How do parallel cards work in Diamond Dynasty

Getting high-rated players in Diamond Dynasty is the end-all, be-all in MLB The Show 21. However, once you have them in your clubhouse, the work isn’t completely finished. And, we’re not just talking about getting the next high-rated player. You can actually upgrade the players you have by taking advantage of a feature San Diego Studios calls parallels.

How do parallel cards work?

Parallel cards are essentially how you level up your Diamond Dynasty players as you play the game. As you can see in the image above, each player has six different levels of their parallel meter which ends with the Superfactor parallel. Fortunately, leveling up your cards is as simple as playing the game.

For example, with the Manny Machado card above, you’ll gain parallel XP as you accrue different hitting stats. In fact, you don’t even need a hit, as you get 10 parallel points just making a plate appearance in a game. If you play offline on the lowest difficulty, you have a lower modifier than if you play online or in higher difficulties offline.

In short, this is an easy way for players to slowly build their teams without needing to spend money opening packs. Obviously, it takes quite a bit of time to make it all the way to end of a player’s parallel ranking. However, for players not looking to spend money, it’s a great alternative.

On top of all that, it also provides a way for you to use higher-rated cards in different events and other modes. For example, if an event calls for only silver cards, you can use silvers that you’ve paralleled as silvers with their boosted stats. That lets you get another leg up on the competition if you need it.

All in all, parallel cards are a fun grind for players that makes you care more about the players you’re building up.