The talent difference between Gold and Diamond level is ridiculous.

[Echo127]

During and at the end of my 2023 season at Gold Level I significantly improved my roster by adding a handful of gold-level players (RF Bryce Harper replacing Nick Markakis, CF Gary Maddox replacing Dom Dimaggio, 3B Manny Machado replacing Kevin Seitzer, RP Will Harris replacing RP David Hernandez, SP Orel Hershiser + SP Miles Mikolas replacing Fred Newman and Don Mossi).

I proceeded to get wrecked at Diamond Level and sent back to Gold.

Then, without changing anything, I'm off to a .730 win percentage back in the lower division. Just an observation. Is anyone else experiencing this kind of drastic difference? The best team in Gold is still the worst team in Diamond?

[mrbucket]

I made the jump up to Diamond after the 2022 season and settled in all right. 89-73 at Gold level (went on to win the world series) and then 82-80 at Diamond in 2023. I'm pretty sure if I was to ever make the leap to Perfect that I would be crushed and promptly returned to Diamond though.

My team hasn't changed dramatically since that Gold season. Replaced some Silvers with Golds from the auction house last season but going through my players I've had most of them since before that Gold season.

What's the makeup of your roster? I've got 4 diamonds, 9 Golds, 11 Silvers, and 1 Bronze.

[BMW]

My team is one Diamond level player (91 Edwin Diaz) and all Gold. I managed to not get relegated last season in a Perfect level league.

I'm getting annihilated this year now that the few teams worse than me were replaced by more teams with rosters that are usually ~4 Perfect level players and all the rest Diamond level players.

[Echo127]

Going off of memory because I'm not at my computer but I think its something like 0 diamond, 11 gold, 12 silver, 2 bronze.

[Izz]

And here I thought the talent jump between silver and gold was big...

[Matt Arnold]

Each level is quite a bit tougher than the one before. I just had a team go Silver->Gold, and while they eked out a win in the silver league, are far from it in Gold. I've got Denny McLain who was playable in Bronze+Silver, and now in Gold has a 6.45 FIP and ERA even higher.

I'm still above Relegation level, but it's going to take a couple years I think to build this team up. At least the rest of this season my team will, ahem, have lots of player solidify their ratings at new positions, which should hopefully help next year improve defensively.

[waylander]

Originally Posted by Echo127

During and at the end of my 2023 season at Gold Level I significantly improved my roster by adding a handful of gold-level players (RF Bryce Harper replacing Nick Markakis, CF Gary Maddox replacing Dom Dimaggio, 3B Manny Machado replacing Kevin Seitzer, RP Will Harris replacing RP David Hernandez, SP Orel Hershiser + SP Miles Mikolas replacing Fred Newman and Don Mossi).

I proceeded to get wrecked at Diamond Level and sent back to Gold.

Then, without changing anything, I'm off to a .730 win percentage back in the lower division. Just an observation. Is anyone else experiencing this kind of drastic difference? The best team in Gold is still the worst team in Diamond?

Wait until you hit Perfect lol.

[Echo127]

Originally Posted by waylander

Wait until you hit Perfect lol.

I expect that Diamond is my peak. Unless I start buying packs and getting very lucky.

[DonkeyKongSr]

Originally Posted by Echo127

I expect that Diamond is my peak. Unless I start buying packs and getting very lucky.

It's much harder than it used to be to get in Perfect. It's just the WS teams now, but I think it was top 10 or 12 when the first Perfect season was filled. If you get here, you'll probably be stuck in the middle of the pack just being ahead of the worst teams remaining from the first promotion that are slowly falling out of the bottom back to Diamond. The top end of Perfect is some super nuts teams.

[<Pion>]

Originally Posted by Echo127

During and at the end of my 2023 season at Gold Level I significantly improved my roster by adding a handful of gold-level players (RF Bryce Harper replacing Nick Markakis, CF Gary Maddox replacing Dom Dimaggio, 3B Manny Machado replacing Kevin Seitzer, RP Will Harris replacing RP David Hernandez, SP Orel Hershiser + SP Miles Mikolas replacing Fred Newman and Don Mossi).

How is Harper doing for you. I'm not so sure he is an upgrade over hardly anybody.

[spleen1015]

Quality of the teams could be part of it too. You could be in a gold league with a few sub par gold teams.

Also, did you change your team at all going into this season?

[Echo127]

Originally Posted by <Pion>

How is Harper doing for you. I'm not so sure he is an upgrade over hardly anybody.

Not great, lol. But I dont think I paid much more than 1k for him so it's very little lost PP.

[<Pion>]

Originally Posted by Echo127

Not great, lol. But I dont think I paid much more than 1k for him so it's very little lost PP.

Thanks for the reply. I have a team where I'm only allowing myself to open packs, no AH (not a good strategy, but I wanted to see how the team would develop). I've had Harper for a couple of days and he only hit .169 the first month and .212 then 2nd. After posting, I checked on him today and was shocked he was hitting .404 in the 3rd month and had been named player of the week. Overall he's hitting .235, but has hit for power as would be expected. Still, not a fan of having his card and thinking of selling him and buying a pack with the proceeds. But first I just wanted to see what he would do. For others, he has not played well (the 2018 card).

[Echo127]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Quality of the teams could be part of it too. You could be in a gold league with a few sub par gold teams.

Also, did you change your team at all going into this season?

No, I didn't. That's what I was trying to say in my original post. Made a lot of changes during my 2023 gold season (and a couple more right at the beginning of diamond after spending my playoff earnings) but nothing after that.

[chazzycat]

my Harper is doing alright. Even with a low batting average he still leads my team in OBP

[TC Dale]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

Each level is quite a bit tougher than the one before. I just had a team go Silver->Gold, and while they eked out a win in the silver league, are far from it in Gold. I've got Denny McLain who was playable in Bronze+Silver, and now in Gold has a 6.45 FIP and ERA even higher.

I'm still above Relegation level, but it's going to take a couple years I think to build this team up. At least the rest of this season my team will, ahem, have lots of player solidify their ratings at new positions, which should hopefully help next year improve defensively.

I take the long and slow method, picking up PP packs and auction house positional players to patch holes, or upgrade a troubling trend till I see improvement. Usually the first time I get a player, say a gold one and they go into the starting lineup, I figure the first year is a given, and if they joined midseason, I watch the next 2 seasons to see how they do.



If they start to balloon bad stats, pitchers and hitters I make changes then. Haven't won a WS in either bronze or silver, but made Gold this season, and I hope the team stays around .500.. Either way I make changes as needed. Plus I have some others that can step up and fill a position until I have enough PP's or enough to get a starter..


I have won my division twice, but lost in the playoffs, so I feel satisfied that I can compete, and enjoy the journey. I don't feel like the game is against me, being only using PP's for packs and auction house,



I understand my mission, and ready to make this a enjoyable time. Your mileage may vary, but, I am tickled that I made the Gold level this season, I figured I would have to save another season of PP's to be able to do it.


Hope you guys are having fun, because I am.

[uschi_baerchen]

Keep Harper! Harper is about 2 WAR so he is simply dead average (I wonder how he is sweeking 400 Millions in MLB with one good season 2 years ago, but that is another Story). BUT: there is no reasonable (= worth the Price) replacement for Harper until you can buy Betts (and this will give you about additional 3 games won which is rediculous)

[freedavebrown]

Also, card ranks alone mean nothing. I have only two diamond players on my team and still have some silvers and bronze on my active roster. But my team is all historical cards and is consistently making the playoffs in Diamond league.

LIVE cards are not nearly as good historical cards for the most part.

[ripitback]

Originally Posted by freedavebrown

Also, card ranks alone mean nothing. I have only two diamond players on my team and still have some silvers and bronze on my active roster. But my team is all historical cards and is consistently making the playoffs in Diamond league.

LIVE cards are not nearly as good historical cards for the most part.

I just started playing perfect team and I wonder if there is any truth to that. A lot of the historical cards seem to have terrible defensive ratings. Just thinking the best way to build a team. Has anybody else had success with all “affordable” historical cards?

[stl jason]

Originally Posted by ripitback

I just started playing perfect team and I wonder if there is any truth to that. A lot of the historical cards seem to have terrible defensive ratings. Just thinking the best way to build a team. Has anybody else had success with all “affordable” historical cards?

depends on your definition of success....


my f2p/pre-ww2 team won the silver league world series a couple seasons ago.... currently in the gold league playing around .500 ball... 1 diamond player (recently acquired late last season), 8 gold players, 12 silver players, 4 bronze players.