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Developer Blog: Diamond Dynasty Updates in MLB The Show 24

February 29th, 2024

In this article: 

We are thrilled to share with you some of the changes we’re making to Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 24! 

We know our players love baseball and Diamond Dynasty. We know our players want to build the best team possible by playing however and whichever mode they choose. Get ready for another year of Diamond Dynasty and more options to play and earn rewards! 

After listening to all the insightful feedback gathered from last year, we have renewed our focus on team building in Diamond Dynasty. Our aim is to infuse each in-game season with unique content, to mirror the excitement we all feel with each new year of Major League Baseball. Our aim is to deliver engaging and entertaining challenges throughout the year, in each new season, in both single player and multiplayer modes.  

Here’s how we’re going to do that. 

INTRODUCING SEASONAL DIAMOND DYNASTY 

Seasonal Diamond Dynasty takes a refined approach to building your Diamond Dynasty team: featuring new cards released exclusively each season. It brings the familiar feeling of ascending from lower to high-rated cards, but this time at a more accelerated pace contained within each 12-week season. 

While some of the highest rated Season 1 cards will be 91 OVR at launch, we expect most fans will work their way up by building and strategizing with silver and gold teams before reaching the high 90 OVRs that will be released over the course of each season through new and more frequent Team Affinity content drops. 

We hope you’re ready for more team building opportunities and new strategies as you upgrade your lineup and climb the leaderboards. 

Here are some of the tools to help you along the way:  

In-Season Cards 

In-Season Cards are any cards released during the current, active season. For example, Season 1 cards display S1 on the upper left corner, which means any cards you earn at launch can be added to your Ranked lineup during Season 1. As we transition into new seasons, any cards that are no longer “in season” can only be used in a Wild Card slot for all subsequent seasons. This is an important change from MLB The Show 23, where cards could overlap into two seasons. Our aim here is to keep the season-to-season experience fresh, and to ensure new cards with lower OVRs will have their time to shine as well. 

Example lineup with Season 1 players

Core Cards 

Core Cards are returning to Diamond Dynasty. They can be earned in all seasons, all modes, and include 1,200+ Live Series players from all 30 MLB clubs.

Example lineup with Core Players

Be on the lookout for extra special Core Card Collection Rewards of Legends and Flashbacks, including a special launch collection featuring our MLB The Show 24 cover athlete Vladimir Guerrero Jr.!

Wild Card Slots 

Wild Card Slots are also returning, but with a twist! You can now unlock multiple Wild Cards slots (up to 4 total) from the Season XP Reward Path beginning in Season 2. While you’ll need to wait a Season to start acquiring more Wild Card slots, it’s never too early to start thinking about your Season 2 teambuilding strategy and who to fill those Wild Card slots with!

Example lineup with Wild Card slot

Now you may be wondering, “What goodies will help me start building my Diamond Dynasty squad each season?” 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

CORNERSTONE CARDS, SEASONAL STARTER PACKS & HEADSTART REWARDS  

Diamond Dynasty players will receive FREE rewards at the beginning of each new season, and it starts with the Cornerstone Card Choice Pack, available on day one, or whenever players decide to start the new season. 

What are Cornerstone Cards? 

Cornerstone players are Captain cards with special abilities that will help you build your dream team of baseball superstars! At the beginning of each Season, a Cornerstone Choice Pack will be delivered into your inventory automatically where you can then choose 1 of 4 seasonal player cards as your Cornerstone Captain. 

You will have important decisions to make: 

  • Do you want to start your team with a ghost-fork-throwing-ace, or a legendary pinpoint pitcher? 
  • Or would you like to start your team with an All-Star corner infielder, or a speedy outfielder that chases down every fly ball in the gap? 

These four Cornerstone Captains have unique team building boosts for your dream team archetype, so choose wisely…  

And with that said, here’s a peek at the Season 1 Cornerstone Cards! Arenado and Buxton bring the bats, while Senga and Maddux could be your Opening Day ace! Who will it be if you can only choose one to be your Cornerstone Captain? 

Seasonal Starter Packs 

In addition to Cornerstone Choice Packs, Diamond Dynasty players will also find a 5-pack Seasonal Starter bundle in their inventories, to help build their lineup and fill Collections. 

Head Start Rewards 

And don’t forget – Head Start Rewards will return at the start of Season 2. Players will receive better rewards depending on how well they perform in the previous season. We encourage everyone to conquer as many challenges as you can to build momentum heading into the next season! 

CONTENT SCHEDULE UPDATE 

We know you’re keen to shake up your lineup often. That’s why this year in Diamond Dynasty, we’re focused on delivering impactful reward cards at a faster pace as each season unfolds. 

Seasons will typically run 12 weeks, approximately 3 months. At launch, anticipate some of the highest rated Season 1 cards to start at 91 OVR, with new content drops gradually pushing the bar higher over each contained season until we reach those coveted 99s. 

(Those with a sharp eye may notice this will result in a much smaller amount of high-rated diamonds at launch. We heard our fans on this topic.) 

But while most of the game will follow the new gradual climb in OVRs each season, there is one outlier: The Live Series Collection reward. We know our fans love earning that sweet 99 Core reward once the collection is completed, so of course it’s still a thing in ‘24. This reward will take a considerable amount of time and skill, so be prepared to level up not only your squad, but also your prowess on the sticks if you want to earn it. 

A saying that our development team has coined is “that it feels good to be bad, and then git gud.” We hope that our players will share that sentiment and Play to 99 with us as every season unfolds this year! 

SELLABLE REWARDS AND FREE PACKS WEEKLY 

Seasonal Diamond Dynasty isn’t the only big change that we’re introducing this year. We have had a renewed focus on our game economy, and with our dedication to more frequent Team Affinity content drops we want to ensure that some of those top-tier player cards can be accessible to all. 

In ’24, there will be more ways to attain the high-tier reward cards from multiplayer modes like Ranked, Battle Royale, and Events. 

  • Ranked programs will feature sellable rewards, including a new exclusive program player reward for you to earn in Ranked solo or co-op gameplay. 
  • Battle Royale Flawless will start at 10-0 for the best reward pack, down from 12-0 requirements in past years. 
  • Events now last for 2 weeks, giving you more time to earn those rewards. 

 
And for everyone: starting when the game launches, keep an eye on the Show Shop each week for a FREE pack, including some themed drops throughout the MLB season!

Here’s a hint for the first themed freebie: Where will the first MLB games be played during the regular season? 

WHERE SHOULD YOU EXPECT REWARDS? 

In MLB The Show 24, we set out to create a better balance of how our players can earn rewards throughout Diamond Dynasty. We want players to enjoy the game their way and feel like their efforts are rightfully rewarded.  

If you’re someone who focuses on multiplayer modes like Ranked, Battle Royale, and Events, you’ll have the opportunity to earn higher rated rewards initially. On the other hand, if you prefer single-player modes like Mini Seasons, Conquest and Showdown, you will have the opportunity to earn better rewards over time as OVR progression escalates. 

MORE TEAM AFFINITY THAN EVER BEFORE 

Team Affinity has been a fan-favorite content release for years and a pinnacle place to find and earn cards from our favorite teams, and this year, Team Affinity will no longer be a once-per-season content drop. In the new Seasonal Diamond Dynasty, Team Affinity will be released three times per season! That’s once every four weeks!  For example, in Season 1, Team Affinity will have three major updates: 

  • Season 1: Chapter 1 at launch 
  • Season 1: Chapter 2 in mid-April 
  • Season 1: Chapter 3 in May 

Our fans can expect 30 new player cards, one from each MLB team, with each new Team Affinity Chapter! In addition, new unlocks and packs will be aplenty in reward paths to customize your profile and rep your favorite team. 

Look for these TA Chapter 1 Bosses in Team Affinity at launch, including a NEW LEGEND, Brian Dozier!

(Attributes shown here are not final and may change)
(Attributes shown here are not final and may change)

Those Legends are 89 OVR in Chapter 1 at launch, but each subsequent chapter of Team Affinity in Season 1 will have better and better player card OVRs! 

Team Affinity Q&A 

Q: If Team Affinity rewards roll out faster with better rewards, will it take longer to earn them? 

A: As mentioned previously, there are now 3 chapter content drops per season (6 division programs each) but progressing through these programs will be quicker than in years past. 

Q: Will I have to play specific modes to earn Team Affinity rewards? 

A: Our goal is to add enough Team Affinity content to every chapter and let you choose your own path in Diamond Dynasty to obtain those rewards. Expect moments, multiplayer missions, single player missions, repeatable missions, Conquest map(s), Showdown(s), and exchanges with each new drop. That said, we still want each Team Affinity release to feel unique – from the types of moments – to mission variety – to the amount of Conquest maps and Showdowns. We envision each Team Affinity chapter to be a little different throughout the year. 

Q: Are there any repeatable ways to earn Team Affinity progress? 

A: Yes. Team Affinity Vouchers can be earned repeatedly in a number of modes, and you can choose where in the six Team Affinity division programs you wish to exchange them. How these vouchers are obtained will be unique to each season and chapter. 

Q: Where can I earn Team Affinity progress? 

A: You can play anywhere in Diamond Dynasty to earn Team Affinity progress!  

PLAY YOUR WAY 

However you choose to play in Diamond Dynasty — whether you’re dominating single player Conquest maps, building theme teams to complete Team Affinity missions, or competing against the best-of-the-best multiplayer competition in Ranked — we want you to reach your favorite rewards. 

We can’t wait for you to experience the new and exciting changes coming with Seasonal Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 24, and of course, we look forward to revealing the new class of legends and many more fun surprises soon. 

Don’t forget to mark your calendars! Join us for our Live Content Feature Premiere March 14th, at 3 PM PT on the Sony San Diego Studio Twitch and YouTube channels, where we will dive deeper into everything Diamond Dynasty and Live Content coming in MLB The Show 24. 

And always keep an eye out for survey opportunities post-launch to share your feedback or join in the discussions in Discord and or the official forums at TheShow.com. 

BEFORE WE GO 

We want to send a huge shoutout to everyone in the MLB The Show community. Your passion shines through clearly in all the lively discussions and constructive feedback posted every single day. That input invigorates us as we strive to make MLB The Show the best it can be with each passing year. 

We see you, and we are grateful for your ongoing support. Thank you. 

MLB The Show 24 launches on March 19th, 2024 for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles. Pre-orders are available now.  

*Diamond Dynasty and online multiplayer features require an internet connection and console-specific online multiplayer subscription.