PES 2018's Master League: Everything You Need to Know

[RaychelSnr]

When you think of PES usually the first thing that comes to mind is Master League....

Written By: Kevin Groves

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[ty5oke]

Thanks for the write up. I went with the PC version so that I have a little more control over what happens in ML but certainly wish they did better. The days of playing 5+ seasons of PES ML have gone for me unfortunately.*

[detroitlions12]

Thank you for the write up!! I made the switch this year to PES from FIFA so this will help tremendously!!

[jmel07]

Overall the Master League needs life and personality. Football has so much of both and we barely get any of this.

Also to note, none of the loan logic is in place surrounding players currently on loan, how many loaners you can have on the pitch for a given match or limits on how many from / to a single team.

Transfers should be huge news and feel like a text line on a screen.

They must work to incorporate all the leagues that push teams into the champions league playoff rounds and group play to really get that immersion down. I get there are 40-50 leagues that contribute to the Copa Libertadores, The AFC and the UEFA champions league but damn it would be nice to get each of these represented even if just on the PC.

The mode is stale, yes, but full of potential. I'd gladly pay money for hosted online leagues, just as the ultimate team folks pay money for their random A purchases.*

[KennyJ1976]

After reading this, you're making me not want to start a ML. I'll definitely be starting a CM in FIFA before this. As much as FIFA fans criticise EA for not giving CM an overhaul, it's still 10X better than what ML offers. *I was so hyped for this game, but it's disappointing me more and more as the days go by.*

[Bahnzo]

Good read KG. I've still yet to start a ML, and continue to put it off because of all I'm reading about it. The bread and butter of PES seems as it's now a neglected stepchild.*

[Northernwolf]

So I am about half way into my first Master League season and wanted to share a different viewpoint.

I normally buy FIFA every second year or so, play a few career modes and pawn the game at gamestop when I get bored. Career mode in FIFA has always been my go to mode in the game, but as of late I feel that FIFA has (like many of EA's titles) just completely forgotten about Career mode. The lack of a strong 1 player vs AI mode is something I have been wanting for a long time. PES and Master League is delivering exactly that.

Before you go any further I would note that I am new to PES as a player. This is my first Master League and I have nothing to compere it to other than FIFA and my experiences there.
Let me first say i have nothing against FIFA and its career mode, its a good show, but I have played it so many times over the years it starts to feel repetitive.

Master League presentation:
I found the presentation in ML to be a lot more bare boned than FIFA's flashy and fancy design. But at the same time this felt like a relief. Like a return to a different time of footy games.

Editing galore:
Before I started up my ML, as a new player I would read up here on OS and over at PESUniverse to make sure I got the modifications to the game just the way I wanted it. This is something I would recommend any new player. This game can be a handful for a new player. Even though you might have played FIFA your entire life I strongly suggest you read up here and ask other OS'ers for help if you need it.
I used quite a few hours setting up my ML with kits. I also edited a fair bunch of players in edit mode to get more diversity in players in La Liga and on the teams.
It took me some time, and I will not recommend everyone to do this first time around with ML but it did give me some interesting results.
I fixed up a manager that looked like he had the jaw of a statue.
I was actually impressed with all the options the game gave to the player when it came to creating a manager. It is still very much a work in progress, but it still way better than FIFA's options. People always end up with that brown haired dull looking youngster manager who I always found to look boring. So this actually helped me get into ML in a more fun way.

Transfers:
FIFA has a decent transfer system IMO. However the game (especially this years) has slowed this process down quite a bit. Having to go in and out of menus and into videos of you going back and forth with the players at least for me felt like a lot of hassle. There was no need for this.

In PES ML you can negotiate with anyone, but a lot of players might not care to sign with you or your team when you start. If you start using the search engine a bit, you will find some pretty decent options, but also some strange ones.
You might find players being scratched from their teams that you would never release.
This might be a bit game breaking for some, and I would completely understand if this would keep you from playing this game. I hope you, like me actually bother to take that chance.
I found the negotiation system to work really well for me.
I play as Celta Vigo and I have limited resources to work with. I went into free agency and found Niang and Bakayoko available (lucky me!). The negotiation system felt easy for me to master, as you try to find the right spot in their contracts to be affordable for your team. This can be tricky as most players have release clauses and might want to haul in some money while they play for you. The release clauses I felt was very easy to work with, while I had to be a bit more careful when negotiationg with the players. In this case I got both of them.

The transfer system is not entirely realistic at times, but I have yet to feel that it has left teams with the dramatic changes similar to the Arsenal example above. In my ML Real Madrid, Atletico and Barcelona are still Spanish powerhouses with a full stable of 80+ players. half way in to my first season I am still fighting mid table, while the three above are fighting to be number 1.

As winter approaches in between games I am trying to bring 2 Portuguese youngsters to Celta. The negotiation period feels pretty good. As we are getting close to end of december, I am starting to feel I can prepare to sign them. I am also expecting there to be some movement in my own team.
The fact that PES makes me even care about the team to such an extent means that it is doing something pretty well.
The transfers might not be elegant or with fancy cutscenes, but for me at least it felt like an important part of making Celta into a team of former giant-killers that I am trying to build them into.

ML Gameplay
The thing that I really like in ML is how different the teams you meet on the pitch truly are. I have been crushed by a defensive Betis, lost dramatically to Villareal and had refreshing wins strung after one another. The game keep you on your toes, and in ML you have to make sure you are ready for a lot of different strategies. I always have to glance over at the opposition and plan ahead of matches before using the same strategy I did last time around. In FIFA I normally changed my strategy and formation once during my entire career mode. In PES I do it every three matches or so.

The game is much harder to guess than FIFA and this is both good and bad.
PES is far more deceptive and tricky gameplay-wise than I expected. I had to adapt things in-game that I otherwise would not have to bother with in the regular couch-style playing of FIFA v AI.

And then there are rivalries!
Celta Vigo has a long standing rivalry with Deportivo la Coruna. A rivalry that might be very small on the national level felt like the end all be all in ML.
Before going into the match you actually have the owner telling you how much this means. Of course it does!
When you pick your squad some players are more emotional about the game than others. So, while Iago Aspas is all geared up for the match, my new arrivals in Niang and Bakayoko did not understand the importance of the game yet. Ocampos whom I snatched from Milan on the other hand had found a place in Celta and was eager to show himself worthy against our rivals.
The game tossing me this curveball about who was into the rivalry or not made me having to think and consider my steps. Should I bring in Niang who has 6 goals and has played really well, or let Ocampos take his place (who really wants it). it was not a player coming in to the office whining about playing time, but about the drive to beat a rival and fielding the right team.
This thing. This thing right here: Fielding the right team. I think this was when I fell in love with PES and Master League.
I doubt the game knew anything about La Liga as a person, but the fact the game showed me something akin to different emotions and how cohesive each team member was with the other is a big plus.
The build up was maybe simple, but it felt enganging. Others who have played PES and ML might say this has been in there for a long time, but for me.. this was an eye opener.

And then the game was on!
Deportivo came onto the pitch in their Galician flag kits, while I entered with an created version of Celtas Red jersey from adidas a few years back.
And the game just took off!
The commentary constantly talked about the rivalry and how much it meant.
The game was a lot of back and forth. And Deportivo looked like they would steal the game by the first half with a shot from inside the box that stunned both me and the fans.
Thankfully my players came back. Ocampos, whom I switched in for Niang for this match stormed down the pitch and - Ocampos, the bloody hero put one past Coruna's last man. Commentaries took off and the team was smiling.
As the last 10 came creeping Deportive put on an immense pressure on me. Forunately Ocampos saw Iago Aspas and we won a nail biter!

I think PES commentaries is quite repetitive, but with this match they had come back to life with more sentences.

For me ML is a bit jarring with the transfers and so forth.
Still with all its simplicities, this game has made me far more into a footy game than FIFA has.
I still think FIFA has a lot more options inside the game, but there are so many things I dont want the hassle to do in the game. The presentation might crush ML, but ML is a far more fun mode to fool around in than the career mode I have done over and over.

I might be a bit new-born about PES, and that is fair. I would actually say this is EA's own doing though. but I dont think FIFA is the king anymore. It just does the same things over and over, and I found ML to give me a far more engaging experience on the pitch.

The game really should be patched here and there, and some proper sliders would really do this game a service. Still I found the creative and open-endedness of this mode to appeal to me.

When I have a few more seasons past me with Celta in ML I will see if the experience holds up. So far, Im pleased!

[PESUtdOfficial]

@PESUtdOfficial is live. Through Twitter I’ll be doing a ML Story Mode in the style of a football club’s twitter account. It’ll include goals of the month, fixtures, results, highlights and the occasional livestream/extended highlights of key games. If interested please follow, vote in our Manager Poll and RT ��

The choices are from 4 PES Legends: Collina, Adriano, Riquelme and Henry. The team are the original defaults. Castolo et al.

I thought instead of doing a YouTube series or a forum story I’d try something different and tell the story through Twitter.

Follow the story on Twitter at @PESUtdOfficial