Most of us have a general idea of how ability buckets work in Madden Ultimate Team 26, but do you really understand the difference between a Legendary Tier 1 bucket and a Common Tier 4? What about the AP values for the new discounted buckets we've been seeing lately? This article will help explain how the 2 main bucket systems in MUT 26 work and how they progress with new items released throughout the year.
While there are more than two types of ability buckets in MUT 26, such as the frozen buckets we saw during Zero Chill or custom ability buckets where EA can add anything they want, there are two main systems that most players' buckets follow: default ability buckets and discounted buckets.
Part 1 - Default Ability Buckets
The most common buckets found in MUT 26 since launch are the default ability buckets. Default ability buckets are determined by position group, and abilities do not have unlock requirements, meaning if an ability appears in the bucket, it can be equipped. There are 4 different tiers of ability buckets: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4. Generally speaking, Tier 1 has the least powerful abilities, while each tier after 1 has more powerful abilities than the last.
Each tier has 5 different rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The rarity of the bucket determines how many abilities are available. As the rarity of the bucket increases, so does the number of abilities. For example, a Rare Tier 1 bucket will have all of the abilities available in the Common and Uncommon Tier 1 versions, plus a few more.
Let's look at an example with the 5 different rarities of Tier 1 buckets for quarterbacks:
Tier 1 - Common (QB)
- Clutch (1 AP)
- Homer (1 AP)
- Indoor Baller (1 AP)
Tier 1 - Uncommon (QB)
- All of the Common Tier Abilities (3) plus...
- Closer (1 AP)
- Comeback (1 AP)
- Persistent (1 AP)
Tier 1 - Rare (QB)
- All of the Uncommon Tier Abilities (6) plus...
- Energizer (1 AP)
- Recuperation (1 AP)
- Red Zone Deadeye (2 AP)
Tier 1 - Epic (QB)
- All of the Rare Tier Abilities (9) plus...
- Lofting Deadeye (1 AP)
- Safety Valve (1 AP)
- Tight Out (1 AP)
Tier 1 - Legendary (QB)
- All of the Epic Tier Abilities (12) plus...
- Gutsy Scrambler (2 AP)
- Leap Frog (2 AP)
Default Tiers 2, 3, and 4 work the same way for a QB and other position groups, but with even more powerful abilities in the higher-tier buckets.
Part 2 - Discounted Ability Buckets
Starting around Zero Chill, we began seeing the first discounted ability buckets. There are no tiers or rarities when it comes to discounted buckets, unlike the default buckets. There is only one type of discounted bucket per position group, which combines abilities from all 4 tiers of the default buckets.
However, discounted buckets have unlock requirements for many of the abilities found inside, meaning the player must meet minimum rating thresholds to unlock the ability for use. For example, 96 OVR Tariq Woolen has 95 MCV. Short Route KO requires 94 MCV or higher to unlock, and Medium Route KO requires 96 MCV or higher. Woolen's 95 MCV rating gives him access to Short Route KO but not Medium Route KO. It is important to note that only a player's maximum upgraded ratings apply to ability unlocks. Strategy items and chemistry boosts do NOT count for the ratings requirement for abilities.
Currently, we've mostly seen the first level of discounted buckets, but as the year progresses, newer discounted buckets will offer the same abilities and unlock requirements, but at lower AP values.
As previously mentioned, since discounted buckets have unlock requirements, available abilities for each player in a position group can vary depending on the ratings of the players. Let's take a look at discounted buckets for 96 OVR Tariq Woolen since he has 2 different levels of discounts:
Tariq Woolen's Level 1 Discount Bucket
Tariq Woolen's Level 2 Discount Bucket
While there's a total of 43 possible abilities in discounted buckets for cornerbacks, Tariq Woolen's ratings only unlock 24 abilities. In his first level of discounted bucket, abilities that normally cost 2 AP and higher have been discounted by -1 AP. In his second level of discounted bucket, we begin to see abilities that normally cost 1 AP being discounted to 0 AP, and abilities that normally cost 3+ AP being discounted by -2 AP.
As we progress through the year, we'll most likely see new levels of discounts with more 0 AP abilities and cheaper costs for the more expensive abilities, like some of the quarterback abilities that can normally cost 10+ AP each.
Hopefully, you were able to learn something new from this article. If you're looking for help deciding which abilities to equip, check out the Abilities Tier List section of our website for recommendations from some of the game's top players.
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