Madden Ultimate Team | December 29 Saturday Legends Revealed
Not surprisingly, EA continued their recent formula of recycling previously released Legends Saturday, giving updates to the likes of Team Captains Shannon Sharpe and Ray Lewis, while introducing four Limited Time (LTD) items, including Terrell Owens, which is sure to cause outrage in the Madden community.
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EA tipped their hand last week with the introduction of 95 overall Legends left end Michael Strahan and wide receiver Jerry Rice, followed by the release of LTD Rod Woodson.
All three players were a major part of previous key promos, with Strahan and Rice representing two of the four Team Captain options, while Woodson was the second to last Hall of Fame player to see an LTD.
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The questionable practice of re-releasing key pieces to previous promos notwithstanding, at least the 95 overall Strahan and Rice had the stats to finish near the top of their respective positions.
The same cannot be said for Sharpe, who is somehow outclassed by not one, but two other tight ends released in the past day. Arguably the best Team Captain option available given his speed and positive receiving statistics, Sharpe’s 95 overall card isn’t even the best option for his given skill set, which is being fast.
The likes of 96 overall Ghosts of Christmas Past Jeremy Shockey and today’s extra large gift, 95 overall Ghosts of Christmas Present Rob Gronkowski are both slower than Sharpe by four Speed, but are significantly better run blockers and overall better receivers.
And if you were in the market for a speedy tight end, why not go with the likes of 92 overall Team of the Week Boss George Kittle, who is three Speed faster, but only marginally worse blocker compared to the former Broncos and Ravens legends.
It’s even worse when you look at LTD 95 overall Legends Terrell Owens. For as heavily as EA marketed the introduction of Owens into Madden Ultimate Team, even making him the cover of the higher-priced version of Madden 19 and the key piece of the since outdated Hall of Fame promo, it’s frankly a travesty to see his card now.
It’s fair to say that the skills Owens was best at in his career (essentially a physical receiver) can’t be properly translated into a video game, but it’s a whole other beast when you compare his attributes to the likes of 96 overall Ghosts of Christmas Past Randy Moss, who laughably outclasses him in every way, and even the aforementioned Rice, whose base Legend is faster, a better receiver and a better route runner for what will probably be 500,000 less coins.
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Lewis, perhaps thankfully, is an excellent card and should be relatively affordable given his tremendous statistics. Significantly higher priced options like 95 overall Ghosts of Christmas Present Luke Kuechly or Week 13 Team of the Week LTD 95 overall Bobby Wagner will outclass Lewis, but for the most part, the 2005 Madden coverboy will hit a nice middle ground for players looking for a high-end card without paying an exorbitant price.
The best news from Saturday’s slate of Legends might just be that there can’t be any more “bad” news, as the last of Hall of Fame and Team Captain recycling might force EA to be a bit more creative when it comes to their Legends release.
