I’ve just about wrapped up my first full season playing MFL and, like most things in football (real or simulated), it’s been a wild mix of smart decisions, bad gambles, and plenty of learning on the job. I thought I’d share what I’ve learned so far – stuff I wish I’d known at the start, and a few things I still haven’t fully bottomed out.

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Scouting Players: More Than Just the Overall Rating

When you’re new, it’s tempting to just look at that big headline rating number and assume that’s the be-all and end-all. It is important but it is only part of the picture.

A 60-rated CM could have great pace and be solid at defending, or they could suck at both. To really get a feel for a player, you need to dig into the actual attributes and make sure they suit the role you want the player to play in your team.

Also, it’s not just about the ratings – positional flexibility matters too. A player who’s 60 at CM and 58 at CAM or CDM gives you far more tactical options than one who’s only useful in one spot. I’ve tried to target players with multiple positions as far as possible (which means checking on https://mflplayer.info/ because it’s not always obvious from the main site).

For example, both players shown below are 59-rated CMs on MFL but have very different attributes and preferred positions when you look past that headline number:

Age is another big factor if you’re looking to buy rather than loan players in. Younger players carry a huge premium – too high in most cases, given how progression works. I’ve been targeting players between 22-26 – slightly cheaper but still plenty of time left in their careers.

The Loan Game: It’s Not Just About the Player

Bringing in players on loan can be a great way to strengthen without spending a ton of cash, especially early on. It’s not quite as simple as just heading onto the scouting part of the site and picking up the first player you like the look of though.

Some agents will ask for an over-the-top revenue share that will eat into any $MFL you might win – anything over 4 or 5% (excluding clauses) is a hard pass from me. And if your team’s a mess or if your overall average too low and is going to hamper their player’s progression, don’t be surprised if they say no.

Relationships matter in this game. If you treat a loan player well and give them plenty of game time, agents take notice. Making yourself visible in the various Discords seems a good way to hunt out the best deals too – and I’ve definitely not done enough of that this season.

Progression: Don’t Panic About +1s

Progression is a slow burn. Most players don’t leap forward by 5 or 6 points a season, in fact a lot only progress by 1-3 across their whole career. So if you’re refreshing your squad screen every day looking for those sweet plus 1s, take a breather!

To make this a little more real – I’ve got 76 players in my agency and these are my ones with the highest progression so far this season (and about 50% of my players haven’t seen an increase in their overall rating at all):

What does help: try to keep your average squad rating within about 5 points of your best players. If your best players are 65-67 and the rest are mid-50s, your training progression will slow for your top guys. You want balance, and you also want everyone playing as regularly as possible so they can benefit from match progression too.

By the way, the 19 year old on the list above is the only player I’ve stuck in the Development Centre this season. He’s doing well so far but I’m not sure yet whether it makes more sense to pay the $MFL to lock players away, or whether it’s better to get them a good loan and progress them that way.

Tactics and the Match Engine: Keep It Simple

It seems like trying to “solve” the match engine is bit of a fool’s errand – mostly because it keeps changing from season to season. Friendlies can help with testing stuff, but honestly, I’ve think I’ve learned more by just playing competitive matches and seeing what works.

I did a lot of messing around with my team at the start but after a few difficult games I stopped trying to be too clever. I found two or three formations that seemed to suit my players, kept the individual tactics fairly basic and position specific (e.g.: low positional freedom for my defensive players, high positional freedom for wingers) , and made small tweaks to the team tactics based on opponents. That seemed to give me more consistency. I’m not sure that approach works at the highest levels but it should be enough for Spark and Ice at least.

Also, setting up your teams in advance is well worth doing – just so you don’t forget to do it before the deadline. I tended to set up a couple of games ahead so that I had at least some awareness of my players’ fitness – another thing that’s important to keep an eye on!

Squad Size: 21 the Sweet Spot?

MFL warns you that you need a minimum of 18 players for the season but you can have up to 25 in your squad. More players = more depth = more options, right?

Maybe. But the trade off for that is slower progression as you’ll have a lot of players struggling for game time. I’ve settled on 21 as the ideal number: enough to cover league, cup, suspensions, and still give everyone a decent amount of time on the pitch. Plus it leaves a bit of space if I want to pick someone up mid-season and slot them straight into the team.

You could go leaner if you want to be hyper-focused on progression but just be aware it can bite you if you’re in the cup or pick up injuries. If you don’t have a ton of flexible players, you might need to go to 22 or 23 to give you extra formation flexibility.

Getting Out of Spark: Do It Fast

If you’re still in the Spark league, the advice is simple: do all you can to get out. That sounds obvious (and it is!) but it’s brutal down there. The competition is fierce (or at least that’s been the case this season) and the rewards are stingy, so staying down there means you won’t be earning enough $MFL to improve your squad. I’d even say it’s worth sacrificing some progression if it helps you push for promotion.

Cup runs can help ease the grind. I focused on the league and rotated heavily in the cup – which meant I was knocked out earlier than I would have liked. I probably should have gone a little harder in the cup – it’s a great way to boost your $MFL income at the end of the season. See below for the comparison of rewards available in Spark versus what you play for in the Aspirants Cup:

Packs: SUPER Fun But Don’t Expect Too Much

Who doesn’t love pack drops?! That little dopamine hit when you open one? Love it.

But let’s be honest – the chances are you’re not going to pull a Lego (Legendary player). You’re more likely to get a 45-rated, 26-year-old striker, who can’t hit a barn door. This is the reason so many unopened packs end up on Flowty – a lot of people would rather flip them for cash.

If you do decide to buy packs, be ready. They go fast, so know what you want and prioritise those packs first. It’s easy to get carried away but remember: it’s a gamble and probably not the best way to build your club.

Tools: MAKE Use OF the Community Resources

There is a bunch of useful community sites out there that can help you up your game and makes playing MFL easier. I’m talking stuff like:

• Checking your team average and your league competitors (MFL Manager)
• Tracking how much MFL your loan players are earning (MetaFixerLab)
• Comparing average player prices and positional ratings before buying or selling (MFL Player Info)
• Evaluating contract costs across different positions and divisions (MFL Assistant)
• Analysing formations and tracking you match stats (MFL Coach)

And that’s only scratching the surface of the stuff these tools can do. If you’re not using them, you’re playing on hard mode because the game doesn’t give you everything you need natively. It’s worth consuming some MFL content too, if you can find the time between scouting and setting up your teams.

So that’s what I’ve learnt so far. My season isn’t quite over either – Mediocre MFC now have the playoffs to contend with as we continue to fight to get out of Spark.

Next season I’m upping the pressure – I’ve obtained a club that will be playing in Stone next year, giving me somewhere to put my higher-rated players, and a new challenge!

Good luck for Season 6 and hit me up if you need any reinforcements for your team – I’m always happy to do deals!