FC 24 88 FC Pro Live Sadio Mane Player Review

The FC Pro Live cards are here and have certainly added a new twist to the list of dynamic cards available in the game.  If you haven’t read up on the FC Pro Live cards and how they are upgraded you can do so by clicking here, to fully understand just how these cards will increase throughout the FC Pro Season. 

Some interesting cards came into this selection and of course a key prerequisite had to be an absence of PlayStyle Plus given the potential upgrade in early January should the corresponding pro qualify for the final 8 playdown.  The selection was difficult but we came to the conclusion that Kolo Muani would be a nice entry into this promo… One hour of sniping later, seeing only one and getting nowhere close to the speed of the thousands of bots in competition… We moved on to Sadio Mane.

Mane will be connected to H1dalgo in this competition and we will dive a little further into that dynamic later, but for the sake of the review we had to get Mane connected with our squad and positioned in an area to show off what this new initial upgrade has delivered.  Leading the line in the 4-3-2-1 seemed like a good starting point and the HUNTER chemistry style jumped out as a solid option to get the Senegalese attacker flying down the middle of the pitch.

Mane was lightning in a bottle all weekend long in the following squad:

Overall 

Worth saying that the initial boosts on these FC Pro cards are actually insane and have already created a usable set of cards without any upgrades.  With Mane this was entirely true and the quality on this card almost caught me off guard at the outset.  With every potential upgrade there is an opportunity for this card to continue growing with the power curve into TOTY, at the current moment I would rate Mane in the top tier of cards available.

Main Statistics – Dribbling

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

Pace Rating: 10/10

Skills: ★★★★

PlayStyles: Flair, Rapid, Quick Step

I mentioned lightning in a bottle and that was 100% down to the blistering Pace that you get when adding a HUNTER to this card.  Like I say, a few boosts and this card will be insane, one of the major changes would be with a new Chemistry Style after the informs raise the Pace to a point that the HUNTER is redundant.

As it stands the 97 ACCELERATION with the QUICK STEP Playstyle was a perfect match for getting into key shooting positions, while the 98 SPRINT SPEED and RAPID Playstyle maintained any gap I created with the initial burst.  The card feels incredibly in game, as if Mane is in fast forward when you step on the gas. 

The 4 STAR SKILLS is the only thing keeping this card from a perfect rating and honestly it was as close to perfect as you can get regardless.  The 90 AGILITY, 91 BALANCE & 90 DRIBBLING are responsive and smooth… Then you mix in the burst of pace and blistering top end speed and you simply just need to pick the right end product. 

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

I would turn to Mo Salah’s Trailblazer at 800k or Stoichkov’s ICON at 600k, both with 3 STAR WEAK FOOT and not eligible for upgrades in my argument that the 750k for Mane is more than fare as it stands.  Any upgrades at all and it is a fantastic deal.  Worth noting that the addition of Fabinho and Koulibaly to this promo has also made linking the Senegalese even easier (he says as he used neither for links).  

But if you are buying this card with upgrades in mind it is worth a ten second look at H1dalgo’s path in the FC Pro Open.  Group A is quite the stacked group of players and when you consider that H1dalgo just scraped past Ollelito in dramatic fashion with one of the most painfully EAFC goals ever… You would have to see him as a bit of an underdog.  Not saying he can’t do it, and certainly he would back himself to be easily getting at least one victory… All I am saying is the group is quite difficult.  Regardless, my stance on the price remains, that even without an upgrade the card is at a good value currently.  

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

Mane is a menace in attack and the more opponents laid off to respect the Pace, the more opportunities opened up to create attempts on goal.

+ The HUNTER continues to work magic on the Shooting as the 95 FINISHING & 91 SHOT POWER combined to produce some stunning goals.  The 13 goals in 7 matches stands as proof of that quality, mixed with a potent 4 STAR WEAK FOOT and devastating FINESSE SHOT PlayStyle… To the point you would swear it was the Plus and why I tiptoed around the idea of a perfect 10/10 despite the 4 STAR.

+ The 74 STRENGTH feels quite a lot higher given the unique body type and ability for Mane to naturally protect the ball.  Honestly defenders spent more time trying to get a hand on Mane at all, but when they did he was more than up to the test.  

Just minor inconveniences with this card, but when you pay a premium price these issues are only further highlighted throughout the review.

- All in all 3 assists in 7 matches isn’t the absolute worst for the focal point striker in the 4-3-2-1.  The job is to score goals and anything else is a bonus.  But when the link up play suffered it was frustrating at times.  The 85 VISION & 85 SHORT PASSING were normally reliable but could go missing at times, while the 73 LONG PASSING was oddly more accurate and consistent than you would think.  Like I said before, there is an opportunity to look at a DEADEYE type Chemistry Style for improvements here… But I would prefer some upgrades to Pace before I gave away the high end speed I witnessed from the HUNTER. 

Closing Words

I honestly like this idea and style of promo, and I hope it furthers the careers of the FC Pro participants when more tune in to see if their Mane or Kolo Muani are going to get upgraded.  At the same time I hope that the community recognizes the need for common sense when Player A loses and their linked card is now dropping in price from missing out on upgrades.  There are going to be those that can’t help themselves, but I hope in general the spotlight only shines bright on the talent and competition that will be on show throughout the Open.  But with that side note out of the way, I can’t recommend a Sadio Mane test run any more than I did with the glowing overview of his many attributes in game.   

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading