Sustainability Update II

Ultimate Champions
5 min readJul 19, 2024

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Dear Champs,

As we prepare for the 24/25 season, we’re pleased to present updates to enhance the gaming experience and ensure the long-term sustainability of our beloved Ultimate Champions.

⚠️ Please note: This article was previously published on Friday, 19.07.24. This version covers the following topics:

  • No Non-IP cards for the 24/25 season
  • MGC will not be reset
  • Adjustments to Gameweek structure
  • Tournament structure & Scoring Matrix

Our main goals for the upcoming season are to protect the value of existing licensed cards and provide more affordable entry points for new managers. To achieve these objectives, we’re implementing several updates that will enhance gameplay and ensure the longevity of Ultimate Champions.

1. Seasonal Non-IP Cards

We’ve decided not to introduce Non-IP cards for the 24/25 season. While the feedback from the Euro game was overwhelmingly positive, it doesn’t fully align with the core design of Ultimate Champions. Consequently, MGC won’t be reset; you can continue accumulating and spending MGC in the store on licensed player packs as before.

Looking ahead with our licensed cards, we’re thrilled to introduce the new card design for the upcoming season.

2. Gameweeks Schedule

New format with a fixed and predictable schedule: Gameweeks will now have a fixed gameweek schedule: Friday 1pm to the following Friday 10am CET.
Note: Gameweek 188 will exceptionally start on Thursday, Aug. 15th, 18:00 CET

Benefits:

  • Consistent Schedule: Weekly gameweeks help players prepare teams regularly and reduce missed deadlines.
  • Multiple Matches: If an athlete has two matches within a single Game Week, the User Interface (UI) will only display and reflect the match applicable for scoring. This match will be the one considered for scoring until we roll out a new update. In an upcoming update, we will introduce a feature where the best score from both matches will be counted.
  • UI Adjustments: Highlights athletes with multiple matches and displays live matches on the pitch.
  • 5-a-side Variation: Used when too few published athletes are playing in a National tournament to ensure interesting team compositions.

This new format aims to enhance gameplay and make managing your team easier.

3. Tournaments

We’re introducing a simpler, tiered tournament structure based on league prestige, with three divisions: Semi-Pro, Pro, and World Class or Legends. Managers can join up to two divisions per tournament.

In addition to the tiered tournaments, Global Tournaments will also be available for managers to play in.

The final tournament configuration was based on a community vote before the start of the season. This is the tournament structure for the 2024/25 season:

Global tournaments:

Tournaments:

  • Ultimate Champions
  • U23 Ultimate Champions

Divisions (3 entries per manager):

  • Semi-Pro 5-a-side (600 point cap)
  • Pro (1400 point cap)
  • Star (1500 point cap)
  • Legend (1600 point cap)

National tournaments:

Tournaments:

  • International T1 (Premier League, EFL Championship, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, LaLiga)
  • International T2 (Scottish Premiership, EFL League One, EFL League Two, Ligue 2)
  • International T3 (Eliteserien, Super liga Srbije, Nike liga, SuperLiga)

Divisions (3 entries per manager)

  • Semi-Pro 5-a-side (uncapped)
  • Pro (uncapped)
  • Star (uncapped)

Division Requirements:

Divisions & Rewards:

  • 1–2 licensed teams playing during the GW: Pro 5-a-side with 25% rewards
  • 3–5 licensed teams playing during the GW: Semi-Pro 5-a-side & World Class 5-a-side with 50% rewards
  • 6–9 licensed teams playing during the GW: All 3 divisions 11-a-side with 75% rewards
  • 10+ licensed teams playing during the GW: All divisions 11-a-side with 100% rewards

Points Cap: Ensures balanced competition by setting a maximum points limit.

  • 5-a-side: 800 points cap.
  • 11-a-side: 1,600 points cap.

Substitutes: Each formation will have 3 fixed bench slots (DEF, MID, FW). A substitute will only contribute to scoring if a starter in the same position does not play at all.

4. Leagues

Leagues will continue to serve as the entry point for new users. To ease the transition to tournaments, a 1,500 points cap will be introduced in League mode. Rewards threshold will also stay in place to help new managers progress faster.

Updated Leagues Reward Structure:

Season Rewards

At the end of the season, top managers will receive additional rewards based on their performance in the season leaderboard:

  • Top 1: 1 Unique (draft) + Mythic
  • Top 2–3: 1 Unique (draft)
  • Top 4–10: 1 Mythic (draft) + 1 Epic
  • Top 11–25: 1 Mythic
  • Top 26–50: 2 Epics
  • Top 51–150: 1 Epic

5. Scoring Matrix

With this update, we aim to improve the scoring system while keeping changes minimal to maintain game balance. Key changes include:

  • Redistribution of club action points: Points for club actions (like scoring or conceding goals) are now redistributed to individual actions to give greater value to personal performance.
  • Removal of throw-ins: These actions did not accurately reflect player performance and have been removed from calculations.
  • Addition of penalty won and foul won: These new metrics will better reflect an athlete’s contribution to the game by tracking important actions.
  • Rebalance of actions’ value: Important actions now score more points, while repetitive, ineffective actions score less. This ensures a fairer distribution of scores across different leagues.
  • Improvement of full backs: Points for actions frequently performed by full backs, like crosses and dribbling, have been increased to better represent their value on the field. Central players have been slightly adjusted but still retain high value.

6. Marketplace

Adjusted Minimum Rarity Card Prices: Prices for minimum rarity cards have been adapted to better reflect market conditions and ensure a fair trading environment.

  • Epic: $2
  • Mythic: $10
  • Unique: $100

7. Timeline

The new scoring matrix will take effect starting from gameweek 187. All other changes will take effect starting from Gameweek 188. Until then, the old tournament structure will remain active, including during Gameweek 187.

8. Closing Remarks

These updates aim to sustain the game’s longevity while offering a rewarding experience for all players. By focusing on licensed cards and refining our tournament structure, we aim to protect the value of existing collections. Thank you for your continued support, and let’s make the 2024/25 season a great success!

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Ultimate Champions

Free-to-play fantasy Football & Basketball game with officially licensed digital cards hosted on BNB Chain & Polygon