5 Ways To Quickly Find Great Madden Online Opponents - ZFarls's Blog

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5 Ways To Quickly Find Great Madden Online Opponents

Posted on June 8, 2009 at 11:51 AM.

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This is the first post in our Madden Mailbag series. Every week, Sgibs and Zfarls will answer the best questions from the community. If you have a question for the Mailbag, If you have a question for us email it to maddenbible AT gmail (spam) and we may feature you in a future post. Thanks

How To Find Quality Madden Online Opponents

Today�s question is from Leon in Boston, MA

ZFarls,
Love the site but I have a question about online. Do you recommend going into a play now game or into the east lobby to get a game? What are some things to look for before playing someone?

The lobby system is imperative to finding a good game of Madden. You are investing an hour of your time in playing a game so it is important to get a similar level player as well as someone who is going to play fair and give you a challenge.
With a game like NHL 09, I usually just quick ranked match and take whatever comes first as long as they aren't screaming into the mic or signing in 4 people to play with. Most games only last around 20 minutes max so even if you get an unskilled or dominant opponent, you aren't locked in to such a long tilt.

With a game like NHL a weaker player can hang with a big dog because the games go quickly and you can set up �plays�. I would say the better player wins somewhere between 75-90% still but there is a greater chance for an upset.

In Madden however, a far better player will win upwards of 95% of the time because of longer games and advanced tactics. The weaker player has to use specific strategies like creating a time of possession advantage and forcing a turnover. (good players rarely turn the ball over on purpose)
I know are concerned about there records and rank but that isn�t the most important factor. People buy Madden because they want good matches and like to spend their free time battling and getting better. You want to play good games against equally matched opponents and not spend time running it out against the cpu up 57-3. We have all played the good quality games that come down to the last play, whether we win or lose we remember those games and the little adjustments we had to make. I hardly remember any of the blowouts against someone who could barely hold a controller. Here are some tips to find a good opponent for Madden Online and get your time and moneys worth.

1. Players DNF%- This is the first element that you should take into account. Whether it is a poor connection or players quitting, this level can help you weed out some of the weaker players. I�m not saying all of these players are ill legit but why risk the fact that they haven't finished a high percent of their games. Quitting is a frustrating thing especially if you hung tough to get the win. Playing an opponent on a laggy connection to can also be frustrating and lead to errors that a smooth game would avoid. There are too many madden players out there to risk an hour getting into one of these games. Move on.

2. Opponents Record- These numbers are a good reflection of what you should expect in game. If the person is 237-195 they are most likely a solid and consistent player with a solid scheme who has seen most tactics. If the person is 95-31 they are most likely a good who does one thing extremely well but if you can lock it up, you should be in for a game. I rarely if ever play people with less than .500 record. How can they challenge you to get better?

3. Opponents Lvl- Not important? WHAT. How can you say that all people have glitched and cheated to become a level 35 are not important? They have played over 500 games and spent countless hours wasting their time for a number. Your gonna say its not important? YES I AM

4. Opponents Avg Opp Lvl- This is the key element in determining a opponent. I have demolished level 29+ players whose average opponent level is 1. They win every game by mercy against 13 year olds who want to try and knock off a "top" player. They use the same 3 plays and one blitz to frazzle the level ones. As soon as you locate one of these players get into a game and punch them in the mouth. Everyone has a plan during a game of Madden, until you get hit in the mouth. These players cant hold their own against good competition. On the other hand when someone is 23-21 with average opponent level of 13-17, bring it on. These are the best type of players out there. They don�t spend a lot of time playing but seek good competition when they do. They havent seen every offense out there yet but can adapt to anything being thrown at them. These are the types of players you want to become because playing the best competition will always make you better. What are you gonna learn from a level 1?

5. Going in for more- The statistics EA provides are very helpful and can help weed out alot of the potential problem gamers. During the beginning of the season, anyone with a TB Playbook I refused to play against. 90% of the people were using it to run the direct snap glitch rather then the solid offense it is capable of. Anyone who blitzes 95% of hurries up 95% is probably not going to get an invite either.
I don't claim to be sim or even want to be, but something is fishy about those numbers. Sometimes if I see these numbers on a lower skilled player, I will choose to play them because they clearly don't have alot of variety and if you can stop there blitz then you get the W. This screen can tell alot about a player.
Numbers to analyze- If they have high scrambles on pass play- Do you have an effective defensive to scheme against this tactic? Play them. But if you struggle against players that use this then move on to the next gamer.

Madden is one of the most popular games online and there are many "fish in the sea." If you smell something funny with one then move on and take on the next player in line. I recommend spending 2-5 minutes however, looking for a game and opponent that will help you bring out the best in the game.