The “Future Stars” event in FIFA 19 Ultimate Team ends on Friday evening. The extremely strong talent cards have reignited the realism debate. Is the game completely out of order?
This was “Future Stars”: The Future Stars event brought a team of 21 talented players to Ultimate Team, whose rating was based on the “potential” of the players. Since the start of the event, more players have been added through Squad Building Challenges.
The players were characterized by very high ratings: Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, for example, received a rating of 90, as did Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen. Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid was even rated 92.
FIFA 19 turns 18-year-olds into superstars
A bold prediction: As soon as the event was announced, many FIFA players raised their eyebrows in surprise. EA Sports took a big risk with its predictions: The Brazilian left winger Vinicius Junior is undoubtedly very talented. However, the Real Madrid player has only played nine league matches in real life, has not scored any goals, and has only provided one assist. Additionally, he has two appearances in the Champions League and five in the cup – does that already justify such a strong card?
The English forward Jadon Sancho, who has had a strong season at Borussia Dortmund, only truly impressed this Bundesliga season. Talent: Undisputed. With an overall rating of 90, Sancho is already on the same level as world-class players like Toni Kroos or Robert Lewandowski.
Flood of special cards: World-class players without end
Are ratings losing their significance? Aside from the realism debate, “Future Stars” sparked a whole other discussion: How much are the ratings in Ultimate Team still worth?
When the “Team of the Year” was introduced at the beginning of the year, it was assumed that they would remain the best cards in the game, unparalleled until the “Team of the Season”. However, the “Future Stars” arrived shortly after – and suddenly there was another generation of top players, very close to the TOTY players.
Rainbow teams are becoming more common: At the same time, EA Sports has delivered an unusually high number of special cards since the game’s release: Not only the usual Team-of-the-Week cards have elevated players to a new level. Champions League, Flashback, Road-to-the-Final, or POTM and Future Stars cards are suddenly competing with the big names – not to mention the many icons and other event cards.
Teams often no longer consist of bronze, silver, gold, or black TOTW cards. Many teams now consist of various colorful event cards that have correspondingly high ratings. In comparison: At release, there were a total of 11 base cards with a rating of 90 or higher. In Ultimate Team, there are now 189 different cards that have at least a rating of 90. 189 world stars – and the high 80s ratings are not even counted yet.
Is Ultimate Team suffering from a kind of inflation?
Divided opinions: The feedback on the Future Stars event in the community is somewhat mixed. On one hand, many were excited about the mega talents but were then deterred by the high prices. They were hoping for more affordable players who could elevate mid-tier teams to a new level. The event is seen more as a “between-TOTS”, where one won’t pull any players from the packs anyway and would have to invest lots of coins. The criticism: The community fears that events are only there to drive the pack sales of the game up.
Are SBCs still worth it? On the other hand, difficult SBCs are increasingly losing their charm. Through Flashback or POTM SBCs, one could secure strong players with some effort. For example, versions of Ibrahimovic or recently Rooney, whose ratings were based on their old world-class form. POTM-Sancho, POTM-Reus, or also Flashback-Götze were briefly considered perfect players for a Bundesliga team, but the SBCs cost many coins.
Now, some players hesitate at the effort of such an SBC: One does not know whether another event will follow soon, where other players can draw world-class players from packs using many coins or real money, overshadowing the painstakingly earned SBC players.
What do you think? Are the many special cards an exciting element of this year’s FIFA installment? Or would you prefer a return to fewer top cards? Join the discussion on our Facebook page.
