MLB The Show 20 Diamond Dynasty: Showdown mode explained

Today’s MLB The Show 20 developer livestream was dedicated to Diamond Dynasty, specifically the new Showdown mode. What is it and how does it work?

When MLB The Show 20 was first revealed last month, Sony San Diego hinted at a new Diamond Dynasty game mode: Showdown. At the time, not much was revealed, only that you’ll draft players, upgrade them with perks and then take on the most-feared pitchers. Today, this mode was expanded upon as Sony pulled back the curtain on the newest game mode.

Showdown begins with a 10-round draft in which you’ll select a couple of superstar players to form the core backbone of your team. They will then be surrounded by an automatically generated roster that you can improve upon by completing objectives. In the final two rounds of the draft, you’ll select perks, which are essentially boosts for your team in certain situations.

Each draft round is hand crafted by Sony. Depending on the Showdown you play, you’ll have a different draft, a different pool of players, different rarities, etc.

In the stream, the first round featured four Diamond players: Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Cody Bellinger and Max Scherzer. It was explained that Showdown primarily emphasizes hitting, so you’ll want to focus on drafted hitters first and foremost.

There are multiple Showdown modes. The one shown in the stream was the “Starter” Showdown, which is basically a beginner’s introduction to the mode.

Each Showdown features a path comprised of moments, or challenges. You get one chance to complete the moment’s objective and if you successfully do so, you’ll unlock squad upgrades and standard Diamond Dynasty rewards.

As you complete moments and upgrade your squad, you’ll work towards the Showdown, which is essentially the boss level. You don’t have to play each of the Showdown moments; you can skip right to the end and play the Final Showdown if you are confident enough. I wouldn’t recommend this though.

The Showdown track consists of two types of moments. There are smaller blue moments which serve as upgrade opportunities. If you win, you get an upgrade. If you lose, you move on to the next moment.

There are also mini-boss moments. These are win-or-go-home mini Showdowns. If you lose, you’re kicked out of the Showdown.

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The Final Showdown in the “Starter” Showdown puts you into the middle of a game down 0-4 with 20 outs remaining. It’s only batting, no pitching, and you need to make a comeback before getting 20 outs.

It should be noted that all Final Showdown levels consist of only batting, which is why it’s important that you focus on drafting the best hitters. However, the in-between moments do feature some pitching.

It was confirmed during the stream that Featured Programs will be returning. Each Featured Program will have its own Showdown. The biggest reward for completing Showdowns are Featured Program and Team Affinity stars. You can also earn stubs, XP, packs, specific players and more.

However, it should be noted that some Showdowns do have entry features. While the Starter Showdown is free, subsequent Showdowns will cost you.

Next. MLB The Show 20: Custom Leagues fully explained, new Legend revealed. dark

The rest of the stream, which you can watch here, was focused on other aspects of MLB The Show 20‘s Diamond Dynasty. We’ll have write-ups on that as well. MLB The Shows 20 takes the field on March 17, 2020; however, those who pre-order will get early access and be able to jump in on March 13.