any of the programs mentioned here, or simply didn’t manage to pull the necessary collection cards from packs in time, you can still buy MLB 26 stubs on IGGM to acquire them before the collection period ends!

We consistently provide secure stub services with guaranteed fast delivery, allowing you to instantly boost your stub balance whenever and wherever you need it, so you can unlock any coveted card you desire on the marketplace!

Players, MLB The Show 26 has just released new April Spotlight content, adding some more enticing player cards. Let's take a look at how to acquire these cards and explore the most efficient methods.

Core Rewards Overview

First, let's look at what rewards are available this time, assess the required cost, and roughly evaluate whether the returns are worthwhile.

Fastest Path to Elly De La Cruz

If you've been following the weekly April Spotlight, you only need to complete Ben Rice-related tasks; early progress is basically automatic.

If you've never followed the progress, you'll need to speedrun in a certain order.

First, complete Moments; this is where you can get up to 35 stars the fastest. However, it's best to skip Extreme Moments because they are time-consuming and offer very low rewards, which can easily lead to player frustration.

Next, you'll use player experience missions to farm stars. Playing games with Spotlight players will earn you 20 to 55 stars. Continue completing other smaller missions until you accumulate 85 stars.

For the final 15 stars, you can choose to play against CPU on Rookie difficulty, racking up 20 hits in a single game in the smallest stadium–this only takes six innings.

Alternatively, you can choose to use a relief pitcher to strike out 12 players in a single game on Rookie difficulty. Remember to rotate pitches to avoid fatigue.

You can also participate in events on All-Star difficulty. This will earn you player experience and also complete April Showcase Event Program, earning you Spotlight packs. There's a chance to directly unlock high-value players, saving you a significant amount of MLB 26 stubs.

Ben Rice

Ben Rice is also a free card and cannot be traded, making him a must-have. He will be a huge boost for players with weak first base and catcher depth.

Let's take a look at some of his attributes and stats.

Ben Rice possesses Breaking Ball Hitter, Rally Monkey, and Dead Red, making his skills quite impressive. However, his Vision is relatively low, around 53, which may suppress him on All-Star or higher difficulties. Therefore, if you want to use him, choose a difficulty below All-Star, or when grinding offline.

His left and right contact are both over 90, and his left and right strength are around 100. Both are excellent levels.

Chipper Jones and José Siri

Note that this time, you need to collect 16 Spotlight cards to be eligible to redeem Chipper Jones, whereas Retro Lightning has never required so many. The threshold has been significantly raised this time.

If none of these 16 cards are free, we can estimate that the approximate cost of collecting them will be around 180K stubs, plus a 5-10% market fluctuation.

There are actually ways to reduce costs, such as April Spotlight Program, which gives a Spotlight Pack that guarantees a 90+ card, and Event Program, which gives two Spotlight Packs.

Daily and weekly challenges may drop extra cards, potentially saving you 40,000 to 70,000 stubs if you're lucky, but you'll still be short at least 120,000 stubs. Therefore, we need a smarter approach.

The first step is to acquire José Siri. He only requires collecting 10 Spotlight cards, costing 100,000 to 140,000 stubs to unlock. Collecting just one free April Spotlight pack can recoup 5,000 to 25,000 stubs.

Next, you'll need to wait 2-3 weeks before deciding whether to get Chipper Jones. The price is probably to drop because of the new card packs, and more free Spotlight Packs will be available, potentially offering better alternatives.

However, the main reason for not recommending acquiring Chipper Jones now is his attribute stats. His left and right strength are very similar to Ildemaro Vargas, and Ildemaro Vargas is even stronger against left-handed pitchers, making him a free replacement for Chipper Jones. This comparison makes Chipper Jones seem like a poor value proposition.

By mid-game in May or June, cards with similar attributes will become abundant.

General Tips for Quickly Acquiring Spotlight Players

Every week, Spotlight gives out an April Spotlight Pack, which guarantees a 90+ player. Event Program also gives Drop Packs, offering a chance to obtain high-value 93+ player cards. It's recommended to sell these immediately for stubs to strengthen your Live Series.

The fastest way to farm XP is to enter Legend or GOAT difficulty and play against CPU, focusing on batting averages and strikeouts. This is extremely efficient and also completes Spotlight player XP.

Remember, not all Spotlight players are worth collecting. You can collect only the cheaper cards to complete missions and sell the expensive ones.

Elly De La Cruz is a no-brainer, free and useful. José Siri is also very cost-effective and worth prioritizing. Chipper Jones is severely overpriced. Aside from Ildemaro Vargas, April Spotlight pool lacks impressive players; it's recommended to wait for price drops or rely on luck with packs.

Hurry up and complete the missions in MLB 26 to collect cards!

For a long time, players have grown accustomed to the endless grind of WBC Mini Season, even though, compared to previous iterations, it felt noticeably half-baked and riddled with bugs. After all, it has historically been one of the fastest ways to earn currency in MLB The Show 26. However, with the sudden rise of Diamond Quest, that status quo is clearly about to be disrupted; a far more efficient method for farming Stubs has now emerged.

Players returning to MLB might understandably be skeptical, recalling that last year's debut of Diamond Quest was utterly devoid of fun. Furthermore, unless you played on the highest difficulty settings - Legend or G.O.A.T. - you could barely hope to earn any worthwhile rewards. While the player card rewards themselves remain largely unchanged this year, a recent MLB 26 update introduced an Egg Hunt event. Through this event, players can now earn two additional Ballin' is a Habit packs, packs that boast some of the highest odds in Diamond Dynasty for pulling Gold and Diamond-tier players.

If you don't want your team's progress to be stifled by a lack of stubs, this money-making method is one you absolutely cannot afford to miss! Today, we're going to share exactly how to leverage Diamond Quest to rake in tens of thousands of stubs in just one hour! Let's dive right in.

Why is Diamond Quest worth playing in MLB 26?

Diamond Quest is a single-player, roguelike-style board game mode. Players roll dice to navigate a map, triggering random events, completing Moments and Showdowns, and ultimately challenging a Stadium in a 3-inning game to win lucrative rewards, such as high-tier Diamond player cards.

In the past, Diamond Quest faced heavy criticism for its steep difficulty curve. However, in MLB The Show 26, the developers have adjusted the reward thresholds. Now, even when playing on Rookie difficulty, every completed challenge boosts your reward rarity odds by 3%–5%. By the time you reach the final Stadium challenge, these cumulative odds can stack up to nearly 100%, meaning you have a genuine opportunity to secure top-tier rewards.

More importantly, as new events, such as the aforementioned Egg Hunt, rotate in and out of the game, the developers occasionally place Stadium nodes on the map that offer guaranteed rewards. This specific feature forms the very core of our money-making strategy.

How to rapidly farm packs? 

Here, the core of our strategy lies in hitting only the key objectives, refusing to waste a single moment. Simply put, you don't need to capture every single square on the map; you have only one goal: reaching the final Stadiums.

Once you enter Diamond Quest, utilize your dice rolls to move across the board as quickly as possible. While landing on various Mystery and Challenge spaces along the way to gain attribute boosts, such as Contact Boosts, is certainly a nice bonus, do not go out of your way or take detours just to reach them.

Although no other nodes on the map matter aside from the final Stadiums, there is one exception. If your path crosses Zone Sweeper, do not skip him. Defeating him not only grants you a powerful Exit Velocity Boost, but, more importantly, it immediately rewards you with 5 The Show Packs.

Finally, head straight for the stadium! During Egg Hunt event, two Stadiums are scattered across the map, and each game requires you to play only 3 innings.

Challenge the first stadium and secure a victory to claim 1 Ballin' is a Habit Pack. Don't hesitate, immediately head straight for the next stadium to claim another pack.

Compared to the traditional WBC Mini Season, which takes an hour to yield roughly 10 The Show Packs and 1 Ballin' is a Habit Pack, this strategy takes just 15–20 minutes to net you a full haul of 5 The Show Packs and 2 Ballin' is a Habit Packs. It's an absolute steal!

Flipping Player Cards

Now that you've acquired these packs, go ahead and open them to test your luck! If you aren't in a rush to build your active roster, you can choose to sell these player cards on Trading Market to earn MLB The Show 26 Stubs, which happens to be arguably the most reliable source for generating significant income within Diamond Quest.

In particular, cards like the 86 OVR Bobby Grich and All-Star Jonathan Broxton remain incredibly popular on the market. Furthermore, because these cards have been available in MLB The Show for quite some time, their market prices have remained relatively stable, hovering around 6,000–7,000 stubs. If you happen to pull one of these cards, selling it is practically guaranteed profit.

Based on a completion rate of 2–3 runs per hour, even if your luck with pack pulls is merely average, you can still reliably earn 25,000 MLB 26 stubs every hour.

What's more, the all-new Diamond Quest mode will undergo continuous updates, at which point the list of available player card rewards will be completely refreshed. Regardless, seizing the moment is the key to maximizing your earnings. This is especially true during the first few hours after new cards are released, when market supply is extremely low; at this time, their unit prices often skyrocket to between 10,000 and 15,000 Stubs.

Therefore, if you can maintain a completion rate of three runs per hour on the first day new missions go live, your hourly earnings will easily exceed 35,000–40,000 stubs.

In MLB The Show 26, blindly grinding through Diamond Quest will only leave you with depleted resources. If you want to get rich quick, efficiency is paramount. Don't wander aimlessly across the map; instead, precisely target Zone Sweeper and Stadium to secure every card pack and make a massive profit. Get moving now!

In MLB The Show 26 community, players often discuss why their swings are always a beat too slow. If you have similar issues in the game, you should ask yourself if you understand what Vision is and its role in the game.

What exactly is Vision?

Vision, a core hitting attribute on a player card, is abbreviated as VIS. Its most direct effect is reflected in the Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI) during a hit.

The size of outer PCI is entirely determined by Vision stat. The higher Vision, the larger outer PCI. Even in online matches, where the system forcibly reduces this outer PCI by about half, high-Vision players will still have a relatively larger coverage area than low-Vision players.

It's important to note that the PCI consists of three parts: outer layer, inner layer, and center point. The inner layer is affected by Contact or Clutch, while the center point is used to aim for the precise landing point of the ball. Many players are accustomed to keeping only the outer layer and center point, discarding the inner layer for a clearer view.

The Specific Role of Vision in Practice

Increasing Foul Balls

The most direct benefit of high Vision is providing more margin for error, creating more opportunities for your at-bat. When your PCI (Position Indicator) is completely off-target, or your swing timing is less than ideal, high Vision allows the bat to still glide to the edge of the ball, knocking it out of bounds, instead of a complete miss.

This mechanism is especially valuable when you have two strikes. It allows you to continue battling the pitcher, see more balls, and wait for better opportunities. In other words, Vision can be a lifesaver in certain situations, preventing you from being strikeout because of a slight deviation.

Impact on Timing Windows

The timing windows, simply put, are the effective swing time range within which you can hit the ball into the field. High Vision widens this window, allowing you to keep the ball in fairs, or even hit a good shot, even with slightly faster or slower timing.

Conversely, players with low Vision have very narrow timing windows. Facing high-speed balls, especially two-seam fastballs, you'll often feel like your bat can't turn in time. Even if you feel you've swung early, it still shows Just Late, and the ball is forced into a weak ground ball.

Your swing being half a beat slow isn't always a reaction problem; it's more likely because of a low Vision card causing a mechanic-related delay. Switching to a player with a Vision around 100 significantly alleviates this perpetual half-beat lag.

Affecting Check Swing

In MLB 23 and earlier versions, Vision also affected the success rate of check swings. High-Vision players were more likely to stop halfway through their swing, resulting in a missed swing by the umpire.

However, in the current version, check swings are entirely determined by player input and are no longer related to Vision values.

Differences in Vision Experience at Different Difficulty Levels

All-Star Difficulty

For most players, All-Star difficulty offers relatively friendly ball speeds and a wider timing window. Even cards with a Vision around 50 can be used normally as long as your PCI positioning ability is decent. Occasionally, you might feel squeezed when hitting inside fastballs, but it's not unmanageable.

Hall of Fame and Legend Difficulty

This is where Vision truly becomes the dividing line. At higher difficulties, pitcher speed increases significantly, ball movement is more exaggerated, and timing windows are compressed very much.

At this point, if you use a player with a Vision below 70 or even below 50, you'll frequently experience situations where you think you've swung early, but you're still slightly too slow; even if your PCI is on the ball's position, you swing but miss instead of going foul.

On the other hand, a Vision of 90 or 100 or higher allows you to still have a reasonable margin for error at higher difficulties.

How to choose player cards based on Vision?

Difficulty and personal skill level determine everything. If you mainly play All-Star difficulty and have a good feel for the game, then a player like Aaron Judge with a lower Vision can still perform incredibly well and won't waste your MLB 26 stubs. Don't let others' comments about low Vision deter you from trying.

If you're playing Hall of Fame or Legend, as the overall card strength increases in the late game, your starting lineup should ideally have a Vision around 100. For example, Dustin Pedroia, Troy Tulowitzki, and Albert Pujols. You can use these players with confidence.

However, you should be cautious about cards with a Vision around 70 or 80.

A typical example of the downside of low Vision is Aaron Judge in the Live Series version. While his Contact and Power are extremely high, his Vision is only in the 40s, making him almost useless in Hall of Fame and above. James Wood is a similar case.

These cards might be fun on normal difficulty, but they become a nightmare on higher difficulties.

Furthermore, network connectivity is another factor you can't ignore. If there's latency in the game, the disadvantages of low Vision will be magnified, making you feel like you're swinging too late.

Even switching to higher-Vision cards at this point can only partially alleviate the problem; the fundamental solution still depends on server quality and connection stability.

In short, Vision determines the extent to which you can avoid missing your swings and create more opportunities for you. Understanding how Vision works will help you make more informed decisions when selecting your player roster!