Master the Pitch: Introducing Positional Familiarity in MFL
Dear MFL managers,
Master the Pitch: Introducing Positional Familiarity in MFL
Dear MFL managers,
Big news: We’re introducing Positional Familiarity to MFL!
This update reshapes the tactical landscape of our beloved ecosystem, and directly impacts team construction and performance. Let’s break down what this means for your management strategy moving forward.
Understanding Positional Familiarity
Previously, you had some leeway in placing players in positions outside their primary or secondary roles without a penalty — a CF could slot into an ST position, for instance. It was a simple and forgiving system designed to help you fill your lineup more easily during the early stages of the game — and while we implemented our vision.
But now, we’re adding a layer of realism and strategy that reflects the complexity of the real-world game and encourages managers to put more thought into their squad-building efforts.
How It Changes the Game
With Positional Familiarity, you have complete freedom over your players’ positioning on the pitch… With a couple of exceptions:
- Goalkeepers cannot occupy outfield positions
- Outfield players cannot occupy the Goalkeeper position
Naturally, players will still deliver their best performances in their primary and secondary positions. However, when placed in unfamiliar roles, they will experience an adjustment in their attribute ratings, and their performance will be affected.
Take the above example: Alfons Ackermann, a natural Right Winger (RW), will shine brightest in his primary role. Slide him into the Right Back (RB) slot — his secondary position, and he’ll still hold his ground, albeit with a very slight performance drop. But ask him to defend the heart of your line-up as a Centre Back (CB), and you’ll find his skills don’t translate as effectively at all.
⚠️ As you can see in the image, familiarity is based on the player’s primary position only. Positions adjacent to (or similar to) a player’s secondary position(s) are NOT considered.
The positional familiarity matrix, based on a player’s primary position.
- Secondary/Third position: -1 to every attribute
- Fairly Familiar: -5
- Somewhat Familiar: -8
- Unfamiliar: -20
Worth noting: Sometimes, players might actually have a higher OVR rating in a secondary (or even unlisted) position. When that happens, you may want to weigh the benefits brought about by their versatility against the potential drawbacks of playing them out of position.
While this will be reflected in the Tactics page when moving players around on the pitch, AliColeman170’s tool https://mflplayer.info is also a great resource to find all the info you need on players’ attribute ratings based on their position and familiarity.
Plan Your Moves Wisely
Your team’s versatility will be tested. Will you play it safe by sticking to primary and secondary positions, or will you take a calculated risk for a tactical advantage? The choice is yours, and the possibilities are endless.
This is your chance to show off your managerial prowess and adaptability. We’re excited to see how you’ll use Positional Familiarity to outsmart your opponents and lead your team to glory 🔥
The update goes live on Friday, January 12.
Stay strategic,
The MFL Team
By Lucas on January 9, 2024.
Exported from Medium on March 19, 2026.
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