Welcome to the MLBMO newsletter! This will be our periodic update for the world of MLB Manager, bringing you news and notes on updates and league info, as well as give some tips & strategy for the game – covering both in-depth game mechanics and info for new users as well.

Game Update: 3^rd Cycle, 2^nd Season

First off, a belated congratulations to the winner of our 2^nd Cycle Champions Tournament – the French Bulldogs.

Congratulations likewise are in order to the winners of our World Tournament, NCTU Everyday! Both NCTU Everyday and Homer Hankies represented the U.S. servers against Japan in the World Champions Tournament, with Homer Hankies advancing to the final against the Japan team. It was the Japanese team who prevailed, 3 games to 1 (in a best of 5 series), so congratulations are due to them as well!

Now, for those new to the game, it can be a bit confusing sorting through the different tournament types. Here’s a rundown:

Champions Tournament: Happens at the end of every season – there are 3 seasons to a cycle, and a cycle lasts about a month. The Champions Tournament is for the top 4 finishers in every league, and they play each other in a series of bracket-style single-elimination games.

World Tournament: Happens at the end of a cycle, and is open to everyone! Because of the huge number of teams competing it is a bit more complicated, and is based on “Swiss Tournament” rules. This is really the only way to fairly accommodate, in a reasonable amount of time, every single team that plays MLBMO. The good news is everyone has a chance and anyone can emerge as champion!

World Champions Tournament: The winning teams from the U.S. servers go head-to-head with the winning teams from the Japanese servers — just four teams total! A chance to be patriotic and to square off against the best from Japan. All teams from the winning team’s home will be awarded points.

Special Tournaments: In addition to the regular end of season/cycle tournaments, there are numerous “hosted” events, special weekend bracket-style tournaments where you can register to go up against all teams from all divisions. These will have unique rewards and occasionally entry fees as well!

Champions Tournament, 3^rd Cycle 1^st Season: Moneyball 1, French Bulldogs 0

Congratulations to Moneyball and team owner Fantasy for their narrow & dramatic win over the French Bulldogs for the Cycle 3 / Season 1 Championship!

The French Bulldogs are obviously a seasoned team, having won the previous Champions Tournament. They very nearly won this time, too. The game was incredibly close, and was a pitching duel all the way , with both teams managing just 5 hits each over 10 innings.

But in the bottom of the 10^th, after Jose Mijares struck out the first two batters, Ian Kinsler launched the first pitch he saw into the stands in right field for a walk-off victory for the Moneyballers.

For Moneyball, Dallas Braden went 8 2/3rds innings, giving up only 4 hits and no walks. Tyler Clippard pitched 1 1/3^rd perfect innings, and Kerry Wood finished off the top of the 10^th for the save.

Of note: despite grumblings and worries that there was too much benefit for players who were composing their team all from one real MLB team, both of the teams in the finals were made up of very mixed rosters. Fine fodder for the point that maximizing your team’s strengths is better than just going for easier chemistry by grabbing everyone from a single team!

Hints & Tips: Spending SEGA Coins

We recently have started turning on the various monetization features that will be available for MLBMO. The game is free to play but if you choose, you can buy a few coins here and there for different ways to improve your teams. While we are continually evaluating the prices and features available, here’s some general tips if you’re looking to spend:

• The Arcades have some powerful cards but it can also be difficult to get the best items. Don’t think of them as a way to hunt one particular item (unless you’re prepared to spend a lot of coins); rather, try budgeting a certain number of spins per month. It’s all about knowing how to use what you get rather than worrying about getting a specific item!

• Good values include the option to increase the points you get from season games, and the options to reset/redo training slots for players. I’m fond of the training slots especially – these are a chance to know exactly what you’re purchasing and to make sure your lineup is doing exactly what you want it to do.

• If you’re lucky enough to grab a CH Ticket – the ticket that allows you to use one of the game’s Career High players – then plan carefully! The ticket is good for an entire cycle; if you’re near the end of a cycle you might want to wait.

• In general pay attention to how long all of the items are good for and decide when to deploy them to maximize what you can do!

Stay tuned for more news and updates on the way for MLB Manager Online!