MyTeam is one of NBA 2K23’s most popular game modes, allowing players to construct a team of different players from different eras onto a single team.
You can pair Michael Jordan with Lebron James, Kevin Durant with Shaq, and thousands of other combinations you only dream about seeing on the court together.
Each player comes as a card with an overall rating, individual attributes, badges, and a set of animations. These cards are broken into multiple tiers, or colors, which we will break down in this post.
Gold: 66-79 Overall
Gold cards are the worst cards in the game, ranging from 66 overall to 79 overall. They are usually the worst players in the game, or the weakest version of a decent players, and are thus going to be the cheapest cards.
Although they are pretty much useless outside of specific Limited challenges, they are useful for beefing up your card collection to reach the certain card collector levels in the game.
Emerald: 80-83 Overall
Emerald cards are typically for the role players of past and present. Like Gold cards, they are both cheap and have limited use, but they are typically somewhat effective at the beginning of each new game.
Although there’s little reason to keep any Emerald cards in your collection (unless you’re going for collector rewards), it’s helpful to store a few of the better ones for Limited challenges.
Sapphire: 84-86 Overall
Sapphire cards are beefed-up versions of role players, and may even include the younger versions of former stars. They can be very useful at the beginning stages of the game, but fall off as the months progress.
However, there are typically many Limited challenges throughout the year that require Sapphire cards, so it’s a good idea to stash a few with good badges and animations for those specific weekends.
Ruby: 87-89 Overall
Ruby cards are usually very important in the first month of the game, and retain their importance as budget cards throughout the year. They’re usually cheap, but there are almost always a few gems in the batch.
Many budget teams will feature multiple Ruby cards with good badges and animations, so it’s always a good idea to at least take a quick glance at them during each new drop.
Amethyst: 90-91 Overall
Amethyst cards are usually the lower end of the “good” cards. They’re usually the best players at the beginning of the year, and you’ll find a few great ones for very cheap throughout the rest of the year.
Like Ruby’s, you don’t want to automatically assume these cards stink. Many of the best budget cards of all time are Amethyst’s, and they can usually be had for considerably lower MT than expensive cards.
Diamond: 92-94 Overall
The Diamond cards start off as the best in the game at the beginning, but usually retain some value throughout the year. They are typically reserved for big names and can be very expensive.
As the year progresses, you’ll find some less popular players getting Diamond cards. In these cases, they’re usually going to be amazing cards that are much cheaper than the bigger names.
Pink Diamond: 95-96 Overall
Pink Diamond used to be the best tier in the game years ago, but it is still very valuable despite its new position. Regardless of the time of year, they’re going to be a top tier card. And extremely expensive.
You’ll find many are rewards cards at the beginning of the year, but over time it becomes easier and easier to buy them on the Auction House.
Galaxy Opal: 97-98 Overall
Galaxy Opal cards are some of the best in the games, and the Opal glow when you open packs is something many players dream of. They are usually the top names with the best attributes, badges, and animations.
They are extremely expensive or time-consuming to acquire, but many are worth it. Going against a team with enough Opals will scare many other players to hit pause and quit.
Dark Matter: 99 Overall
The best card tier in the game – the Dark Matter. These cards are 99 Overall, feature a plethora of Hall of Fame badges, and have the majority of their ratings in the 90s.
2K likes to hold out on showing these cards until at least after Christmas. Regardless, any team with a slew of Dark Matter cards is going to strike a ton of fear into any opponent – and probably win.