Posted 2026-02-13 12:47 AM (#186041) Subject: How to Make the Most of MLB The Show 26’s Custom Tournaments
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What are Custom Tournaments actually good for?
Custom Tournaments are best for structured competitive games with a clear end point.
Ranked Seasons is good if you want a long grind and steady progress. Events are good for short bursts, but you’re limited by the rules and time windows. Custom Tournaments fill the gap because you control everything: format, roster rules, difficulty, and who joins.
In practice, Custom Tournaments are most useful for:
Running a “mini-season” in one night
Testing a team build under pressure
Playing meaningful games against the same group of opponents
Practicing competitive habits without risking Ranked rating
A lot of good players use tournaments as a “warm-up environment” before they go into Ranked.
How do you set up tournament rules that people actually enjoy?
Most tournaments fail because the rules are either too loose or too strict.
If you make it wide open, you usually get the same meta teams every round. If you make it too restricted, people don’t join because they don’t want to rebuild their lineup just to play a few games.
A solid setup that works for most groups is:
3-inning games early rounds, 5 or 9 innings for semifinals/finals
Hall of Fame difficulty if the group is competitive
All-Star if the group is mixed skill
Strike zone hitting view recommended, but not forced
No created players unless everyone agrees
Lineup changes allowed between rounds
The best rule is one most hosts ignore: be consistent. If you run tournaments weekly, players like knowing what they’re signing up for.
Should you use Diamond Dynasty teams or Live rosters?
It depends on what kind of tournament you want.
Diamond Dynasty tournaments are best when the goal is to build teams and test cards. This is the format most competitive players prefer because it feels like Ranked but with structure.
Live roster tournaments work better if you want something closer to real MLB baseball. They’re also good if your group doesn’t want to deal with stub grinding or card collecting.
In practice, Diamond Dynasty is more popular, but live roster tournaments often create more variety. If you play DD constantly, a live roster tournament is a good way to reset your habits and stop relying on overpowered cards.
What tournament formats work best for different group sizes?
Picking the wrong bracket format is the easiest way to ruin a tournament night.
Here’s what works in real use:
4–8 players:
Single elimination is fine. It moves fast, and people won’t feel like they wasted their time.
8–16 players:
Single elimination still works, but it helps to add a third-place match or consolation bracket so players who lose early still get more games.
16+ players:
Double elimination is usually better. People don’t like waiting around after losing one close game.
If your group is casual, don’t overcomplicate it. Most casual tournaments fall apart when the format requires players to keep checking menus and tracking rules.
How do you avoid the same overpowered teams every tournament?
This is the main complaint once people play a few tournaments.
If everyone can use any card, you’ll see the same pitchers and the same stacked lineups. The games stop feeling interesting.
The simplest way to fix this is to add soft restrictions instead of hard bans. Examples that work well:
Limit the number of 99 overall players (example: max 2 hitters and 1 pitcher)
Require at least 3 gold or silver players in the lineup
Cap the total team overall rating
Draft format (each player selects from a pool)
Draft tournaments are the best for variety, but they take longer to organize. If you want something fast, the “99 limit” rule works well and still feels fair.
What difficulty and settings create the most competitive games?
If you want serious games, settings matter more than people admit.
Most competitive tournament groups use:
Hall of Fame difficulty
5 or 9 innings
PCI and hitting view unchanged
Pitch speeds default or slightly increased
Guess pitch off
Hall of Fame usually creates the best balance. On All-Star, timing windows are big enough that a lot of games turn into home run contests. On Legend, weaker players stop having fun quickly.
Also, don’t ignore innings length. Three-inning tournaments are fun, but they’re not the best test of skill. Random bloop hits and one bad inning decide too many games.
If you want the tournament winner to feel earned, the semifinals and finals should be longer than three innings.
How do you prepare for Custom Tournaments differently than Ranked?
Tournament games feel different because you don’t have time to “settle in.” If you start slow, you’re out.
The best way to prepare is to play like you’re already behind.
That means:
Take pitches early, but don’t waste at-bats
Pay attention to opponent pitching patterns immediately
Don’t save bullpen arms “for later” if the game is short
Be aggressive stealing strikes early in counts
In Ranked, you can afford to play safe for three innings and still come back. In a tournament, especially short games, you can’t.
Good tournament players treat every inning like it matters.
What’s the best pitching approach in a tournament setting?
Pitching is where most tournament games are won.
The biggest difference between Ranked and tournaments is opponent familiarity. In community tournaments, you often play the same good hitters repeatedly. If you throw the same sequences every game, people adjust quickly.
A practical tournament pitching plan:
First inning: test what they can’t hit
Second inning: attack weaknesses you noticed
Third inning and beyond: change patterns completely
Most players lose because they keep “trying to paint corners” and fall behind in counts. In tournament games, walks are killers, especially in short innings.
Throw strikes early. Use sinkers and cutters in the zone. Force weak contact. If you try to be perfect, you’ll lose to someone who just puts the ball in play.
How do you build a lineup that works in tournaments?
Ranked lineups and tournament lineups are not always the same.
In tournaments, especially shorter games, you want hitters who are immediately dangerous. You don’t have time for a slow approach lineup full of contact-only players.
A strong tournament lineup usually includes:
2–3 power hitters who punish mistakes
2 contact hitters who don’t strike out much
At least one speed player who can steal or take extra bases
Bench bats that can platoon
Also, don’t ignore defense. In short tournament games, one bad fielding animation can decide everything.
If your shortstop and center fielder can’t defend, you’re taking a risk for no reason.
How should you manage stubs and cards around tournaments?
If you play tournaments often, your inventory decisions matter.
A lot of players waste stubs buying a new flashy card every week, then sell it at a loss when the meta changes. Tournament players tend to do better by building a stable core team and upgrading slowly.
The smartest approach is:
Keep a consistent rotation you trust
Keep bullpen arms that fit your pitching style
Only upgrade hitters when they clearly outperform what you have
Some players also stock up before tournaments, especially if they want to try specific cards or finish collections. That’s usually where you’ll see people searching for options like buy MLB The Show 26 stubs ns, because tournament schedules push players to build lineups quickly instead of waiting for natural grinding.
Whether you spend or grind, the key is having your lineup ready before the bracket starts. The worst feeling is joining a tournament and realizing your bullpen is weak or your bench has no usable bats.
How do you keep tournaments fun if skill levels are uneven?
This happens in almost every group.
If two or three players dominate every tournament, the rest stop joining. The host has to manage this if they want the tournament scene to last.
The easiest fix is to rotate formats:
One week: open teams
Next week: team overall cap
Next week: draft tournament
Next week: live rosters
You can also add small handicaps, like requiring top finishers to use one silver starter or a weaker bullpen arm. It sounds unfair, but it keeps the games competitive, and it keeps people coming back.
Most groups would rather have balanced games than watch the same finals every time.
What are the most common mistakes players make in Custom Tournaments?
A few mistakes show up constantly:
Playing too fast at the plate
Tournament nerves make people swing early. Patient hitting wins tournaments.
Saving bullpen arms for a game that never happens
If you lose now, there is no next round. Use your best arms when you need them.
Using “Ranked strategies” in short games
Bunting, stealing, and taking extra bases matter more in 3-inning formats.
Ignoring stamina rules
Some tournaments enforce stamina heavily. If you don’t plan your rotation, you’ll end up using tired pitchers when it matters most.
What’s the best way to improve through tournaments?
If your goal is getting better, don’t just play tournament games and move on.
After each tournament, think about:
Which pitches got hit hard and why
Which hitters you struggled with
Whether you lost because of approach or mechanics
How often you gave away outs
The fastest improvement comes from playing good opponents repeatedly. Custom Tournaments are perfect for that because they put you in pressure situations without needing a long Ranked grind.
If you treat them seriously, they’ll sharpen your timing, your pitching sequencing, and your decision-making faster than most other modes.
How to Make the Most of MLB The Show 26’s Custom Tournaments
