Understanding the Challenges of Weekend Classic in MLB The Show 25

• The New Issues Plaguing Weekend Classic
• Players Are Avoiding Ranked Matches
• Bot Accounts Are A Major Disruption
• The Show 25 Has Problems, But There Is A Path Forward

The concept of Weekend Classic in MLB The Show 25 is genuinely captivating and long overdue, especially since competitive modes are a staple in most sports games today. However, the implementation has suffered from apparent flaws that need addressing.

The New Issues Plaguing Weekend Classic

In an attempt to refine the Weekend Classic experience, SDS aimed to ensure a fair playing environment for all participants. Unfortunately, new challenges have arisen, prompting some players to exploit the system in various manners.

Players Are Avoiding Ranked Matches

One prominent issue is the tendency of highly skilled players to sidestep higher-ranked matches. For context, many experience a situation where they intentionally cap their rating just below crucial thresholds.

A notable instance illustrates this: several accomplished players deliberately maintain their scores between 700 and 800, thus keeping themselves at Hall of Fame difficulty. This allows them to compete against less skilled players and secure top rewards without advancing to the tougher Legend difficulty, where they might struggle.

The skill discrepancies are significant—All-Star level players find Hall of Fame a challenge, while Hall of Fame contenders can barely hold their ground at Legend. Strikingly, many experienced players report performing better at the higher difficulty levels compared to Hall of Fame due to the quality of opponents.

Interestingly, I personally find greater success in Weekend Classic while playing at Legend than Hall of Fame. This discrepancy arises because the Diamond League consists of players genuinely challenging themselves. In stark contrast, many of the top competitors settle in Gold 1, seeking easy victories against less capable opponents.

However, this isn’t the only fresh problem; the existence of bots is causing serious disruption.

Bot Accounts Are A Major Disruption

The prevalence of bot accounts in MLB The Show 25 has become alarmingly disruptive. Many players have reported challenges in finding authentic opponents as these bots match with them but fail to engage in gameplay—leading to connection timeouts and some players exploiting this for effortless victories.

Frostiee, recognized as one of the finest players in the game, recently encountered a bot during a Weekend Classic stream. Faced with the option to either quit and accept a loss or defeat the bot to proceed, he opted for the latter, only to face a ban after the game.

This incident highlights a more glaring issue: the system's handling of cheats inadvertently punishes innocent players. As Frostiee's case exemplifies, top-tier players don't need such tools to succeed, emphasizing a critical failure on SDS's part.

The Show 25 Has Problems, But There Is A Path Forward

Despite its flaws, I genuinely love MLB The Show 25 and consider it among the best sports games available. However, for Weekend Classic to reach its full potential, substantial changes are necessary.

One possible adjustment could be altering the matchmaking system to better account for players' average ratings over time rather than their monthly results. Furthermore, implementing measures to deter bot participation in the Weekend Classic would greatly enhance the integrity of the game.

While it's simple for me to critique from a distance, I find smooth experiences in competitive modes like EA FC. If EA Sports can manage their competitive formats better, it's clear that improvement is needed in MLB The Show 25.

For players looking to enhance their experience or acquire in-game benefits, consider exploring MLB The Show stubs cost and mlb stubs cheap options to maximize your gameplay potential.