Madden Mobile 16 Tips for Success: Rivalry Rankings

I’m an average Madden Mobile player but I made Top 100 in Rivalry Rankings last season and am currently in the Top 100 now. If you’re a beginner or an average player, here are 10 tips to help you climb the head-to-head ladder in Madden Mobile 16. (Tips on league and live event play coming soon!)

Climbing on up!

1) Fans, fans, fans!

Real NFL owners often forget this, but it’s all about the fans. Fans will help you rise in the rankings. Not points, not money, not team ratings, not even wins. This is your mission statement: win the crowd, win the crown.

2) Play a ton of games

The Rivalry system is designed to give you fans if you simply play. Even if you lose a game, the odds are you’ll gain fans because the penalty for failures is less severe than the reward for successes. For example, if you lose 100 fans on a turnover, you’ll gain 200 if you score on the next drive. You also gain fans if your opponent fails a drive. So, the chances of you acquiring fans are high if you just play.

Here I lost 3 of 5 but had a net gain in fans.

3) Choose your opponent wisely

Yes, play a lot of games, but there are thousands of Madden Mobile players so be selective. Avoid opponents with high ratings because no matter how good you are, your players will fumble and your defense will get run. Also, avoid ringers when challenged. How do you recognize a ringer? Check the film and if they scored on you efficiently with a strong passing game, then decline that challenge. Don’t let lost fans suck you in – that’s a sunk cost. You’ll lose more if you accept.

The 50K fans I lost to Doc is a sunk cost. His team will crush me. I’m declining his challenge.

4) Be Conservative

Run first, pass only if you have to. Passing has become much more difficult in Madden Mobile 16. Requires more touch, more precision. You need to be Bruce Lee to pass consistently. At some point, you’ll get there but if you’re reading this, you’re probably not there yet. The odds of getting picked or sacked are very high, especially in the higher tiers. Run, run, run, and then run some more. Pass only if you’re in a 4^th and long situation or if all your run plays are countered. And pass to your tight end on a streak or corner – these passes are least likely to get pick-sixed.

If you do decide to pass in other situations, throw on non-passing downs, such as 2^nd and short or 4^th and short.

Passing is hard.

5) Kick the ball

The kicking game is very important. Again, you’re going for fans, not wins. The odds of hitting a field goal are much higher than converting a first down even in short yardage situations. So, even if it’s 4 and 1 at the 2 yard line, don’t go for it. Don’t do it. Discipline yourself and go for the kick. You might lose the game and lose several thousand fans, but you’ll lose a lot more if you don’t kick that field goal. We’re playing the odds here – kicking the FG from the 2 is close to 100%. Converting the 4 and 1 is much lower than 100%.

6) Don’t spend money at the auction

You don’t need a high-rated team to climb the rankings. In fact, it works against you because you’ll get matched with teams at the same level. That means you’ll play against tougher opponents. Buy Pro Packs and build your team slowly – no need to rush and spent $50K+ at the auction.

There is one exception…

7) Get a good kicker

The kicker is the only player you should buy at the auction early on. Kick Power (KP) is most important. A kicker with 90+ KP will shorten your field significantly. A 90 KP will allow you to kick 40-45 yard field goals. That means you can kick from the 35 yard line as opposed to the 25 yard line with a kicker under 90 KP. Those ten yards translate to millions of fans.

The kicker is your best friend.

8) Don’t forget your Defensive Strategy

Set your Global Counters and then set the opponent-specific counters after each drive. Early on, counter the basic plays such as HB Dive WK, Hail Mary, Deep Attack and TE Corner. In later tiers, players will avoid those plays so adjust counters accordingly. Study the film after each drive and try to anticipate your opponent’s game plan.

Good defensive strategy = lots of fans.

9) Always touchback

On the kickoff, if you’re KR is standing in the end zone, hit that button that says, “Fair Catch”. It’ll give you an automatic 20 yards. Don’t try to run it out – you’ll end up on the 10 or 15 yard line.

Hit the fair catch button. Trust me, you won’t make it to 20 any other way.

10) Go for two

You don’t get fans for PATs. The two-point conversion is also much easier than last season. The QB Sneak is automatic if it’s not countered. So, go for two almost every time. The only situations where you’d kick are if all your go-to plays are countered or if kicking will win you the game. If it’s tied 6-6 and it’s the last drive of the game, by all means, kick it and get the win. Otherwise, run the two.

At some point, you’ll need to figure out what works best for you, but stay disciplined, go for fans, and you’ll make your way up the rankings. Happy Maddening!