Master League Mode

From Pro Evolution Soccer - Wiki on Neoseeker

In the Master League, you create and manage your own team with the aim of becoming the strongest team in the league. There are four leagues, each split into Division 1 (20 teams) and Division 2 (20 teams), and you compete against computer teams in a round-robin tournament. Teams are promoted or relegated depending on their results, and high performance teams are invited to take part in big tournaments. The Master League never ends. You can keep playing until your team gets to the level your ambition drives it to. There are 3 choices when you go into the mode, pick Master League Default Players, Match Mode Players or Create Original Team.

The default Master League screen on PES 2008

You get Game Over under the following conditions:

The team's points fall below zero.

The number of players in your team falls to 15 or below.

Development

Development is regarded by many as one of the most enjoyable parts of the Master League, but it is optional. Players gain experience with every match they appear in, and with the training they do off-season. When a player's experience reaches 100%, their ability level will increase. The parameters of players who have aged and past their peak will start to decline. When players reach retirement age, they will make an announcement mid-season. When the season ends, the player will be removed from the roster. After a player has retired, they will be 'reborn' as a new player.

Popularity

An example of a team's popularity rising on PES 2008

One of the newer features of the Master League is popularity. Players and teams are all allocated a particular letter which represents their popularity, from no popularity at all through D, C, B, A and eventually S. The user can improve their team's popularity by winning (and sometimes drawing) matches. Similarly, popularity can fall when a team loses matches. The higher a teams popularity is, the harder it is to progress to the next level. The higher a team's popularity is, the easier it is to sign higher-profile players.

Squads

In Master League, a full and capable squad is often needed to compete as a rotation policy needs to be implemented. This is necesary because of the easily diminished stamina of your players. Some people have criticized this system because of its departure from realism, in that players can play every game of a season and suffer no ill-effects. Others have welcomed it as an incentive to try new formations and combinations of players. Members of your squad also get called up for International Duty throughout the season. Usually only members of one or two nationalities are called up at a time.

Money

In Pro Evolution Soccer you get money or as its called PES points. With PES points you can spend on buying players or gain by selling your player if at a certain point during the Master League you dont have enough PES points the game will end.