88 RTTF Darwin Nunez Player Review

Hands up if you opened a ton of packs and saw a few blue flares… none of which ended up being TOTY cards.  I personally even missed out on the Free Messi Sweepstakes and overall the TOTY promo felt like a giant let down during one of the most anticipated times of the year.  Thankfully we can now turn our sails away from that blue abyss and set the course on another fan favorite in the RTTF promo.

The ups and downs of live promo cards are something to be studied and in the end one of the cards from all UEFA Competitions is due for a massive boost including multiple informs, an additional PlayStyle Plus and a 5★ | 5★ upgrade.  It was with this in mind that we took a look towards the current bookmakers favorites to win the Europa League competition… Liverpool.  Of course Darwin Núñez was almost immediately extinct, but thankfully this was adjusted a lot sooner than normal and we could jump into this review.

Núñez took the reins as the main striker in the 4-3-2-1 formation directly from my current club stalwart in Kenny Dalglish and the hope was that the Uruguayan could bring even a sliver of the same quality and consistency.  Based on both recent events in the non-pixelated world and the card quality it was clear that the FINISHER Chemistry Style would be best suited for this run of games and all was set for another weekend in paradise.

Núñez delivered the talismanic performances required for the weekend grind, leading the line in the following squad:

Overall 

Rating: 9/10

Certainly a card to keep an eye moving forward as Liverpool’s progress, or lack thereof, will ultimately determine the levels that Núñez reaches in game.  However, in the current form this is a card that is  right up there with the top tier powercurve strikers and can offer a large goal threat with a variety of methods to get the job done.  The 9 goals and 3 assists in 5 matches is the 2.0 goals per game contribution that we like to see and it was the different mix and method of those contributions that caught the eye the most. 

Main Statistics – Shooting

Shooting Rating: 9/10

Weak Foot: ★★★★

PlayStyles: Power Shot, Power Header

In general this card produces what you see from a strictly statistics speaking standpoint… The FINISHER did feel like the ideal choice and 99 FINISHING & 95 SHOT POWER combination provided the proof of that throughout the review.  The POWER SHOT PlayStyle was yet another weapon and the 92 VOLLEYS were another fantastic addition, all contributing to the goal tally.

The 4 STAR WEAK would be one area of concern and unfortunately Núñez is a long way off from that upgrade (end of May) and could use that little bit of extra quality on the left.  In saying that, the best goal of the entire review came from a left footed volley and is a strong example of how Núñez isn’t useless on the left either.  

Similar to the lacking weak foot is the equally absent PlayStyles and again Núñez will have to wait to potentially upgrade in that area.  In the end a FINESSE or TRIVELLA PlayStyle Plus would certainly help push this card over the edge as one of the premier strikers in the game.  But at the current point in time the lack of those two PlayStyles specifically certainly limits goal scoring options.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 4/5

It really depends on the angle you take with this card when determining the quality of value.  From a strictly here and now viewpoint I would not suggest that Núñez is anywhere near a 2 million (as of this writing) coin asset.  However, if you take the gamblers' angle and trust the odds that Liverpool make it far into the competition… this would become one insane card after a few upgraded versions.  However, it is also worth considering that the main upgrade Núñez really needs is the 5★ | 5★, which wouldn’t arrive until late May… and you can imagine the cards available at that point in the cycle.  In the end, it simply needs a massive drop in price (dropping to around 1 million) to be good value for me.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

The goal threat is a combination of factors and when thrown together creates a dangerous card in and around the box.

+ 90 ACCELERATION & 94 SPRINT SPEED on a LENGTHY AcceleRATE with a lean body type and RAPID PlayStyle is simply asking for the emergence of a speed demon.  The QUICK STEP PlayStyle Plus ensured that the acceleration was not hampered by the LENGTHY sluggish starts and it all combined into a rapid and difficult to handle card.

+ The Dribbling was a massive surprise and felt smooth and responsive especially maneuvering around the box.  The 85 AGILITY, 72 BALANCE, & 83 DRIBBLING screams the exact opposite of quality and yet delivered  consistently in dangerous areas of the pitch requiring sharp & responsive dribbles.

+ Finally the Physical nature of this card is something to consider for those that like a bigger presence up top, but don’t want to sacrifice Pace or Dribbling.  The 99 JUMPING & 92 HEADING ACCURACY are just one example of these skills and combined very well to both score a goal and generally knock down any lofted balls to feet.  The 90 STRENGTH provides just another area of concern for opponents defenders and it generally worked well shielding the ball throughout the review.  One small area of concern might be the 93 STAMINA and despite being connected to the RELENTLESS PlayStyle, Núñez did seem to waver nearing the end of matches.

Minimal issues with this card, but not a completely perfect test run either.

- Despite the 3 assists (which had more to do with Pace & Dribbling rather than Passing quality) it was clear from early in the review that Núñez was not going to pass teams off the park.  The 86 VISION & 81 SHORT PASSING came as advertised and occasionally caused frustration.  

Closing Words

In the end Núñez proved to be a brilliant card and from a Pace and Shooting perspective was a huge asset in the matches where he led the line.  The card has a perfect body type to get the most out of the speed, agility, and power stat combinations that make the best strikers in the game so sought after.  Yet in the end the current price tag would be my biggest concern and moving forward that same price tag would have to take a strong drop in order to truly recommend splashing the coins on the big Uruguayan.

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading