Using Madden 24 Abilities wisely can be the difference between winning and losing a tight game. Since Madden Abilities — both Superstar and X-Factor Abilities — are designed to replicate the unique skills of NFL players, understanding which abilities are the best in the game impact is crucial. Here’s a list of all abilities in Madden 24.
Elite Tier Abilities
Elite tier abilities are the best abilities in Madden 24. If they fit your scheme and you have players that can equip them, you should be using these abilities.
| Gunslinger | QB has increased pass anim speed and a larger threshold before using the long hail mary windup animation. Since we don’t have access to the ball-velocity abilities yet, Gunsliner is the best option for QBs right now. It speeds up your QB’s release animation in order to get the ball out more quickly. |
| Juke Box | Ballcarriers with this ability have steerable juke animations. Jukes are very powerful on their own, but with Juke Box, they are able to dominate the open field. Juke Box adds the threat of any play becoming a huge gain or a touchdown. |
| RB Apprentice | When lined up at running back, players with this ability have access to four additional hot routes during pre-play adjustments. RB Apprentice gives you four additional hot routes for your running back in the backfield. The most valuable route by far is the angle/Texas route since it absolutely destroys man coverage. The threat of having this route on every single play makes RB Apprentice one of the best offensive abilities right now. |
| Short In Elite | Receivers with this ability catch more consistently while catching passes less than 10 yards from the LoS, inside the numbers. The most valuable aspect of Short In Elite is that it helps your receiver win on the first cut of his route against man coverage. It also helps you hold on to the ball in traffic. Not many players can equip Short In Elite right now, Shannon Sharpe(270,900 Madden 24 Coins) is your best choice. If you can afford him, you should strongly consider running it. |
| Slot Apprentice | When lined up in the slot, players with this ability have access to four additional hot routes during pre-play adjustments. Just about every pass-heavy player should have at least one Slot Apprentice in their offense. Being able to add posts, corners, and crossers from the slot to every play makes any formation better and more difficult to defend. |
Gold Tier Abilities
Gold tier abilities are great options as they make a significant impact on the field.
| Deep In Zone KO | Defenders with this ability force more catch knockouts and react quicker in deep zone coverage, 20+ yards from the LoS and inside the numbers. It was broken all of last season, but Deep In Zone KO finally works. It’s best used on a deep middle safety in a Cover 3 scheme to defend against vertical routes between the numbers by increasing your chances of knocking the ball out. |
| First One Free | Some players thrive on making defenders look silly. When they enter the zone, this ability increases their fakeout rate on the next juke, spin or hurdle. It is a great option to run on your HB. Once you activate it, it significantly increases your chances to make the defender miss on the first juke or spin of a running play. |
| Freight Train | Freight Trains are relentless runners who refuse to go down on first contact. When they enter the zone, this ability increases their chance to break the next tackle. Freight Train is a great option to run on your HB. After you activate the ability, you have a high chance of breaking the first tackle attempt of each play. This is especially valuable for people that play with the conservative ball-carrier setting to avoid fumbles, as you still have a chance to break the tackle with Freight Train. |
| Gambit | The best quarterbacks learn to take calculated risks. When they enter the zone, they can’t be intercepted by AI defenders) and have increased throw speed. Gambit is one of the best QB abilities because it has two powerful effects when active. Most people know that it prevents CPU interceptions, but it also has a built-in Gunslinger effect that speeds up your QB’s release animation. |
| Gift-Wrapped | Passers with this ability have a better chance to complete passes to uncovered receivers. Some pros are using Gift-Wrapped to help with the QB accuracy problems in MUT right now. If the receiver is open, it seems to help get to ball to the receiver more consistently and prevent drops. |
| Mid Zone KO | Defenders with this ability force more catch knockouts and react quicker in any mid-field zone coverage, less than 20 yards from the LoS inside the numbers and 10-20 outside. Mid Zone KO is great on linebackers and safeties that regularly play zone coverage over the middle. It increases you chances to knock the ball out when in zone coverage, between the numbers, and less than 20 yards deep from the line of scrimmage. It can be effective on cloud/curl flat zones as well since it also actives outside the numbers between 10 and 20 yards deep. This is an ideal location to help defend corner routes. |
| Omaha | Elite quarterbacks are molded by endless hours of film study. When they enter the zone, they have full vision of the seconday’s defensive coverage before the snap. If you know what plays to dial up against specific coverages, Omaha is incredibly valuable. When it’s active, you’ll be able to see your opponent’s coverage shell to have a good idea as to what style defense they’re playing against you based on their deep zones. |
| Pick Artist | Defenders with this ability have higher chance to catch uncontested interceptions, and they have unlimited stamina on the return (until using a special move or breaking a tackle). Pick Artist doesn’t feel quite as strong as it was last season, but it’s still a solid ability. It does increase your chances to come away with an interception and helps your stamina on the return. |
| Quickdraw | Passers with this ability have faster passing animations when they are throwing under pressure. Quickdraw is basically Gunslinger Jr. It helps speed up your pass animation when you’re facing pressure, and that’s when you need it most. It also extends your QB’s range before the full windup animation is used. |
| Recuperation | Recover from fatigue at an increased rate. Since Recuperation is only 1 AP, consider running it, especially if your offense revolves around 1-2 key players. This could be your HB, a WR that is a top target, or especially a QB that keeps the ball on designed QB runs. Recuperation inproves the player’s stamina recovery rate which keep them in the game more often, increases the impact of ball-carrier moves, and reduces fumble chances. |
| Slot-O-Matic | When lined up in the slot, receivers with this ability make faster cuts and have better hands when catching passes less than 10 yards from the LoS. Slot-O-Matic is a great ability since it helps beat man coverage from the slot and also helps your receiver hold on to the ball and complete the catch. The biggest difference between Slot-O-Matic and Short In Elite is that Slot-O-Matic gets improved separation vs. man coverage on the last cut of the route, where Short In Elite gets the same effect on the first cut. |
| YAC ‘Em Up | The best physical receivers don’t just come down with the ball, they carry it home. When they enter the zone, they are nearly guaranteed to break their first post-catch tackle. YAC ‘Em Up is probably the best receiver X-Factor ability. When it’s active, you have a very high chance to break the first tackle after the catch. Unlike some of the other receiver X-Factor abilities, it seems to work as intended. |
Silver Tier Abilities
While Silver tier abilities can make an impact on the field, there are usually better options. These should only be used if you have a specific need for them in your scheme or you lack Ability Points for better abilities.
| Avalanche | There are tacklers and then there are these guys. When they enter the zone any successful hit-stick made while running towards the line of scrimmage will result in a fumble. If you’re able to activate Avalanche, it can be a game-changing X-Factor. While it is active, landing a downhill hitstick has a very high chance to force a fumble, potentially causing a turnover. |
| Crusher | Heavy ballcarrier fatigue on hit-stick tackles. Crusher significantly reduces the ball-carrier’s stamina after you land a hit stick. Over the course of a game, this adds up and can cause turnovers from fumbles. However, 2 AP is a lot to pay for this ability right now. |
| Deep In Elite | Receivers with this ability catch more consistently while catching passes 20+ yards from the LoS, inside the numbers. Deep In Elite helps your receiver hold onto the ball on deep passes (20+ yards downfield) between the numbers. If that’s a big part of your scheme, consider running Deep In Elite. |
| Deflator | More ballcarrier fatigue on non-conservative tackles. Deflator is similar to Crusher in that it increases ball-carrier fatigue, but it applies to all non-conservative tackles (like cut sticks), not just hit sticks. The stamina effect isn’t as big as Crusher though, so generally, Cruser is the better ability for most players. |
| Flat Zone KO | Defenders with this ability force more catch knockouts and react quicker in any flat zone coverage, less than 10 yards from the LoS and outside the hash marks. Flat Zone KO is really scheme-dependent. If you run a Cover 2 style defense, it can be valuable on your outside CBs to help defend the flats with knockouts. It could also work in a Cover 3 scheme where your safety is in a hard/cloud flat. |
| Identifier | Players with this ability can detect user-controlled defenders before the snap. 2 AP is a lot to pay for Identifier, but it can be very valuable to an offense to know where the opponent’s user defender is before the snap. |
| Long Range Deadeye | Passers with this ability have perfect accuracy on all deep throws while their feet are set (except on high/low throws). Long Range Deadeye gives your QB perfect accuracy on deep passes (40+ yards) when his feet are set in the pocket and he’s not under pressure. It has value in offensive schemes designed to get the ball down field by making deep balls more accurate. |
| Lumberjack | Defenders with this ability do not allow broken tackles and cause more fumbles when cut-sticking ballcarriers. Lumberjack allows cut sticks to potentially cause a fumble when normally cut sticks cannot do that. At 1 AP, it’s worth considering on your user defender if you frequently use the cut stick mechanic. |
| Lurker | Defenders with this ability can make jumping, 180-degree interceptions while lurking in a zone in the middle of the field. If you want to user a linebacker, you need Lurker in order to increase your range for interceptions. 2 AP is a lot to pay for this since you can sub in a safety at MLB in most defensive schemes and get similar animations without needing a special ability. |
| Matchup Nightmare | Receivers with this ability make sharper cuts and frequently win contested catches when covered by linebackers and linemen. Matchup Nightmare works well when you’re facing a linebacker, so it’s best used on a TE. It works based on the normal position of the defensive formation, not the player in that position. For example, if your opponent uses a safety at MLB, the ability will still activate if that player is defending your receiver with Matchup Nightmare. |
| No Outsiders | Defenders with this ability use faster run shed moves for a better chance at shedding blocks against outside zone plays. No Outsiders does help defend against outside runs like stretch. However, 2 AP is a lot to spend to just help on one side of your defense. |
| Outside Apprentice | When lined up at wide receiver (excluding slot), players with this ability have access to four additional hot routes during pre-play adjustments. For most players, Outside Apprentice isn’t as valuable as Slot Apprentice, but in the right schemes it can really shine. If you know what to do with the additional hot routes for an outside WR, Outside Apprentice can be very impactful. |
| Protected | Passers with this ability receive better pass blocking from their offensive linemen. Protected doesn’t seem to have a dramatic impact, but it helps your offensive line hold up against the blitz for a little longer. |
| Puller Elite | Blockers with this ability will frequently attempt and win pull blocks. Puller Elite isn’t for most players. 2 AP is just too much to spend for a situational ability. However, if your offense is built on pulling-guard runs, it might be worth it for your scheme. |
| Red Zone Threat | When in the red zone, receivers with this ability have a better chance to win contested catches against single coverage. Red Zone Threat improves your receiver’s chances to catch the ball and avoid knockouts in the red zone. If you have a red zone scheme that frequently targets a specific player, Red Zone Threat might be worth running. |
| Runoff Elite | Grants more convincing runoffs. This is most valuable in a run-heavy scheme built on outside runs like stretch. Instead of having to block a CB on the outside, the CB will turn and run with the WR that has Runoff Elite. This helps remove one defender from the play and creates the potential for big outside runs. |
| Second Wind | Players with this ability have a chance to replenish their stamina, once per play, when it is half depleted. Second Wind is similar to Recuperation in that it helps manage stamina. While Recuperation improves stamina recovery overall, Second Wind has a chance to add stamina mid-play after a ball-carrier move. For 1 AP, it’s worth running on your primary ball-carrier if you regularly perform ball-carrier moves. |
| Shutdown | Shutdown defenders have the talent to erase receivers from the game. When they enter the zone, their coverage is tighter and interceptions are more frequent on contested catches. This is effectively One Step Ahead and Pick Artist while it’s active. That means you’ll have tighter man coverage and an increased chance to intercept the ball when targeted. |
| Tip Drill | Players with this ability have an increased chance to catch passes that have been tipped into the air. Tip Drill does help catch tipped passes, but since it’s 2 AP, you probably should just use Pick Artist instead if that’s an option. |
| Truzz | The most effective ball carriers prioritize maintaining possession over all else. When they enter the zone, no tackles made against them will result in a fumble. Truzz can be good in the right situation, but generally there are better options out there. |
| Universal Coverage | The most physical coverage defenders prevent catches from happening even when their target has hands on the ball. When they enter the zone, they are nearly guaranteed knockouts. It combines all of the man and zone knockout abilities in one when it is activated. It can be extremely effective at locking down a receiver in man coverage or an area of the field in zone coverage. |
| Unpredictable | Defenders with this ability are less likely to increase their blocker’s resistance bars when performing shed wins. There aren’t many great abilities on defense yet, so Unpredictable is a decent option right now. It helps generate organic pressure. |
| Unstoppable Force | Elite pass rushers are a mix of strength, speed, and tenacity. When they enter the zone, this ability increases their win rate and block shed speed against one-on-one pass blocks. It is somewhat difficult to activate, but once it’s active, it generates heavy organic pressure against opposing QBs. It is probably the best pass rush X-Factor. |
Bronze Tier Abilities
Bronze abilities bring little to no value and should be avoided. (None)
Unrated Abilities
These are abilities that haven’t been properly tested and evaluated yet for Madden 24. Check back soon.
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