My NBA 2K18 Tips, Cheats and Strategies

You don’t need a body to ball. Just watch the cards go at it for hardwood supremacy in My NBA 2K18 and you’ll see what we mean.

As a result, you don’t need to know how to defend the pick and roll or have an opinion on the rise of the stretch four to succeed at the latest NBA card game from 2K and Cat Daddy Games either. All you need is some guidance, and that’s something we can provide after spending some quality time with it.

Our My NBA 2k18 tips, cheats and strategies will be even more useful if you’ve never played a previous game in the series (because this one isn’t that much different than previous entries) or are unfamiliar with other 2K card games like WWE SuperCard.

Statistical Showdown

At it’s most basic level, My NBA 2K18 is a game won by comparing the stats on your players’ cards to those on your opponent’s cards. You’re told which stats are going to be used for the comparison (either one or two) and how many players are involved (again, it can be one or two), and then you choose your guys and hope for the best. Different game modes add more wrinkles, but the underlying formula remains the same.

Does this mean you need to know something about basketball, like if LeBron James is faster than Stephen Curry? Nope. The values on the player cards don’t really correspond to real life.

Instead, the advantage comes mostly from a card’s rarity — super rare is better than rare, which is better than uncommon — and then within the same tier, what level each card is. Cards can be leveled up by selecting them from ‘MyCARDS’ in the main menu, then tapping on ‘Improve.’ Hit the ‘Train’ button and choose cards you’d like to sacrifice to level up the target, just like in nearly every mobile card game since the dawn of time.

BONUS TIP: Every player has a position, and it pays to play them there. Your lineup for most modes requires a PG, SG, SF, PF and C, and even if you don’t know what those abbreviations stand for, it’s important to heed them. Playing cards in their proper positions gives them stats boosts that could be the difference between winning and losing.

Going Pro

Even lowly common cards can be magically transformed (note: it’s not really magic) into better versions of themselves by turning them pro. And yes, we thought all NBA players were already pros.

To turn a player pro, you’ll need three extra copies of that same player at the same tier, along with a contract card. The main player also needs to be at max level, which could vary depending on what rarity he is.

The contract and the duplicate player cards are consumed in the process, so make sure you’re willing to part with them. Pro versions of cards tend to be competitive with or even better than the next tier up once they are fully leveled, so if you are stuck on, say, super rare, obtaining some pros at that level allows you to hang with and beat ultra rare decks, and is a valid reason for not using rare or better cards as leveling fodder.

Know Your Modes

Just like real basketball can be played in ways from one-on-one all the way up to full court five-on-five, My NBA 2K18 has various ways to play as well. Better still, only some of them have energy systems or restrictions on how often you play, so this is one free game you can play as much as you like.

The modes that are always in the game are:

    Quick Game – The first mode you can access is also the simplest. You bring your starting lineup of five cards and pick from one of four opponents. The game consists of four match-ups, and you score more points in the simulated quarter if you win one. If you have more points at the end of four quarters, you win the game and receive more rewards for doing so.
    Season – A season is an actual 82-game simulation pitting your team against those of other players. It’s a long grind, with games going on around the clock. It’s also primarily a management challenge; you form a team of 15 players and three support cards to bring into season mode, and then you need to manage their energy levels (which drop after each game) to ensure their stats don’t fall too much. Energy cards can be won in Quick Games, providing some synergy between the two modes. Rewards are earned based on your final place in the standings, including playoffs if you make it that far.
    Blacktop Challenge – This is a fast-paced mode that pits you against nine other players’ teams in timed rounds. The idea is to challenge other squads for Quick Game-like showdowns and win as many as possible in a limited amount of time. Taking on and defeating higher ranked players earns you more Victory Points, with rewards based on how many VP you’ve earned at the end of five rounds. Blacktop Challenge is the most involved game mode and requires the largest deck (25 players), so you might want to hold off on it until you have some experience with the rest of My NBA 2K18.

It’s also an absolute certainty that My NBA 2K18 will feature limited time events on a regular basis, particularly once the NBA season is off and running.