MLB The Show 25 is gearing up for its launch, and the hype is real! If you're already planning your Diamond Dynasty squad, you might be thinking about how to best build it. Some players will be looking to buy MLB 25 Stubs to get a head start. But for those who prefer to earn their way to the top, the latest feature premiere gave us a deep dive into Team Affinity and My Journey programs, showcasing exciting changes and rewards. Get ready to assemble your dream team and dominate the competition!

Team Affinity Returns with a Twist

After a five-year hiatus, Team Affinity is making a comeback with all 30 MLB teams represented. This year's iteration promises a streamlined experience with a focus on rewarding players for engaging with various game modes. The developers emphasized a year-long power curve, meaning you'll initially see more Silver and Gold player cards in these programs, gradually working your way up to coveted Diamond cards as the season progresses.

Each team's program features a reward path filled with unlockables, including player cards and team-specific items. To kick things off, you'll find a Silver player card at the beginning of each path. For example, the Yankees' program starts with a Silver Andy Pettitte card. Earning this card is as simple as completing a dedicated moment, like playing a Babe Ruth moment.

My Journey: Earning Rewards and Building Your Squad

Once you've unlocked your initial Silver player, you can start completing team-based missions to accumulate Team Affinity (TA) points. These missions include quick impact missions designed to get you familiar with your team and player-specific challenges (PXP). The developers highlighted the "where to play" aspect, emphasizing that you can earn TA points in virtually any Diamond Dynasty mode.

A significant change this year is the inclusion of Ranked Co-op with PXP tracking. This means you can now earn progress towards Team Affinity rewards while playing with friends online. Furthermore, the PXP system for hitters has been rebalanced, increasing the points earned per plate appearance from 10 to 15. This adjustment aims to help hitters parallel faster, reducing the grind to Parallel 5 by approximately 300 plate appearances in the worst-case scenario.

Captains and the Jolt Series

As you progress through each Team Affinity program, you'll unlock additional rewards, including Gold players like Ben Rice. The ultimate prize is the Team Affinity boss, an 85-overall Diamond player from the new Jolt Series. For the Yankees, this boss is none other than Babe Ruth.

These Jolt Series cards not only boast impressive attributes but also feature team captain abilities. These abilities provide boosts to other players from the same team in your lineup. All 30 team affinity Jolt series players do have Captain abilities which will be fleshed out later. The developers estimate that it should take around two hours per program to unlock all three player cards. This streamlined approach ensures that players can quickly acquire valuable assets for their Diamond Dynasty squads.

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