With EA Spots' EA FC 24 set to release on September 29th, many new features are out for fans of the game to dive into, but one sticks out in particular as something that would be a huge improvement for NHL's Hockey Ultimate Team.
In EA FC 24's Ultimate Team game mode, a new game concept titled "Evolutions" will be debuting with the new game, and it's a concept fans of ultimate team game modes have been long asking for. Evolutions allows you to take lower-rated players from any team and level them up either by paying real currency, or playing the game and completing objectives. This allows players to select lower overall cards that normally would not have been used due to their rating, and work towards upgrading them into more usable cards.
Now before you start panicking that certain cards can easily become meta cards simply by paying, there are certain requirements to have a player card eligible for Evolutions, and they vary by position. For example, winger cards can only be a maximum of 79 overall, while a defender can have a maximum of 80 overall. There are other maximums for individual stats as well.
Why Hockey Ultimate Team Needs This
For the longest time in Hockey Ultimate Team, low overall cards were only usable at the beginning of the year when everyone is starting with a brand new team. Once a month or two passes, these cards often become nothing more than wasted space in a collection. If EA Sports were to implement a feature like this into NHL, fans would be able to play with their favorite cards regardless of overall, and level them up as they play with them. This is the true meaning of an "Ultimate Team" game mode, as players being able to play with their favorite players, regardless of overall is the greatest win-win. This type of feature would allow for players to also use more cards in their team, and we could see leagues like the CHL, AHL, and other European leagues become more mainstream.
While there's no word on if a gameplay addition like this is expected for NHL 24 or beyond, it would certainly be an addition that many would be a fan of.