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Early in the Diamond Dynasty grind, some cards instantly stand out because they fill a role that most lineups are missing. The 91 OVR Mexico City Series Ramón Laureano is one of those cards in MLB The Show 26. Between the elite arm strength, near-perfect arm accuracy, and surprisingly clutch hitting, he becomes a very useful outfielder during the early content cycle.
The good news is that unlocking him is much easier than a lot of players think. You do not need to sweat through online Ranked games or grind endless programs for days. If your goal is simply to get Laureano as fast as possible, the Mexico City Series Conquest Map is the route to take.
With the right approach, you can realistically finish the entire process in under two hours.
Why the 91 OVR Ramón Laureano Card Is Worth Unlocking
The Mexico City Series version of Laureano is built perfectly for early-game Diamond Dynasty squads. His defense is the biggest reason players are chasing the card.
The highlights are obvious immediately:
91 Arm Strength
99 Arm Accuracy
98 Clutch
Excellent reaction and fielding in the outfield
Strong all-around value for a free reward card
He plays especially well in right field because runners basically stop testing his arm after one throw. Even if his bat is not the absolute best among top-tier cards, the defensive value alone makes him worth grabbing early.
The Fastest Free Unlock Method
The fastest way to unlock Laureano is by speed-running the single-player Mexico City Series Conquest Map.
A lot of players waste time trying to fully clear every tile on the map manually. That is unnecessary. The goal is simply to reach and defeat the required strongholds as quickly as possible.
Focus Only on Strongholds
The most important trick is ignoring most of the map.
Instead of trying to conquer everything one tile at a time, push directly toward the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks strongholds immediately. Every turn should move you closer to those objectives.
You only need enough surrounding territories to build reinforcements safely.
Simulate Almost Every Territory
This is where most of the time savings happen.
You do not need to play standard territory games at all. Stack enough fans so your territories heavily outnumber the CPU spaces, then simulate the matchups.
A good rule is keeping roughly a 4-to-1 advantage before simming. Once you do that, the simulations become extremely reliable and you can clear huge portions of the map in seconds.
That turns what could have been a long grind into a quick cleanup process.
Play Stronghold Games on Rookie
The only games you really need to play are the 3-inning stronghold matchups.
Before attacking a stronghold, reinforce enough fans so the difficulty drops to Rookie or Veteran. This makes the games much faster and far less annoying.
At lower difficulty:
CPU pitchers throw more hittable strikes
You can score quickly
Games finish faster
You avoid wasting time in extra innings or sweaty moments
The goal is speed, not challenge.
The Hidden Bonus Rewards
One reason this Conquest map is so valuable is that Laureano is not the only reward.
By following the optimized route, you also unlock:
91 OVR Zac Gallen
Deluxe Choice Pack rewards
Extra progress toward larger collections
That makes the map one of the better value grinds currently available in Diamond Dynasty.
Combine the Grind With Other Programs
A smart way to save even more time is stacking mission progress during the Conquest run.
Before starting the stronghold games, build your lineup around active objectives.
For example:
Use Padres players
Use Diamondbacks players
Add World Baseball Classic cards
Equip players needing Parallel XP progress
Because the stronghold games are only three innings, they become excellent for farming multiple objectives at once.
You end up progressing Team Affinity, Parallel XP missions, and collection vouchers while unlocking Laureano at the same time.
That passive progression adds up fast.
The Marketplace Shortcut
If you absolutely do not want to touch Conquest, there is another option.
You can buy Ramón Laureano directly from the Community Marketplace using stubs.
The card usually sits somewhere around:
18,500 to 21,000 stubs
But there is an important trick here.
Do not use Buy Now unless you are impatient.
Instead:
Check the current highest bid
Place a buy order slightly above it
Wait for the order to fill
This usually saves a few thousand stubs compared to instantly purchasing the card.
If you already have a healthy stub balance, this is technically the fastest method overall since it skips gameplay entirely.
For most players, the Mexico City Series Conquest Map is clearly the best route to unlock Ramón Laureano quickly in MLB The Show 26.
It is fully offline, easy to complete, and rewards multiple valuable cards at the same time. The biggest mistake players make is overplaying the map instead of speed-running directly to the strongholds.
If you simulate most territories, play only the required games, and keep the difficulty low, you can unlock Laureano surprisingly fast without turning the grind into a chore.
For a free Diamond outfielder with elite defense and one of the strongest arms in the game, the reward is absolutely worth the effort.
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