In FIFA 21, the new points system has certainly shaken things up in Ultimate Team this week. However, it has also brought some positives, according to MeinMMO author Max Handwerk.
What kind of change is this? In FIFA 21, there is a game limit for ranking in Division Rivals. This means: You have a total of 30 games per week in which you can earn points for Rivals rewards. After that, the games no longer count towards the reward ranking.
That wouldn’t be a problem for me if it hadn’t been established last week that the Weekend League also counts towards this ranking. Weekend matches only bring 400 points per game and deduct one game from the Rivals limit – which frustrated many players. Because the Rivals limit is only reset on Thursdays, a day before the new Weekend League. We have already discussed the problem in detail here.
This is what my experience looks like: Many feared that they would be left with an exhausted Rivals limit after the Weekend League and would not be able to improve their ranking. This meant that between the weekend and the new Rivals competition, there would be almost nothing left to do. This is exactly what happened to me.
After playing through my Weekend League, my Rivals limit was gone. Therefore, it made no sense for me to play Rivals until the rewards – I couldn’t improve my rank anyway.
“Good,” I thought, “let’s see what else there is to do in FUT,” and started looking for other ways to play a bit of Ultimate Team. There are plenty of modes, after all.
But that the friendly matches would grab me in the end – I really didn’t expect that.
Playing relaxed for nothing is surprisingly fun
Why friendly matches of all things? The Draft mode is currently too expensive for me since I already have too few coins to spend 15,000 coins and get eliminated in the first round. And Squad Battles are nice for a while, but I prefer playing against online opponents rather than the AI.
So I basically ended up in the friendly matches through the process of elimination. “At least I can complete a few goals” I thought and logged into the Silver Lounge.
In the Silver Lounge, there is a simple rule: Only silver cards are allowed. This means you are playing with significantly weaker players than you are used to in Rivals – but the opponents are also different.
So I put together an inexpensive team of second league players and got started. And within a short time, I was hooked.
What makes the Silver Lounge so fun? First, you need to adjust your own playing style. A team of second league players does not string together skill moves as easily, and passes are a bit less accurate than usual.
The good thing is: Since the opponent has the same conditions, it doesn’t matter so much. When I face all the Mbappés, Ben Yedders or Traorés in Rivals or Weekend League with my mediocre Bundesliga team, the odds are already bad from the kickoff.
In the Silver Lounge, things are more balanced on the pitch in terms of cards. You can even set up players like Weydandt, Miyaichi, or Collins without being at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, you encounter completely different opponent teams, not just the same meta players.
Additionally: If you lose a game, it’s not a drama. Playing for “nothing” is quite relaxing when you’re used to only the competitive modes. And you can also catch a few XP from the weekly tasks.
Silver is not everything: After the Silver Lounge, I also looked around in the friendly matches otherwise – something I might never have done without the system change in FUT (or only much later in the season).
You might play a round of “Exchange” where you get three players from your opponent and can try out new kickers. Or you get into completely insane matches in “Surprise Ball” with performance boosts that can easily end 12-8 or something. All things I would otherwise rarely or never play – but they have been a lot of fun for me this week.
I still maintain that the system change in Rivals and Weekend League is not a good option. After all, the chase for rewards in Rivals is also a lot of fun and is actually the mode I normally play the most.
However, the friendly matches are – at least for a while – incredibly entertaining and give you the space to experiment a bit with your own team and playing style. Those who have completely ignored it so far should maybe take a look. Especially if the limit in Rivals has just been exhausted.
When it starts again in the Weekend League, of course the rewards will be in focus again. Here you can find tips on how to get more wins in the Weekend League.
