The consensus is this is the best pack release by 2K so far this year in terms of top-end meta players, and it’s hard to disagree after looking more closely at these Flash Pack players. The pack does expire on Monday morning, so if you’re still on the fence, maybe this helps you jump in or avoid them before Ben Simmons, Lamar Odom, Zion Williamson, Michael Jordan and Chris Bosh go out of packs.
One other note before we begin is that power creep really kicks up a notch with this release. 2K makes its first big step towards busting the positional breakdowns, and some of these cards are just so stacked, and we’re only in December. We’re going to be hitting “end game” cards much earlier than last year, so it will be interesting to see how 2K deals with that power creep and how it alters gameplay to even greater degrees as we continue through this season. The gameplay is already in a really rough spot with some of these stat-rich players, so I would suspect the gameplay cheese to get worse not better from here.
We’re still waiting for the return of Zion in real life, but he gets his first upgrade of the season in this pack. He has 80 3-point shooting, 86 speed, 86 acceleration, 99 vertical, 92 driving layup, 98 standing dunk, 99 driving dunk, 85 hands, 81 speed with ball, 80 interior defense, 82 lateral quickness, 80 reaction time, 87 block, 80 shot contest, 80 offensive rebounding and 82 defensive rebounding.
HOF badges: Fastbreak Finisher, Lob City Finisher, Putback Boss, Showtime, Chase Down Artist and Pogo Stick
Gold badges include: Brick Wall, Rebound Chaser, Lightning Reflexes, Worm, Box, Break Starter, Downhill, Quick Draw, Pick and Popper, Backdown Punisher, Pick and Roller
This is the “worst” card in the pack, and it’s still such a good budget option. Zion did shrink down to 6-foot-6 from 6-foot-7 on his gold card, but otherwise you’re getting really good upgrades. He has a usable 3-point shot now, the dunking is crazy, he can grab and go off defensive boards, and he’s got plenty of solid rebounding and defense badges. The height hurts him more in 2K than it does in real life, but Zion gets a lot of crazy animations to make up for it. I’m not sure the animations are just due to his ratings either. He gets in these grooves and just does things that few other players do in the game animation-wise, even players with much higher ratings.
Odom makes his return to 2K, and it’s a really sick card.
He has 88 mid-range, 88 3-point shooting, 81 speed, 94 driving layup, 80 standing dunk, 90 driving dunk, 78 post moves, 95 hands, 80 speed with ball, 86 ball handling, 84 interior defense, 86 perimeter defense, 85 help defense, 94 pick and roll defense, 86 lateral quickness, 84 pass perception, 94 reaction time, 85 steal, 84 block, 92 shot contest, 92 offensive rebounding and 94 defensive rebounding.
For HOF badges: Contact Finisher, Fancy Footwork, Corner Specialist, Pick and Popper, Needle Threader, Space Creator, Chase Down Artist
Gold badges include: Clamps, Interceptor, Heart Crusher, Intimidator, Lightning Reflexes, Off-Ball Pres, Pick Dodger, Pick Pocket, Trapper, Defensive Leader, Quick First Step, Flashy Passer, Floor General, Ankle Breaker, Quick Draw, Range Extender, Green Machine, Flexible Release, Deadeye, Catch and Shoot
This card is kitted out. Odom has one of the best range of gold badges you’ll see, and gets a couple key HOF badges that make really unique as a 6-foot-10 power forward who can also serve as a point forward. His versatility in real life is even more on display in 2K as he’s a dangerous shooter on top of the playmaking and slashing. His form is super easy to handle and green, and he’s got great hot zones as well. The one shortcoming is his post badges are lacking on defense, so he may get beat up at times in that area. Regardless, this is a diamond that is better than a diamond.
MJ is my pick for the worst player in this pack, but it’s still a good card.
He has 94 mid-range, 79 3-point shooting, 95 speed, 95 acceleration, 96 driving layup, 95 driving dunk, 92 post moves, 92 post fade, 96 hands, 90 speed with ball, 86 ball handling, 96 perimeter defense, 96 help defense, 97 pick and roll defense, 96 lateral quickness, 95 pass perception, 95 reaction time, 95 steal and 95 shot contest.
For HOF badges: Consistent Finisher, Contact Finisher, Fastbreak FInisher, Relentless FInisher, Showtime, Clamps, Pick Pocket, Tireless Defender
Gold badges include: Defensive Leader, trapper, Pick Dodger, Pogo Stick, Off-Ball Prest, Heart Crusher, Interceptor, Break Starter, Quick Draw, Green Machine, Deadeye
MJ is more of a situational diamond, which is really getting into the weeds of having a stacked team when talking like that, but it’s his best use in theory. He’s going to absolutely punish smaller guards in the post, and he has really good animations for drives. His defense is unquestionably awesome as well, but the issue is more his competition. There are so many good diamonds and even amethyst wings, so it makes it tough to put a stamp of approval on this card. If you have a great shooting team, he may make more sense, but if you’re already using a Giannis or a Ben Simmons, it would probably be wise to look elsewhere.
Chris Bosh is the antidote we didn’t even know we needed until we got this pack. With Giannis and Ben Simmons now about to be even more meta, Chris Bosh is such a clutch stretch big to get.
He has 95 mid-range, 94 3-point shooting, 75 speed, 84 driving layup, 85 standing dunk, 90 driving dunk, 94 post moves, 95 post hook, 95 hands, 94 interior defense, 92 help defense, 84 pass perception, 85 block, 95 offensive rebounding and 96 defensive rebounding.
For HOF badges: Contact Finisher, Dropstepper, Pick and Roller, Catch and Shoot, Deadeye, Green Machine, Pick and Popper, Tireless Shooter, Dream Shake and Post Spin Technician
Gold badges include: Backdown Punisher, Deep Hooks, Corner Specialist, Deep Fades, Quick Draw, Range Extender, Flashy Passer, Box, Brick Wall, Heart Crusher, Intimidator, Post Move Lockdown, Rebound Chaser, Rim Protector and Worm
So yeah, I mentioned his ability as a stretch big, but clearly he can do way more than that. His shot form remains smooth as ever, and he’s great in the post as well as a pick and pop big. If he were a smidgen faster, he would be certifiably broken, but as it stands he’s just one of the best cards in the game. The real big thing with him too is he did get gold Range Extender. So that’s what puts him over the top as a stretch big with an easy shot who can setup well behind the 3-point line as well.
Ben Simmons is the first player where we get a true massive position addition with him going to PG.
He has 85 mid-range, 65 3-point shooting, 95 speed, 95 acceleration, 97 driving layup, 90 standing dunk, 95 driving dunk, 79 post moves, 89 post hook, 88 post fade, 98 hands, 91 speed with ball, 90 ball handling, 90 passing accuracy, 90 passing vision, 80 interior defense, 90 perimeter defense, 90 help defense, 85 pick and roll defense, 86 lateral quickness, 97 pass perception, 85 reaction time, 97 steal, 80 block, 86 shot contest, 80 offensive rebounding and 80 defensive rebounding.
For HOF badges: Acrobat, Consistent Finisher, Contact Finisher, Dimer, Downhill, Floor General, Needle Threader, Quick First Step, Interceptor, Pick Pocket, Trapper
Gold badges include: Fancy Footwork, Quick Draw, Ankle Breaker, Break Starter, Space Creator, Stop and Go, Post Spin Technician, Box, Clamps, Intimidator, Lightning Reflexes, Off-Ball Pest, Pick Dodger, Pogo Stick, Defensive Leader.
Simmons got put in his own separate “Glitched” category for collections and it’s fair. He’s not only glitched for PG, but his overall speed and defense means he’s also a menace at power forward. He’s a good shoe away from having an okay 3-point shot, and overall he’s 100 percent an evil card in this game. His existence at PG makes teams have to rearrange matchups by default in most every game for now, and it makes it really hard to use a “traditional” lineup to deal with a Simmons-led team.
I still don’t love his shooting motion even with the better stats, but he’s a great playmaker, great defender, and he’s a 6-foot-10 point guard, which means he automatically has an advantage on offense in 2K. It also does not hurt that he gets some great animations, and has really good 0-100 dribbling momentum when starting a fast break.
Tacko Fall is the meme reward as I stated previously, and it’s really even more meme-worthy than I thought after scoping him out.
He has 75 mid-range, 40 speed, 95 standing dunk, 78 post moves, 84 post hook, 95 hands, 90 interior defending, 97 block, 95 shot contest, 93 offensive rebounding and 95 defensive rebounding.
HOF badges: Lob City Finisher, Pick and Roller, Rim Protector
Gold badges includes: Box, Brick Wall, Intimidator, Heart Crusher, Post Move Lockdown, Worm, Dropstepper, Post Spin Technician, Backdown Punisher
I say he’s even more of a meme than I thought because the badges make him an absolute brute in the post, and his shot form is way easier than it has any right to be. He’s quite buttery from mid-range, and he’s really going to force teams to keep Muresan around to deal with him unless you have other top tier bigs who are massive. He’s 7-foot-5 and still slow, but Muresan is 7-foot-7 and even slower so Fall does have that going for him.
Overall, no, you should not lock in this collection for Tacko Fall. But 2K does seem to know how much height impacts things this year and leaned into it hard with this card.
Published: Dec 15, 2019 07:32 pm