Showdown
DeanThe first Team of the Season card is now available in Ultimate Team and it comes from the Premium Season Pass. Dries Mertens has a TOTS Moments item which can be unlocked at Level 5 of the Premium Pass.
You may have spotted earlier that we touched on the Flashback Lala card that is available at Level 1. Not too long after, we have also been able to get our hands on this Mertens card, which puts the TOTS promo well and truly underway! Yes, I’m aware, I need to touch grass.
In order to unlock this item for those wondering. You must complete all of the Ultimate Team objectives currently available to you as well as the Player & Manager Career Weekly Objectives. Both are offering an additional 1.5k SP each. There is the option to unlock more SP through clubs, however, this is likely the easiest option as it involves minimal effort outside of putting the controller down against the CPU.
So let’s talk about this Mertens card. Yet another player today that is getting their first special item in Ultimate Team. A massive +14 boost from his base item. A skill move boost up to 5* skills as well as 3 additional playstyle pluses in Finesse, First Touch and Incisive Pass.
Stats wise he’s had a huge boost in a whopping +30 in Physicals, +26 Pace, +15 Shooting and +14 Dribbling. So some huge boosts here to get this card into a better position to play in your squad. He also comes equipped with the Chip Shot, Dead Ball, Pinged Pass, Technical, Trickster and Trivela playstyles. So Mertens has a lot to offer in his locker.
I have opted for the Hawk here to max out the Pace and Shooting as well as a needed boost to his physical stats.
To unlock this item of course, does in fact require a cost; however, it isn’t a cost for the player itself, but the premium pass. In order to gain the premium pass, the cost is coming in at 500k coins or 1k FC Points. So far by this point you would have unlocked two top tier cards as well as a nice stack of packs. It’s worth highlighting that all “Premium” pack rewards are in fact tradeable. So you can already begin recouping those coins spent on the pass itself.
How did he perform in-game?
+ Dribbling is by far the most impressive feature of this card. His feet are glued to the ball when trying to pass through the opposition. He makes real quick snappy movements on the ball that leave players stumbling to keep up.
+ Passing on this card was really nice. He provided countless assists, especially when sending off through balls to the attackers. This was all thanks to the Incisive Pass+
+ Shooting overall was good, but mostly that Finesse shot. He curled the ball top bins with ease and often at high speed, which made it nearly impossible to stop. Generally though, he had nice finishing and is incredibly clinical with his shots.
+ Positionally, he was sound. Made perfect attacking runs that built the bridge forward for the attack to finish off the play. He was often out in space to pickup the ball and ping it forward to assist with easy goals
/ His pace wasn’t awful for a CAM, however, at times he didn’t feel the quickest so I wouldn’t recommend playing him at Striker if your intention is to play him as someone to make those solo attacking runs.
Mertens - Cop or Flop?
This card is really nice and fun to play with at this early stage of TOTS. However, I do feel that with the abundance of options already available in the CAM/ST role, along with a massive overhaul of players due to come. This card, to me, feels like one that probably won’t get many appearances in teams and will likely be forgotten.
Regardless though, the incredible value of the Season Pass makes this almost impossible not to be worth it. He certainly could fit in well for a super sub or even if he just becomes fodder for an SBC down the line. This one is a nice addition to the club.
Verdict = COP
