Welcome back to another episode of Ask Huddle.
If you’re new here, this is a weekly series where we answer questions from the community. If you have something you’d like us to break down in a future article or video, drop it in the comments below. We read them all, so let us know what you want covered next.
In today’s episode, we’re going to break down how to run the ball against the Dollar meta defenses, explain Mid Zone KO and how it works in man coverage, go over the best strategy items to use, and take a look at the Drake Maye Season Pass card, whether he gets Gunslinger, and how to unlock it.
Appreciate you guys being here, let’s get right into it.
#1 - Does the Season Pass Drake Maye get Gunslinger?
Answer:
A lot of people have asked whether the Drake Maye Season Pass player item gets Gunslinger. The short answer is yes, but it depends on his upgrade level.
Drake Maye starts as an 89 overall and can be upgraded using upgrade tokens earned through the Season Pass or purchased in the store. Right now, if you don’t buy the premium Season Pass, most players can get him up to a 94 overall.
At 94 overall, he does not get Gunslinger because he doesn’t meet the 95 Throw Power threshold required for the ability.
To unlock Gunslinger, you’ll need to upgrade him to 95 overall. You can do that either by reaching Level 40 on the premium Season Pass, or by waiting until 95 overall cards are released in game (non LTD), at which point a 95 upgrade token should become available in the store that can be used on Drake Maye or any Season Pass player.
So if you have Drake Maye at 94 overall right now, you won’t have access to Gunslinger yet, but once he hits 95 overall, he’ll be able to get it.
#2 - How do you run against the Dollar "Hover" defense?
Answer:
The Dollar Hover defense can be extremely frustrating to run against. Visually, it looks like you should be able to gash it, since there are usually only five defenders in the box and you’ll have at least five offensive linemen, often more if you’re using a tight end or fullback.
The problem comes from how players are using their user defender. Most people will hover their user directly over the nose tackle, and when they do that, the offensive line doesn’t properly recognize the extra defender. The guards only account for the nose tackle, and the center can’t block both the nose and the hovering user. As a result, one defender comes in free and hits the running back in the backfield.
This issue shows up most often against zone-based run concepts; inside zone, outside zone, stretch, and read option, because of how those plays block.
To counter this, you want to lean more into gap-scheme or power runs. These concepts do a much better job of accounting for the user defender and handling the Dollar Hover meta. My favorite run in the entire game is Duo, which I show in the video. Other effective options include Power/Punch and Quick Base.
Now, it’s important to be realistic with the run game. You’re not going to rip off 10 yards every play. There will still be snaps where a defender sheds a block and you get stopped at the line. But if you consistently call the right run concepts for the defense you’re facing, you’ll be able to move the ball effectively over time.
Against the Dollar Hover meta specifically, gap-scheme and power runs are the most reliable answer.
#3 - What are the best strategy items to use?
Answer:
When it comes to strategy items, there isn’t a true one-size-fits-all answer. The best strategy items depend on how your team is built and how you play. That said, I’ll walk through the strategy items I like to use and explain why they work for me.
First, a quick breakdown of how strategy items are split. On offense, you get one strategy item for your quarterback, one for your offensive line, and one shared between your halfback, wide receivers, and tight ends. On defense, you get one each for the defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs, plus one specialist strategy item for your kicking unit.
Offensive Strategy Items
For my quarterback, I like to use Gunslinger. This increases throw power, and at the higher tiers such as Epic and Legendary, you also get a plus two boost to deep accuracy, which is huge for stretching the field.
For my halfback, wide receivers, and tight ends, I use the Offensive Drive strategy item. This card boosts the entire offense by increasing throw power, impact blocking, and catching, which makes it very versatile.
If your team struggles in a specific area, like medium or deep route running, you can swap this out for a route-running focused strategy item instead.
On the offensive line, I use Bench Press. The Epic version gives plus four strength and plus two run block, and strength is one of the most important attributes for offensive linemen. Even if you pass the ball a lot, strength still matters. If you are a heavy passer, you can also consider Pass Protector for improved pass blocking.
Defensive Strategy Items
On the defensive line, this is probably the least impactful strategy item overall, but I usually choose either Contain or Edge Threat.
Contain boosts play recognition, pursuit, and block shed.
Edge Threat increases block shed, impact blocking, tackling, and pursuit.
For linebackers, I highly recommend Lurk Artist. The Epic version boosts zone coverage, man coverage, and jumping, which significantly improves your linebackers’ ability to play the pass.
For defensive backs, this depends on your scheme.
If you run man coverage, use the Man strategy item to boost man coverage, play recognition, and awareness.
If you run zone coverage, use the Zone strategy item to boost zone coverage, play recognition, and awareness.
Specialist Strategy Item
For specialists, I recommend Power Kicker. The extra kick power makes a noticeable difference on kickoffs and long field goals and is easily the most valuable option in that slot.
#4 - Does Mid Zone KO work in Man to Man over the middle?
Answer:
This is a great question, and it is important to understand how and why Mid Zone KO works because it is one of the better abilities in the game.
Mid Zone KO only activates when a player is in a zone assignment. If a defender is in man-to-man coverage, Mid Zone KO will not activate on that player, even if the route is running over the middle of the field.
This is based on the individual player’s assignment, not the coverage call as a whole. For example, if you are running a man coverage defense like Cover 0 but you manually drop one defender into a zone, that player can still activate Mid Zone KO. As long as that defender’s assignment is a zone, the ability has the chance to light up, even if the rest of the defense is in man coverage.
Mid Zone KO activates in a very large area of the field. Outside the numbers, it can activate anywhere between 9 to 21 yards downfield. Inside the numbers, it can activate from the line of scrimmage up to 21 yards downfield.
This wide activation range is what makes Mid Zone KO so powerful. For comparison, Flat Zone KO only activates underneath 10 yards outside the numbers.
To directly answer the original question, Mid Zone KO does not work if the Mid Zone KO defender is in man coverage. The player with Mid Zone KO must be in a zone assignment for the ability to activate. The specific zone does not matter. As long as the ball is thrown into the activation areas mentioned, the defender will have a chance to trigger Mid Zone KO.
Thanks again for tuning in this week, and as always, if you have a question you'd like answered, make sure to leave it in the comments below!
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