Do you think AKA X factors ruined Madden 23

Hell yeah makes it boring when they run stretch 35 times a game with quad even when you play good defense you gotta prey they make the tackle

Martyr1968 said:

Once you start playing guys who know how to utilize Quad and Henry it won't be so easy to stop them. I do not generally cheese those guys in h2h but if I did (and when I did a few times), it is incredibly difficult to stop.

If you put running the ball on conservative, Quad/Henry still break the tackle attempt and will not fumble. I also have Gronk with vanguard, Pickens, Roddy White, and Taysom Hill with 0 AP Honorary Lineman. I can sub in UL Zimmerman at WR who also can actually catch....and I have Delanie and Metzelaars at TE. It is pancake city. Last game I played, with SaQuads (and no AKA factor), I had 35 pancakes - Gronk had 20 alone. You won't get TFL unless you run commit and then you're screwed once you do that.

It won't be so easy to stop once you get to playing people with setups like I described. It will be downright frustrating. It is why I made this thread. I remember when MUT cards were mostly attribute based. Sure there were some crazy OP cards like Dickerson, Bo, Finneran, back in the day but mostly the better player card actually played better.

I think it is nuts that you need to use 96 Milk Man over 98 JJ Watt to be more successful.

Taysom Hill with 0 AP Honorary Lineman.

How do you like Hill with Honorary Lineman? Card looks intriguing because of the catching stats and 0 AP HL, but his actual run block is low. I'm a run first offense and use Gronk at FB - would I be better off going Kittle and Delanie at TE?

There are some I like, and some I don't like. 

I don't like the Freight Train. That X-Factor is overpowered and should only be available through earning the 10+ yard run requirements on the regular X-factor. Or it should only be on at the start of the game, and after a certain number of plays you have to reactivate it.

I also don't like Avalanche and Unstoppable Force. Avalanche, like Freight Train, should be earned as it is overpowered. Unstoppable Force significantly reduces the value/viability of other pass rushers. 

I do like the Truzz X-Factor, as it greatly reduces and incredibly annoying and unrealistic aspect of the game: QB's always fumbling when they get hit. Considering how nerfed the speed of QBs is on designed runs and behind the line of scrimmage, there shouldn't be an extra fumbling risk which practically eliminates the appeal of a running QB. Truzz negates that fumbling risk, and I'm willing to spend the extra AP if it means I can have more fun playing the game.

HEV said:

Taysom Hill with 0 AP Honorary Lineman.

How do you like Hill with Honorary Lineman? Card looks intriguing because of the catching stats and 0 AP HL, but his actual run block is low. I'm a run first offense and use Gronk at FB - would I be better off going Kittle and Delanie at TE?

Sadly, it doesn't really matter what actual run blocking attributes are, the ability totally overrides it. Roddy White and Taysom with honorary lineman block as well as Delanie for me, if not better.

Martyr1968 said:

Sadly, it doesn't really matter what actual run blocking attributes are, the ability totally overrides it. Roddy White and Taysom with honorary lineman block as well as Delanie for me, if not better.

That's what I assumed - it would feel so wrong to use Hill in a run first scheme over Delanie though, who is a yearly staple for me. Thanks for the feedback, may try him out.

QB283 said:

There are some I like, and some I don't like. 

I don't like the Freight Train. That X-Factor is overpowered and should only be available through earning the 10+ yard run requirements on the regular X-factor. Or it should only be on at the start of the game, and after a certain number of plays you have to reactivate it.

I also don't like Avalanche and Unstoppable Force. Avalanche, like Freight Train, should be earned as it is overpowered. Unstoppable Force significantly reduces the value/viability of other pass rushers. 

I do like the Truzz X-Factor, as it greatly reduces and incredibly annoying and unrealistic aspect of the game: QB's always fumbling when they get hit. Considering how nerfed the speed of QBs is on designed runs and behind the line of scrimmage, there shouldn't be an extra fumbling risk which practically eliminates the appeal of a running QB. Truzz negates that fumbling risk, and I'm willing to spend the extra AP if it means I can have more fun playing the game.

I agree with you and for me, the solution to all that you wrote is to just make the game play more realistic - more like real football where QBs don't fumble on every hit, where a SS launching his body at a ball carrier does not always result in a fumble, and where a quality pass rusher can get pressure simply because he's actually a good pass rusher. If only EA Devs found a way to make this happen instead of making this game like NFL Street or like an RPG ...LOL

Make the carrying attribute mean something. They can tune down the RNG chance of a fumble on a QB hit without adding some x factor. This isn't Borderlands or some fantasy game where you find these insane power-ups and upgrades; weapons, shields, etc. It's football

HEV said:

That's what I assumed - it would feel so wrong to use Hill in a run first scheme over Delanie though, who is a yearly staple for me. Thanks for the feedback, may try him out.

I always add Delanie's top card every year as well. Always one of my faves

Martyr1968 said:

I agree with you and for me, the solution to all that you wrote is to just make the game play more realistic - more like real football where QBs don't fumble on every hit, where a SS launching his body at a ball carrier does not always result in a fumble, and where a quality pass rusher can get pressure simply because he's actually a good pass rusher. If only EA Devs found a way to make this happen instead of making this game like NFL Street or like an RPG ...LOL

Make the carrying attribute mean something. They can tune down the RNG chance of a fumble on a QB hit without adding some x factor. This isn't Borderlands or some fantasy game where you find these insane power-ups and upgrades; weapons, shields, etc. It's football

Agreed. The stats need to mean more instead of abilities.

Martyr1968 said:

on the flip slide it makes the the game easier for beginners who want to learn the game 

Ahhh...but see, that's my point - that is NOT what the game is supposed to be. What noobs (and I don't use the term in a bad way at all) are learning is more like an RPG or a fantasy game than real football strategy and sim. The way to learn the game is to practice reading defenses and stuff like that.....instead people are having to figure out ways to either break the AI or counter some ridiculous ability that no one has IRL

You might have a point here, and this is exactly why I’m running with the Bus over Dillon or Henry. I’m a newbie at H2H. I don’t even try to pretend otherwise. But I’d like to actually learn the game, instead of relying on a crutch. 

I’m still not convinced they’re that good, but I’ll probably be proven wrong once I climb the ladder a bit. They’re still a crutch, though. And if I’m trying to legitimately learn the game, I’d rather take the losses and learn more than rely on the crutches, learn less and win more.

Martyr1968 said:

If you play competitive then c'mon....lots of people who use Quad CAN pass. Unless you are not playing quality opponents. You wrote it yourself - it is nearly impossible to get a stop. That's why in MCS you see how pivotal it is when Dez stopped Henry , etc.....But that wasn't my point. You are playing a football game where you need certain abilities to counter these AKA factors or you're toast. It's not just the run, it is also unstoppable force which is unable to be  countered by any ability.  There are X factors which essentially guarantee a KO....

Don't you feel restricted by what players and abilities you can use in order to counter these AKA factors, etc? Wouldn't you rather use players you like? I guess I am old school. Man, I love guys like Bettis and Fridge but if I really want to be effective I'd have to use Derrick Brown or Al Woods over Fridge because they get IS for 0 AP. This became more of an RPG than a football sim.

Well, I play in legends division, without any inside stuffs or secure tackles or anything of that matter, I win basically every game, and I never get toted on by quadfather/Henry. (Anyone who tries doesn’t have much success) The only issue I have is dudes who are good running tight offset with it, which happens *about* once a month. Abilities i think are good- gives different styles of playing the game (zone vs man). i really don’t understand why people don’t like abilities. Provides a chess match for what’s going to happen in the game.

ruined the game completely

yes

PaCounterGo said:

Well, I play in legends division, without any inside stuffs or secure tackles or anything of that matter, I win basically every game, and I never get toted on by quadfather/Henry. (Anyone who tries doesn’t have much success) The only issue I have is dudes who are good running tight offset with it, which happens *about* once a month. Abilities i think are good- gives different styles of playing the game (zone vs man). i really don’t understand why people don’t like abilities. Provides a chess match for what’s going to happen in the game.

But it ain't football...and as to what you wrote, there's no way you play competitively without using secure pro, edge pro, etc, and win almost every game -  I absolutely don't believe you. There's absolutely no way. And I am sure people here all will agree. You try going against my D line of Tank, Milk Man, maniac and Mad Maxx. 3 unstoppable forces and a Blitz - without secure protector or -as you put it- "anything of that matter" and you'll be lucky to not get sacked 10-12 times. And I am far from the only one running a couple of those abilities on the d line

Any semi-decent competitive player has played in Legends...that just means you played a lot of games and don't get beaten enough to drop down a tier. It's not like you have to be a top player to be in Legends division

i miss power ups.