Your boy Tuck here, and today I'm going to break down 5 things you need to be doing to win in Madden 18. =)

#1 : Playbooks

Offense

I highly recommend the West Coast playbook on Offense. You get the best of everything with most every key play that works well in this years Madden in both passing and running.

By far the best formation for running this year is the Stretch especially when combined with motion WR's which I will touch on later, as well as get into some "money" plays you can rely on vs most opponents.

Defense

On D the New England playbook has all you'll ever need, including the most popular 3-4 Zones and Nickel Blitzes used by most "Pro" players, which I will break down further in future posts.

For now, know that this playbook has all the tools you will need to be successful online. To get a look at all of the plays included in both the West Coast O and NE D playbooks, head on over to Madden School or fire up Madden 18.

#2 Jumping Routes

One of the most frustrating things when playing Madden 18 is when you think a receiver is wide open, only to see a guy come out of nowhere to intercept the ball at the last second. It is the cause of most all broken controllers.

What most players don't realize is that their opponent is jumping their routes, usually on every single play. They do this because the offensive player hasn't yet learned how to defeat this tactic and they will continue doing it until they do. I will cover that in another posts, for now you need to start "playing underneath" yourself on D until your opponent figures out how to beat it!

To play underneath or jump the route, pre-snap you need to ...

Press the Y-button (Triangle on PS), then DOWN on the Right-Stick.

The menu will show you several options after you press the Y-button. Playing underneath or using the default is most always the best option, unless you're getting burned over the top because you're pressing your DB's or they simply are too slow for a much faster WR on fly routes. In those cases you will need to simply flick the Right-Stick UP after pressing the Y-button to play over the top.

Shading the receiver outside or inside rarely pays off from my experience, I'm either underneath or default at all times unless I'm in a press. If I press I usually will play over the top expecting the QB to hot route deep. You can also mix it up and press, then quickly back off the DB's before the snap and jump the route instead. This gives your DB a head start backing up so he's already well behind the WR, while the QB is still thinking he's throwing deep, and then your DB jumps the deep route and hopefully snags the INT.

Example : https://clips.twitch.tv/TolerantGloriousTarsierPupper

#3 : Motion

You rarely see players using motion, but it is key to winning in Madden. Trotting out the basic formation every single play is a recipe for disaster in Madden. Motion will take your game to the next level, especially in the running game.

If you have a hard time running the ball, use the WR on the opposite side of the field who has the best Run Blocking and motion him to the side you are running the ball. This will give you one additional blocker on that side of the field, usually allowing a 4-7 yd run at minimum with a decent running back and Offensive line.

This gives you another added benefit to your passing game as well. After you show this motion, then run a few times to your opponent, they will now expect you to run when you motion and will begin shifting their Defensive Line and/or Linebackers to that side of the field to protect against the run.

Now you simply Hot Route that WR, before you put him in motion, to a drag route back to the side of the field he came from, then put him in motion. Now when he arrives on the other side of the line, your opponent expects a run AND expects that WR to be blocking.

Instead you're in a pass play out of the same formation and when you snap the ball as soon as the WR crosses your Offensive Line, he will immediately break in the opposite direction across the field on a drag route usually completely uncovered. With the D now shifted to the opposite side of the field, you have plenty of room to run with a speedy Wide Receiver.

Example : https://clips.twitch.tv/GlutenFreeAbstemiousSalamanderCurseLit

#4 : Strong Formation

I LOVE the Strong Formation! It disguises plays very well and on D you rarely know what's coming next out of this formation. You have some of the best running plays in the game out of the Strong formation, and if you're using the West Coast playbook, you also have one of the best passing formations in the Gun Bunch in the same playbook.

Right now, the best running play in Madden 18 may well be the HB Off Tackle out of the Strong Formation, which you can find in the West Coast playbook as well as others. You don't need to motion any one most times, it's simply a beast at picking up blocks and freeing up your RB for plenty of yards or even a long 75 yd TD at times.

Be sure to hug your line coming out, but be ready to hammer that RT Turbo and pull away from any outside LB or DB that gets through a block, then make your best moves as you head to freedom!

Example : https://clips.twitch.tv/DeliciousTawdryScorpionRlyTho

#5 : Fakes in Key Position

I don't run a lot of Fake Punts or Fake FG's, but when I do ... they usually work! =)

Try to save them for when you are in a key position on the field on 4th down. In the video below, I failed to punch the ball in from the 1 yd line on 3rd down with the lead. If I fail to make this Fake FG attempt, I still leave my opponent trapped on the 1 yd line and my D is pretty good.

So this is the right place to take this gamble and it paid off!

Example : https://clips.twitch.tv/DifficultAntediluvianEyeballKippa

Tune in Next Time!

In my next Madden 18 Tips blog, I will go into more detail on some of the topics above and offer some more key tips I see a lot of new players not using ... and you should be!