FC 25 95 Team of The Year Shaw Player Review

The TOTY promo is now in the closing stages as the Honorable Mentions and 12th Man and Woman came into packs yesterday… An ever growing list of players that I will never pack, but am certainly looking forward to testing.  Lots to choose from but we decided to stay in the TOTY category and with CR7 at upwards of 8 million it could only be one Khadija “Bunny” Shaw.

The more and more I looked at this card upon release the more I was certain that this review was going to be fantastic, which is generally the perfect recipe for a clunky card that can’t finish or at the very least an underperforming option… As long as the FINESSE SHOT functioned similarly to the likes of Dalglish or Isak it was going to be alright and was time to plan a squad.

Continuing on with the 4-5-1(2) and maybe a small early complaint about Bunny Shaw would be the lack of any alternative positions whatsoever, and while I would have played Shaw striker for the sake of the review regardless, not having the option to move positions might limit some managers' interest.  The second early complaint comes in the form of a striker without Advanced Forward++, and being one of the more popular options is again an odd omission.  The Chemistry Style was another interesting choice and while I settled on an ENGINE for the dribbling boosts, I can see why people would opt for the maxed out Pace and improved Passing from a CATALYST.  With everything set it was into the Weekend League battle with Khadija Shaw leading the line in the following squad:   

Rating: 9/10

Having recently just gone through a few Weekend Leagues of calling on the 93 Winter Wildcard Dalglish to get me over the finish line, I feel like I am in a really good position to talk about where this card stands in the list of OP options.  First and foremost Shaw is about as clinical as it gets in front of goal and the 15 goals in 5 matches (which I actually got to play without too early of quits) is proof of that.  Especially for those managers’ looking for a second striker with movement and finishing this just might be the one you are looking for.  For those of us in single striker formations there were a few issues that I will touch on in a moment, but overall a fantastic card.  

Main Statistics – Shooting

Weak Foot: ★★★★★

Shooting Rating: 10/10 

PlayStyles: Finesse Plus, Power Shot, Trivela

The trifecta of Shooting PlayStyles and just so happens to have my favorite in the FINESSE Plus.  I mentioned before that despite the PlayStyle there are cards that simply do not bend the ball enough to get beyond the outstretched hands of the best keepers… But Shaw is not in that category and time and time again beautifully nestled the ball into the top bins.

The just about perfect base statistics fell just about perfect in game and the 98 FINISHING & 97 SHOT POWER definitely stood out… The key here is not just the goals, but the ability to then apply a Chemistry Style to address other areas.  Based on what I saw the ENGINE was a solid choice and I would imagine the Dribbling and Passing would suffer significantly without it… Even as it was these were two areas that did not hit the top tier standard of other (of course more expensive) cards.

15 goals in 5 matches and a 5 STAR WEAK FOOT with those PlayStyles it really was impossible not to go 10/10 here.  However, there was one area that surprised me more than once and that was Shaw’s cross body right footed shots, which would normally  be the easiest to score, yet on three separate occasions found the depressing ring of the far post and out.  These were minor moments given the rest of the goals flying in, but at the same time could have easily been 18 goals and 3 times in only 5 matches started to feel like a bad trend.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

I don’t think you can argue with near a million coins for this card and it feels like a fair assessment of what you are getting.  I mentioned 93 Dalglish who is certainly a tier about Shaw as a lone striker especially… But of course it is also going to set you back over a million coins more.  At this stage in the game the utmost tier of cards are going to cost you heavy and while Shaw doesn’t belong with those cards she did outperform her price tag for the most part.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

The best way to describe this card is “really good statistics and attributes with minor inconveniences along the way”:

+ The Passing is a perfect example of this overview and while Shaw only managed 2 assists it does not tell the story of the passing with this card.  In fact some of the 94 SHORT PASSING & INCISIVE PASS combinations around the box were sublime.  There were moments that the 91 LONG PASS went a bit wild and other times where it was unbelievably accurate especially when finding the overlapping runs of wingbacks.

+ The Pace is another area where Shaw just about has it all… The ENGINE again is at play and the 95 ACCELERATION was quite quick alongside the QUICK STEP.  In and around the box it was very difficult for my opponents to get tight to Shaw and more often than not I was able to get a shot away at the very least. Again it would have been nice to get a bit more out of the 94 SPRINT SPEED as one or two should be breakaways were cut out.  

+ The Dribbling and Physical tell the exact same story.  The FIRST TOUCH is so key to the lone striker and with the PRESS PROVEN Plus was a great combination for some build up play.  However I did expect more from the 98 STRENGTH & 98 JUMPING + AERIAL Plus, both of which did not deliver as much as you would expect.  Going back to my two striker comment, holding up the play and keeping the ball is the area where Shaw did not deliver nearly as well as more expensive options I have used.  Whether it be movement or strength you need to be able to keep the ball and against the better opponents Shaw was found wanting. 

Closing Words

The first thing you notice when Bunny Shaw steps on the virtual pitch is the size of this card, which I thought might be similar to Smith & Co.  but instead the build is more solid.  In a way I think this held Shaw back as the shorter stature still meant a general issue with aggressive defenders and of course a difficulty in winning headers.  In the end the 17 goal contributions in 5 matches still tells the story of a clinical card with a ton of ways to hurt you and impressive AI movement in attack is one of them.  Definitely deserving of the 12th woman from her real life performances and replicated that same goal scoring touch on the virtual pitch.  A must try.                                             

Hoping you are well. Cheers for reading.