Besides my first introduction post to HUT Competitive Seasons, I haven’t written much about it. I’m wondering what the ChelTips readers out there think about it? Especially now that they have introduced requirements.
We are now in Competitive Season #4, which requires the following:
- 3 Bronze Base or TOTW Players
- 3 Silver Base or TOTW Players
*UPDATE: Now includes Junior Flashbacks
The rest of your players can be whoever you want can afford.
This is only the second season that has actually had requirements. Personally, I love that there are requirements now and they will(hopefully) change each season. Keeps things fresh and means I get to rebuild my team often and include players I wouldn’t normally use.
Even Playing Field
My issue with the “no restriction” seasons was that the HUT rich players have a very clear advantage over everyone else. To the point that if you can’t afford all 90+ players then you don’t really have any hope of getting into the top 100.
Now, even with requirements the HUT rich still have an advantage but to me it is significantly reduced. Less spots to fill with their super star players and at this point in HUT most players should have at least a couple lines of great players.
How do you all feel about the team balance with the Season 4 requirements?
It definitely adds some line strategy into the mix, which I’m a big fan of. Feels more like actual hockey instead of just an All-Star Game.
Best Bronze and Silver HUT Players
I’m not going to suggest specific players here, but more just what makes an effective Bronze or Silver player in HUT Competitive Seasons. You have to keep in mind that your Bronze and Silver players will be on the ice against super stars at some point, it’s inevitable.
There are 3 things you will want to look for:
- Skating
- Checking
- Synergy
Try to get at least 2 out of 3, if not all the above.
To me, the other attributes don’t matter much for your weak players as even the best shooters still aren’t that great for bronze/silver. Of course, if you find several players that are similar in those two key attributes then yeah go with the one who has the better shot.
Skating is obvious, but why is checking so important?
Well, what is the most frustrating thing when trying to defend? Your opponent is skating circles around you and no matter what you CANNOT get the puck. That usually leads to you taking a tripping, hooking, or slashing penalty and you start to get rattled.
This is why you need a good checking player, to push them off the puck. Look for 90+ or at least as close to 90 Checking as you can get. Preferably they will be above 6’2” in height and over 210lbs. Height and weight plays a big factor when knocking someone off the puck.
If I had a weak checker in some of those situations then it’s likely that the player wouldn’t of lost possession of the puck and just skated around me then I would go aggressive goalie too early and he would tuck into the empty net… story of my life, but not anymore!(queue the infomercial)
Get a strong checker and solve all your problems today.
If for some reason you don’t listen to me or there are no good checkers that have the synergy you need then make sure they are fast and two don’t forget how effective hip checks are even for small players.
Just to give an idea of how often I’m utilizing hits, I’m currently top of the season with an average of 20 hits per game.
Keep in mind, that is just a small sample of 6 games. I’ll post again at the end of Season 4 and let you know how it went.
My HUT CS4 Team
Below is the team I am currently using for Competitive Season 4. So far I’m 6-0-0 with it.
Active Synergies:
- 1T
- CG
- TW
- SB
- OJ
- S
- DR
You can have a closer look at my team on HUTDB.
Your third line D will play a lot more than your fourth line forwards, which is why I made sure to use two of my Silvers there and ensure they are strong checkers.
For the Bronze/Silver forwards I focused a bit more on speed versus checking. I would of preferred strong checkers as well, but wasn’t much in the Auction House.
Another tip, DON’T make a full line of Bronze/Silver players. Try to spread them out a bit and if you have a full D pairing of Silvers, like I do, then make sure they aren’t on the ice when your Fourth line is. If they are, and your opponent manages to get one of their top lines out then you will be in for a rough shift.
Your Team
I’d love to see your CS4 team, maybe you disagree with the above? Please feel free to share it in the comments along with your thoughts on HUT Competitive Season requirements and what might be next 🙂
So far I prefer the Bronze/Silver requirements over the previous season’s S2 requirement.
UPDATE: Junior Flashbacks Included
EA Sports just updated HUT Competitive Season 4 to include Junior Flashbacks. Everything above was written before this update came out. If you can afford it, then yes replacing your Bronze/Silver players with Junior Flashbacks will be an advantage.
Personally, I’m not a fan of this update because I think it just gives the HUT rich folk a bigger advantage over the average player. Gustav Nyquist’s flashback card is an absolute beast with TW and S synergies to boot, but you likely won’t find it for less than 150K.
With that said, I will enjoy having Radulov on my squad now – how can you not love the guy?
New team:
Keep in mind, the Junior Flashbacks will count as whatever their original card is. Don’t make the same dumb mistake I did and try to replace a silver player with Radulov… his original junior card was bronze.
Junior Flashback Table
Below is a table of all Junior Flashbacks with their card level, synergies, and the team/league they belong to so you can search them individually in the Auction House easier:
| Player | Card Level | Synergy #1 | Synergy #2 | Synergy #3 | League | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henrik Lundqvist | Silver | B(2) | LH(2) | P(2) | SHL | Frolunda HC |
| Jori Lehtera | Silver | CG(1) | TT(2) | DC(2) | Liiga | Tampereen Tappara |
| Tomas Fleischmann | Bronze | TT(2) | CS(1) | PH(1) | WHL | Moose Jaw |
| Connor McDavid | Bronze | S(2) | TW(1) | X(2) | OHL | Erie Otters |
| Roman Josi | Silver | B(1) | UF(2) | X(2) | National League | SC Bern |
| Pekka Rinne | Silver | SB(2) | X(2) | EE(2) | Liiga | Oulun Karpat |
| Jason Pominville | Bronze | CG(1) | TP(2) | X(2) | QMJHL | Shawinigan Cataractes |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | Bronze | 1T(2) | UF(1) | X(2) | QMJHL | Saint John Sea Dogs |
| Gustav Nyquist | Silver | S(2) | TW(1) | TP(2) | SHL | Malmo Redhawks |
| Johan Franzen | Silver | RF(1) | CG(2) | UF(2) | SHL | Linkoping HC |
| Alexander Radulov | Bronze | WW(1) | CS(2) | SF(2) | QMJHL | Quebec Remparts |
| Bo Horvat | Bronze | TP(2) | LH(1) | EE(2) | OHL | London Knights |
| Mikael Granlund | Silver | WW(1) | TT(2) | X(2) | Liiga | HIFK |
| Markus Granlund | Silver | DD(1) | TP(2) | X(2) | Liiga | HIFK |
| Steven Stamkos | Bronze | 1T(2) | UF(1) | X(2) | OHL | Sarnia Sting |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | Bronze | T(1) | LH(1) | P(2) | QMJHL | Cape Breton |
| Olaf Kolzig | Silver | T(2) | LH(1) | X(2) | DEL | Eisbaren Berlin |
| Eric Staal | Bronze | CG(3) | X(2) | NA | OHL | Peterborough Petes |
| Jordan Staal | Bronze | PP(1) | CG(2) | X(2) | OHL | Peterborough Petes |
Junior Flashbacks Below 30K
At the time of writing this post, here are the Junior Flashbacks that are in the Auction House with a “Buy Now” below 30,000 coins.
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Jonathan Huberdeau
- Jordan Staal
- Eric Staal
- Tomas Fleishmann
See ya on the ice!
Awesome article Thanks for sharing.