You can have an adequate 2K MT time enjoying some offline 3v3, earning coins that are minimal, working on your skills, but to actually get the most from MyTeam, you need to play with online. This means you will need to constantly buy - often with actual money, though grinding is possible - new players and packs. You can't accuse 2K of failing on the court drama, but all roads seem to return to MyTeam, and the chance of players spending more actual money. VC could be got free of charge, but it requires a long time to earn even a single pack which, within this lootbox system, could end up being VC down the drain.

Even MyCareer, the game's story mode, is contaminated with VC. Everything your participant does earns you a VC, and you may spend this on upgrading your player or save it to get packs. It's poor design - and it feels deliberate - that it is possible to use MyCareer to make your MyTeam better, but to accomplish that long term, you have to try and compete in the NBA with a low-level pro whose potential ability points have been spent virtual contracts to be certain you can keep playing with Kevin Durant. You can't switch the difficulty down past Pro either, lest you get a lot of VC coins and game this system. That, especially, feels just like a spiteful move.

The latter is far too intense at times, but it feels just like a true creation, tells a compelling story without overdoing the melodrama, and offers some satisfying story beats. It's a little too gory in areas, but that is a minor criticism within Where to buy mt 2k21 a sports play.