WEEKEND CLASSIC – THE NEW COMPETITIVE MODE IN MLB THE SHOW 25
WHAT IS WEEKEND CLASSIC?
Weekend Classic is a time-limited multiplayer game mode and occurs near the end of every Ranked cycle. Your goal is to win as many games as possible during your first 6 games. Each win out of these 6 games will give additional, substantial rewards. Following these 6 games, you can continue playing to earn additional rewards. Climb a 100-player leaderboard with opponents of equal skill, where placing in the Top 10 will give even more rewards.
WHEN CAN I PLAY WEEKEND CLASSIC?
The first Weekend Classic will take place at the end of the first Ranked on Friday, April 11th. Fans can routinely expect to play Weekend Classic the final weekend of the current Ranked.
HOW LONG IS WEEKEND CLASSIC?
Most Weekend Classics will take place for approximately 96 hours – from a Friday afternoon to a Tuesday afternoon. Some may be slightly shorter or slightly longer, but all will be at least 48 hours.
HOW DO I QUALIFY FOR WEEKEND CLASSIC?
All players, with an internet connection and online membership, are automatically qualified to play in Weekend Classic. However, by increasing a player’s Solo Ranked rating, a player will qualify for higher leagues which give better rewards.
HOW DO I ACCESS WEEKEND CLASSIC?
During an active Weekend Classic and when queueing for a Solo Ranked game, a player will automatically queue for a Weekend Classic game.
IS WEEKEND CLASSIC AVAILABLE FOR CO-OP?
Weekend Classic is only available for Solo Ranked players. Players who play 2v2 or 3v3 Co-Op Ranked will continue to queue for those games to earn the current Ranked rewards.
WHAT ARE THE WEEKEND CLASSIC LEAGUES?
At launch, Weekend Classic will be composed of 8 leagues:
- Bronze I (0-399 Ranked Rating)
- Bronze II (400-499 Ranked Rating)
- Silver I (500-599 Ranked Rating)
- Silver II (600-699 Ranked Rating)
- Gold I (700-799 Ranked Rating)
- Gold II (800-899 Ranked Rating)
- Diamond (900-999 Ranked Rating)
- Immortal (1000-9999 Ranked Rating)
*Leagues and associated ratings are subject to change.
As players increase their Ranked rating, they will qualify for higher leagues. Once Weekend Classic begins, players will be locked into their current league and cannot promote or demote leagues. The league a player qualifies for is based on the maximum rating a player has achieved in the most recent Ranked.
For example, if a player currently sits at 550 Ranked Rating when a Weekend Classic starts but had a max Rating of 650 earlier in the current Ranked, they will qualify for the Silver II League.
WHAT REWARDS CAN I EARN FROM PLAYING WEEKEND CLASSIC?
Players can expect to earn some of the best rewards in Diamond Dynasty in Weekend Classic, and the higher the League they qualify for, the better rewards they’ll have a chance to earn.
There will also be two unique player items per Weekend Classic. These will appear in the Gold 1 League and higher as a possible reward to earn, so qualifying for higher Leagues has major reward advantages!
DO I EARN MY REWARDS INSTANTANEOUSLY OR AT THE END OF THE CURRENT WEEKEND CLASSIC?
Rewards for a player’s first six games of a Weekend Classic will be given instantaneously upon reaching each win threshold.
Rewards for top leaderboard rankings will be distributed once the respective Weekend Classic has ended.
WHAT ARE THE RULES OF A WEEKEND CLASSIC GAME?
Ranked rules apply for Weekend Classic games. These are 9-inning games, and their difficulty is based on the rating of the players in the game. The difficulty of the higher rated player will determine the difficulty of the matchup, in the same way it happens in Ranked.
There are no Quick Counts, Guess Pitch, or Balks. Weekend Classic games have no squad restrictions and are only available in 1v1 play and not Co-Op.
WHAT IS THE WEEKEND CLASSIC LEADERBOARD & HOW DO I CLIMB IT?
Weekend Classic Leaderboards contain 100 players who have qualified in the same league as one another. During Weekend Classic, players will be compared to one another on this leaderboard. At the end of the Weekend Classic, if a player is in the Top 10 out of these 100 players, they will earn additional rewards. These additional rewards are broken up into rankings of 6-10, 2-5, and 1.
The leaderboard is ordered based on Rating Change. The player with the highest Ranked Rating increase will place first on the leaderboard.
For example, a Gold 1 qualified player who starts at 700 rating and ends at 840 rating (+140) will rank higher on the leaderboard than another Gold 1 qualified player in their league who starts at 740 rating and ends at 840 rating (+100).
CAN I EARN RANKED RATING WHILE PLAYING WEEKEND CLASSIC?
Yes, Ranked Rating will continue to increase/decrease after each Weekend Classic game.
CAN I EARN MULTIPLAYER PROGRAM PROGRESS WHILE PLAYING WEEKEND CLASSIC?
Yes, Weekend Classic games will grant Mission progress in most Missions in the Multiplayer Program.
CAN I OFFER A “FRIENDLY QUIT” DURING A WEEKEND CLASSIC GAME?
Yes, friendly quits currently exist in Weekend Classic as they exist in Ranked.