If you're serious about diving into the competitive realm of NBA 2K20 My Team Mode, then you're going to want to come in with a plan. And no, just wanting to use the base cards to play online is not a solid way to make money.
MyTeam is an ever-evolving game within the game, a game that doesn't stand still and always forces players to adapt to new maps. Since 2K20 just launched and a few pre-release issues have been fixed, it's a level playing field for now. So here are some tips on how to spend your time in the early parts of the mode.
How to get started with MyTeam in NBA 2K20
Know your preferences
You obviously know which team and which players you like, but what about your style of play? Would you rather shoot three or play post? Will you throw screens on the ball for shooters or focus on rolling like a big man? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before you start building your MyTeam member list.
If you're into perimeter play, try getting players like Ray Allen, who has incredible striking, to play well in other aspects of the game as well. But that comes at a cost early in MyTeam, which is a compromise.
You won't have enough resources for every position, and unless you're lucky in the draws, you'll likely be stuck with at least one below-average player on the field. That's not a bad thing, every player has a strength, but you should spend your time making the most of your strengths, and not trying to build a solid roster, which will put you on a mediocre team.
In this regard, you should also try to unlock the auction house earlier, so that you can sell the cards you don't like and use those resources to invest in the ones you can use to improve.
Hold your currency, but sell cards
Don't even think about being an early collector. None of these collector rewards will be next to nothing if your team is bad and you can't compete with better players to earn more VC and MT. Ignore the voice telling you to keep that 79 overall to General DeAndre Jordan when you already have an 80 overall to General Marc Gasol. You can always have DJ later, but the currency has value to you now.
Likewise, don't just sell cards to buy packs just to open them. If you have a decent lineup and want to try and get away with it, go for it. But if not, you should save this currency and buy cards individually. This way you know what you are getting and can plan your future squad around those players.
If you really like the way Kemba Walker plays, save your money to get it back and start trying to find additional players in the meantime. The Marc Gasol card is a solid choice for Kemba, so just sell the DJ and you're on your way. It's almost a guarantee that you'll end up getting a duplicate pulling packages later anyway.
Contracts and equipment
It's pretty self-explanatory, but 2K has contracts for every player card you get. Once a player uses all of their contracts, they need to get more before you can add them back to your roster. It's an annoyance, but not too difficult to circumvent.
If you end up opening a lot of packs, you're bound to have spares, but if not, make sure you have a secondary comp ready. Even if you end up selling some of your good players to help fund your starting roster, make sure you always have a secondary team ready to step in in case of an emergency.
And much like how Contracts work, there are gear such as shoes, wristbands, and more like things that players can wear to get bonuses and occasional bonuses on their badges. This is an easy way to slightly improve a bad player's behavior when needed.
You don't have to play like everyone else
The fastest thing you'll learn playing MyTeam against other players online is that most people are only interested in winning at all costs. They will abuse the system, only use players who can shoot three times, and will actively try to tire your mind with every lost game. 2K19 was a terrible time for newcomers because of an exploit that allowed very good players to outbid their best cards and then sign up as low level beginners. Then, once the game started, they would step out of the Galaxy Opal Michael Jordan and spend a day in the field abusing the starting cards.
It doesn't look like things are that bad in 2K20, but just keep playing the way you want. If you really want to win, study the best ways to optimize your game and go from there. Otherwise, just find how you like to play and have fun.
Once you've unlocked the Auction House, you don't have to play the modes online. You can just play chosen solo challenges and have fun playing and playing that way. You still have the chance to collect cards and build your team, but without all the annoyance of playing with tryhard cheesemongers. And remember, overall card ranking isn't everything.
