FC 25 96 Shapeshifters Beckham Player Review - Cop or Flop

Team of the Season is over. It’s been a great run, but with a slow end we are finally onto the next promo and it’s arguably just as big. Shapeshifters is here and if the previous year is anything to go by, we could be in for some massive cards. For those unfamiliar, the theme to this promo is taking cards and placing them into unusual positions. The Petr Cech Striker item still haunts me to this day.

It’s a double SBC day though with Lewandowski getting a CM item and the player we are here to talk about today in David Beckham. He’s channeling his inner Gary Neville because this item comes as a RB rather than the midfielder we are used to. He can of course, play CDM but honestly, the point of this promo is to play players in strange positions, so let’s stick with the RB option here. Worth noting, he can also play LB, but personally, I think RB is the best option for this card.

Beckham has had a couple of promo cards already this year, with this being his third promo item. I’ll loosely compare him to his previous version but it’s worth noting that the difference in positions can naturally make the upgrades much different to what you would expect in a higher-rated item. A +2 boost from his FUT Birthday Icon card with a +8 to Defending, +5 to Pace and simple +1 boosts to the remainder of his stats.

The card also comes with 4 playstyle pluses in Incisive Pass, Whipped Pass, Jockey and Anticipate. Despite the big pace boost there is a clear absence in Rapid and Quick Step playstyles here that leaves me worrying that he may not feel as fast as his pace stat suggests.

The anchor chemstlye is the clear choice for this item however the sniper is a close contender and one I opted for initially. But for the RB position you absolutely want to go with those boosts to Pace, Defending and Physicals.

Here are the following segments to unlock the Shapeshifters Icon Beckham SBC:

Born Legend

Rare Players: Min 11

Player Level: Min Bronze

# of players in squad: 11

Rising Star

Rare Players: Min 11

Player Level: Min Silver

# of players in squad: 11

On a Loan

Squad Rating: Min 83

# of players in squad: 11

Free Kick King

# of players from England: Min 1

Squad Rating: Min 88

# of players in squad: 11

Top-notch

TOTW Players: Min 1

Squad Rating: Min 88

# of players in squad: 11

League Finesse

# of players from La Liga EA Sports: Min 1

Squad Rating: Min 89

# of players in squad: 11

League Legend

# of players from Premier League: Min 1

Squad Rating: Min 90

# of players in squad: 11

Just 7 segments in total to complete this SBC to which, if i’m honest, is a little shocking. I expected much more. The pricetag coming in at just under 300k to complete and so far value wise I don’t hate this SBC. The real make or break here will be whether or not this SBC is better than the likes of Lala or Frimpong.

How did he perform in-game?

+ No surprises that his passing is fantastic. Almost maxed out stats and you would expect nothing less from a Beckham card. His whipped pass is perfect. Who better to bend it like Beckham than the man himself?

+ Defensively, he’s solid. The anticipate comes in clutch quite often when it comes to locking down and putting a quick stop to the opposition.

+ You don’t particularly need good shooting on a defender but of course this man can absolutely finish a ball. He possesses Finesse and Low Driven so he’ll absolutely be able to bag you some goals if he’s in front of net.

+ His dribbling was real nice too. He’s very agile on the ball and controls it well under pressure. 

+ He’s also got 98 stamina and the relentless playstyle, meaning he can perform at 110% throughout the entirety of the game.

/ He’s missing both Rapid and Quick Step. Despite having 97 pace, he didn’t feel as quick on the ball as we had hoped and would often be caught up on the buildup.

- The only letdown about this item is the low strength. He can get knocked off the ball quite quickly when challenging against elite defenders.

Beckham - Cop or Flop?

I’ll be honest, this item is probably not better than your meta right backs such as Frimpong, Lala, Cafu etc. But he certainly performs close to an elite level and is a really fun card to use. He might not be the biggest physical threat but his passing ability is phenomenal. 

What also helps is this is quite a cheap SBC, especially for an Icon. This isn’t an Endgame card but it’s certainly one worth picking up if you’re looking to spice things up in FC25 and try something new.

Verdict = COP