What does BND stand for in Madden 23? (In-Depth Guide)

BND stands for "bound", indicating that the card is account-bound and untradeable in Madden‘s Ultimate Team (MUT) mode. You cannot auction, trade or collect BND cards – they are permanently stuck to your account.

Auctionable Cards vs Account-Bound Items

Typically in MUT, the player cards you obtain from packs or rewards can be posted for auction for other users to bid and buy. This is how you improve your lineup, by selling valuable cards you don‘t need to raise coins for purchases.

However, certain special program player items released in MUT are marked as BND or account-bound. This means they have restrictions compared to regular cards.

Why Did EA Introduce Account-Bound Cards?

In my opinion as an dedicated MUT player, BND cards were strategically introduced by EA to…

Limitations and Frustrations of BND Player Items

The key restrictions of BND cards in Madden Ultimate Team include:

Can‘t Auction BND Cards

Unlike regular player items, you cannot post BND cards on the auction house for other users to bid and buy.

This removes a major coin-making method and limits options for improving your lineup.

No Trading BND Players

Another standard MUT tactic rendered useless by BND cards – you cannot offer them in trades with friends or other users.

BND Cards Can‘t Be Collected

Typically collecting enough items from a program rewards bonuses. However BNDs usually don‘t count for collections because they are untradeable.

This removes another incentive for chasing BND cards from special packs and sets.

As you can see, Account Bound players have severe restrictions compared to regular Ultimate Team cards. Many hardcore MUT players dislike BND items – allegations of EA using them as intentional "money grabs" are common.

I explore this controversy next…

BND Card Controversies – Intentional Money Grabs?

The introduction of untradeable BND cards into MUT has been controversial across the hardcore Madden community.

Long-time Ultimate Team fans argue BNDs were strategically implemented by EA to increase profits from pack purchases. By removing key card value avenues like auctioning and trading, players feel more pressure buying bundles trying to obtain rare Bound players.

And social media outrage erupts when expensive limited time packs contain mostly BND cards – allegations fly of EA cynically leveraging FOMO (fear of missing out) knowing diehard fans will keep spending trying to build the best team.

While EA has never directly admitted Bound cards are intentional money grabs, the community frustration speaks for itself.

As a dedicated player myself, I have mixed feelings on BND items – the restrictions are annoying but some exclusive players are very enticing…

An example was the recent Out Of Position and April Fools BND Josh Allen QB card. Despite costing $200+ to pull, that rare item sold almost a million coins!

BND Card Glitches – When Bound Items Go Wild

Despite normal restrictions, BND card glitches have happened allowing them into sets or even occasionally making them auctionable.

A recent MUT glitch allowed two Bound player items from the Combine and Draft promos to bypass restrictions and be added to the Honors sets. EA quickly patched this once it became widespread.

But whenever a glitch appears letting BND cards bypass limits, it spreads fast across social media and forums. Even I‘ve benefited before – last year I snagged an ultra rare Bound LTD Ronnie Lott for 200k when someone exploited a glitch making him temporarily auctionable.

These moments create short-term market panics around Bound items. But inevitably EA steps in, patches glitches, and removes exploitative cards from lineups.

While tempting when they appear, its best not to rely long-term on BND glitches. The restrictions inevitably return until the next unintended loophole emerges…

Now that we‘ve covered the controversies and limitations of Bound cards, next I‘ll compare Account Bound players to two other key MUT item types – Limited and Regular cards.

MUT Card Comparison Table – Regular, LTD, BND

Here‘s a breakdown of how standard auctionable cards stack up against Limited Edition and Account Bound players in key categories:

*For 48 hours

As you can see, BND and LTD cards have restrictions around trading/collecting but offer temporary value spikes, especially when glitches trigger market panics.

Now that we understand the different MUT item types, lets analyze the in-game economics surrounding Account Bound players…

In-Game Economics – How BND Cards Impact MUT Markets

BND cards failing to appear on the auction house reduces supply for those players. Yet dedicated players will keep ripping packs trying to obtain them.

Basic economics suggests that shrinking supply + steady demand leads to higher prices. And historically the market bears this out…

For example the BND Out Of Position Josh Allen QB briefly peaked around ~950k during his 48 hour window despite no auction house sales. Only the biggest ballers like Youtuber Throne could afford him by buy millions of training points.

Once any BND glitches emerge, panic demand sends prices into the millions for unreleased Bound beasts like Ronnie Lott.

This is why BND cards cause such market volatility despite restrictions – short supply matched with always high demand amongst diehard collectors. Whales will pay anything for exclusive players and bragging rights.

Just look at Throne dropping $40,000 during Madden 22 on bundles hunting for rare Tom Brady items!

Anyway, I‘ve analyzed enough MUT economics for one article – lets wrap up with a glossary of common Ultimate Team abbreviations you might encounter around player stats.

Madden 23 Stat Abbreviations Glossary

Here are some common shorthand terms seen across Madden Ultimate Team:

Check EA‘s Gridiron Notes Glossary for a full breakdown of player rating terms.

This guide should fully answer "What Does BND stand for in Madden 23" – and so much more about Bound cards! Let me know if you have any other MUT questions.