MLB The Show 25: Analyzing Attributes in Diamond Dynasty

MLB The Show 25 launched a little over two months ago, which has provided plenty of time to see the trends in SDS' design decisions this year.

While there will always be gripes and suggestions across every topic, card design has been scrutinized more than I've ever seen it since getting into Diamond Dynasty in 2019. Specifically, the obvious trend where "lesser" cards have inconsequential attributes buffed and the key attributes a little lower, whereas more premium cards (like packs or collections) boost the meaningful attributes with little regard for those pesky "others."

What gives?

Brutish Attributes

I'm not sure attribute specs relative to gameplay will ever be an exact science, but it seems fair to assume that Contact, Power, and Clutch are the big three in terms of offensive attributes. Vision plays an important role more on higher levels, but is certainly up there with the aforementioned trio. It feels safe to assume this as these are the attributes typically boosted anytime a card is Supercharged. While we don't know the exact interplay within the game engine, we know these attributes really matter.

That isn't to say that Fielding or the sub-attributes aren't important, or that Speed isn't important. Rather, it's about understanding the balance between these attributes that ultimately generate each respective card's overall rating.

The almighty overall is a sacred number in sports gaming, long creating endless debates across infinite tangents. When it comes to Diamond Dynasty, a game mode centered around live content being released on a regular basis, the ever-present power creep means the cards get more powerful over time.

However, there's been some notable differences between the free program cards anyone can earn and the premium cards locked behind Stubs. Cards will have the same overall, yet one will look incredibly bland and uninteresting while the other jumps off the page.

You Buffed My Nerf!

The latest addition to the Multiplayer Program came today in the form of All-Star Mike Piazza. The card is pretty insane for a 92 overall grindable card, and a notable departure from the designs of previous cards. That isn't to say every other card had a bad design, it's simply an observation. And to be clear: this article isn't a criticism of the card designs, again; just an observation as the community overall seems to have shifted perspective on attributes.

Durability has long been a funny attribute in Diamond Dynasty, as there's no stamina or injuries that position players have to answer to. It's literally a meaningless attribute as presented, yet it's still present on cards in Diamond Dynasty. Utilizing ShowZone's True Overall calculator, inputting Piazza's actual attributes but changing the Durability to 99 resulted in a True Overall increase of .09. That's not a huge number, but if the attribute has no direct effect on gameplay then why is it there?

The obvious answer appears to be overall rating suppression. Let me repeat: this isn't a crime! It's not about chastising SDS, it's about trying to make this game we all love better in areas it can be improved. If Durability doesn't affect gameplay, then why do we have it? I'm not even saying remove it. I'd love if Durability mattered, and have long suggested stamina should matter for position players, too. It would add immense strategy, as suddenly benches being stacked with elite pinch-hitters for every situation would perhaps pale in comparison to a well-rounded bench. But that's another story for another day.

Attributes like Stealing, Baserunning Aggression, Bunting, and Drag Bunting might not have huge effects on overalls but they still matter. On one hand, it means cards don't all look the same with generic attributes in these areas. But there's also consideration for the balancing.

Let's look at a recent card in Standout Luis Rengifo. This card is based of off the 2023 season, at least according to the in-game art, and features 61 Stealing and 71 Baserunning Aggression. Who cares?

Well, in 2023 Rengifo only registered 6 Stolen Bases and was caught stealing 4 times. Math certainly tells us that he had a 60% success rate, but is it really in the best interest of card design to give someone stealing 6 bases these attributes? Maybe! There's certainly a design philosophy and while I don't think it's malignant of SDS to design cards this way, as a community we're all wondering out loud if we can do better.

The previously mentioned Piazza card sure seems like a more fun card than it would have been if Piazza had higher Stealing, or Baserunning Aggression, Bunting, and/or Drag Bunting and lower batting attributes. The card has absolutely bonkers attributes for an early-game Catcher, and the card looks fun. When you look at attributes every single day, you reach a threshold where some cards just don't register as interesting. Often, this can be tied directly to the "lesser" attributes being questionably high.

The disconnect has been with grindable cards featuring these oddball attribute distributions, when premium pack cards or big collection items clearly differ in design. With it being so blatant, I think it's a worthwhile discussion to be had.

Closing Thoughts

Until SDS comes out with a walkthrough or developer interview (hit us up) fully detailing attributes and card design; we're all sorta just guessing! But that can be fun and productive without crossing into petulant complaints. Honestly, I think it's a testament to the game SDS delivered this year that we aren't really complaining about gameplay. There's been a ton of fun content, gameplay has been balanced, and overall it's been my personal favorite MLB The Show I've played.

If things are so good we're looking at card design, something that usually doesn't get talked about, I think it's prudent to give SDS their props with the constructive conversation. With the attributes discrepancy being so blatant, and the releases (up until today) having an obvious favoring of expensive cards - it seems like a good time for a pivot and we appear to be getting it.

Is this an area that can be improved going into next year? How can attributes be more meaningfully balanced? Speed, and Stealing, and maybe even Bunting certainly have their moments to shine in a given game. But we're talking about Diamond Dynasty, an online environment where there's always going to be heavy scrutinizing in some way.

I'm excited to see how cards continue to look moving forward. Will SDS go all-in on the "important" attributes getting more love?

What are your thoughts on the attribute conversation? Let us know in the comments!