Madden NFL 20 patch juggles Superstar players and adds new abilities

Just two weeks after a major patch to enhance Franchise Mode and EA Sports has delivered another – this time with a focus on Superstar players and their abilities as well as a number of adjustments to gameplay. Several players have entered the Superstar tier replacing those who have slipped from their previous position and eight new unique abilities have been introduced.

It wouldn’t be a sports video game patch if issues weren’t immediately identified after deployment. One of them was demonstrated in this video showing the new “Mossed” trait with a ridiculous outcome which, according to the notes provided by EA, is completely by design. There are other reports of lost abilities and chemistries previously earned in Ultimate Team.

Updated Superstar Players

♦Rams WR Cooper Kupp: Cross Route Specialist
♦Titans S Kevin Byard :Pick Artist
♦Buccaneers OLB Shaquil Barrett: Edge Rush Elite
♦Packers DT Kenny Clark: Inside Stuff
♦Falcons MLB Deion Jones: Lurker
♦Chargers RB Melvin Gordon, downgraded from X-Factor to Superstar: Juke Box
♦Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, downgraded from X-Factor to Superstar: Sleight of Hand

All Superstar Abilities Removed: Cowboys MLB Leighton Vander Esch, Panthers QB Cam Newton, Vikings WR Stefon Diggs, Saints CB Marshon Lattimore, Bears RB Tarik Cohen, Browns QB Baker Mayfield

New X-Factor Abilities

♦Protective Custody (Zone)- Ball carriers with this ability are immune to fumbling when in the zone. Ultimate Team Requirements: Available as a Zone ability for running backs only

♦Mossed (Zone) – Inspired by Ultimate Team Legend WR Randy Moss, when players with this ability enter the zone, they will win contested catches regardless of coverage on passes of 50 yards or more (but does fall back to ratings formula when countered bypass coverage abilities). Ultimate Team Requirements: Available as a Zone ability for wide receivers and tight ends

♦Lumberjack (Superstar) – Defensive ability, preventing broken tackles and can cause fumbles when using cutstick tackles

♦Out My Way (Superstar) – Defensive ability that always wins vs. impact block attempts vs. WR’s, TE’s and RB’s

♦Goal Line Stuff (Superstar) – Defensive ability allowing quick blocksheds against 1-on-1 run blocks within 5 yards of the goalline

♦Inside Stuff (Superstar) – Defensive ability allowing quick blocksheds against 1-on-1 run blocks on inside running plays

♦No Outsiders (Superstar) – Defensive ability allowing quick blocksheds against 1-on-1 run blocks on outside running plays

♦Tank (Superstar) – Inspired by Ultimate Team Legend TE Rob Gronkowski, ball carriers with this ability break all hit-stick tackles (but does fall back to ratings formula when countered by ‘Enforcer’); this ability is only available for TE’s inside of Ultimate Team.

All new abilities will be available in Ultimate Team and Superstar KO. For new and existing Franchise leagues, the abilities will be added in a future Title Update.

Franchise Mode Updates

♦Fixed an issue causing all players from a downloaded Draft Class file to appear as ‘Early First Rounder’ in the ‘Scout College Players’ tile

♦Fixed an issue causing leagues’ injury records to be deleted when toggling off the Pre-Existing Injury league setting during the season; this option is now only available during league creation

♦Fixed an issue with the menu when creating a new Cloud Franchise league, using Real-Life Rosters, and navigating the Choose Week menu

♦Improved ‘Advance Week’ loading times in Offline leagues when the league has multiple characters

♦Fixed an issue in multi-user leagues where menus would persist when another user advanced the week

♦Added a warning for coaches about save-settings when switching between Offense and Defense in the Auto-Subs menu

♦Updated players that are “Last Chance” (players that will enter Free Agency the following week if not re-signed) to now be listed as ‘0’ years remaining in the Team Salaries menu

♦Fixed an issue in the Trade Center menu, making TE’s & WR’s now show stats for ‘Receptions’ and ‘Receiving Yards’; HB’s now display ’Rushing Touchdowns’ and ‘Rushing Yards’

♦Fixed an issue causing the ‘retire’ text to say ‘Undrafted’ when the Face of the Franchise: QB1 user was cut from the team

Presentation Updates

♦Various commentary updates

♦Updated Buccaneers Defensive Starting Lineup presentation to reflect 3-4 defense

♦Updated coach tip for the ball carrier ‘Give-Up’ mechanic

♦Updated Ravens field art

Gameplay Updates

♦Re-introduced stumbling for ball carriers in specific situations

♦Tuning to reduce the frequency of ‘auto-broken’ tackles vs. AI-controlled and user-controlled defenders when using conservative tackle on Competitive game style

♦Tuning to prevent ‘auto-broken’ tackles when the ball carrier is using the cover-ball mechanic on Competitive game style (excluding hit-sticks)

♦Tuning to prevent the ball carrier from retaining top speed while using the cover-ball mechanic on Competitive game style

♦Added functionality to receiver Zone abilities ‘Rac ’em Up,’ ‘Double Me,’ and ‘Max Security’ so that they will beat the press vs. man coverage when in the zone

♦Tuning to slightly increase block-shed speed for the ‘Run Stuffer’ Zone ability when in the zone

♦Tuning to reduce situations where AI-controlled players are allowed to cause fumbles on Competitive game style (excluding vs. scrambling QB’s)

♦Fixed an issue that prevented the offense from snapping the ball with a player in motion while the defense was resetting the play

♦Fixed an issue allowing inaccurate sky kickoffs near the sideline to be frequently recovered by the kicking team

♦Tuning to fix an issue with Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s short & medium pass animations to the left

♦Fixed an issue sometimes causing player to freeze on ground after getting tackled by the feet

♦Fixed an issue allowing an AI-controlled defender to make an interception vs. the ‘Gambler’ ability in a specific multi-player catch situation

♦Fixed an issue sometimes causing the kickoff animation to misalign during an onside-kick attempt by an AI-controlled team

♦Fixed an issue causing the coach-cam play-art to display incorrectly on Strong Open Slot Zone Alert Bubble

♦Fixed an issue causing a missed handoff when using an audible to End Around plays

♦Tuning to improve pass leading down on slant routes

Ultimate Team Updates

♦Added functionality for players to get currency refunds for Superstar Abilities, Zone Abilities and Chemistry

♦Added functionality to prevent points from improperly being awarded in specific House Rules when a penalty is committed

♦Player Likeness update for MUT Legend Rob Gronkowski

♦Player Likeness update for MUT Legend Calvin Johnson, Jr.