NBA 2K26 plays a fine brand of basketball, but at every turn it charges you a little bit more to play it. Now 2K has ruined its best single-player mode with its greedy casino tactics. Domination mode allows you to play against progressively stronger AI opponents to earn rewards. In previous seasons, this has been an easy way to earn rewards.
It was just a matter of time before 2K found a way to ruin this. In Season 2 of MyTeam, players were shocked to find that Domination is essentially behind a paywall. For example, to play against the Boston Celtics squad you need 10 Los Angeles Lakers. I know I don't have them, and the Lakers are my favorite team. Tydebo, one of the best known content creators in all of NBA 2K, admitted in a video even he doesn't have all the cards to run this mode.
Ty is one of the best players in the world. It is his literal job to play NBA 2K, and he's very good at it. If he has to struggle to run this mode, everyone will. And as I mentioned, the teams in this mode get progressively stronger. Good luck beating an All-Star Celtics squad with a team of Gold Lakers players.
This mode calls for an insanely deep collection, and the best way to get that is to pay lots of virtual currency. As I've mentioned, Domination is (or used to be) the best way to grind season pass levels. None of this is accidental. It's a constant battle. Content creators and players are always trying to find a way to make our teams better for free, 2K is always reaching into our wallets for our credit cards.
As I've been saying since it released, I enjoy playing the game. Breaking ankles with that perfect crossover, or hitting a three-pointer off a pick-and-roll, is still incredibly fun. But 2K's pay-to-win tactics get worse with every passing season. Season 2 of MyTeam may be a point of no return for thousands of free-to-play grinders.