Our My NBA 2k17 tips, cheats and strategies will be even more useful if you’ve never played a previous game in the series (because this one isn’t that much different than previous entries) or are unfamiliar with other 2K card games like WWE SuperCard. But we’ll try to inform and entertain you regardless.

At it’s most basic level, My NBA 2K17 is a game won by comparing the stats on your players’ cards to those on your opponent’s cards. You’re told which stats are going to be used for the comparison (either one or two) and how many players are involved (again, it can be one or two), and then you choose your guys and hope for the best. Different game modes add more wrinkles, but the underlying formula remains the same.

Does this mean you need to know something about basketball, like if LeBron James is faster than Stephen Curry? Nope. The values on the player cards don’t really correspond to real life.
 

Instead, the advantage comes mostly from a card’s rarity — super rare is better than rare, which is better than uncommon — and then within the same tier, what level each card is. Cards can be leveled up by selecting them from ‘MyCARDS’ in the main menu, then tapping on ‘Improve.’ Hit the ‘Train’ button and choose cards you’d like to sacrifice to level up the target, just like in nearly every mobile card game since the dawn of time.

BONUS TIP: Every player has a position (some have two), and it pays to play them there. Your lineup for most modes requires a PG, SG, SF, PF and C, and even if you don’t know what those abbreviations stand for, it’s important to heed them. Playing cards in their proper positions gives them stats boosts that could be the difference between winning and losing.
Going Pro

My NBA 2K17 Tips, Cheats and Strategies

Even lowly common cards can be magically transformed (note: it’s not really magic) into better versions of themselves by turning them pro. And yes, we thought all NBA players were already pros.

To turn a player pro, you’ll need three extra copies of that same player at the same tier, along with a contract card. The main player also needs to be at max level, which could vary depending on what rarity he is.

The contract and the duplicate player cards are consumed in the process, so make sure you’re willing to part with them. Pro versions of cards tend to be competitive with or even better than the next tier up once they are fully leveled, so if you are stuck on, say, super rare, obtaining some pros at that level allows you to hang with and beat ultra rare decks, and is a valid reason for not using rare or better cards as leveling fodder.

Just like real basketball can be played in ways from one-on-one all the way up to full court five-on-five, My NBA 2K17 has various ways to play as well. Better still, only some of them have energy systems or restrictions on how often you play, so this is one free game you can play as much as you like.