Mbappé

FIFA 19.  The latest installment in the EA franchise is slowly dropping in different forms and everything is new. New players. New FUT web design (which looks amazing).  New ratings. New comments section for reviews. New review format: for FIFA 19 I have decided to extend the 5 point scale that I had used last year to a new and improved 10 point scale.  The thought process behind this comes down to the limits that a 5 point scale creates and the inability to really separate players as stronger cards are released.  Enough of the small talk let’s dive into it.

With the ease that coins can be accumulated in the past few FIFAs I have moved away from FIFA Point purchases, but I always spend $100 to get off to a good start and see where the season takes me.  I wouldn’t say I have a lot of pack luck, but I do get the odd spicy pull here and there.  Nearing the end of my points I had one 84 and a few 83’s with not much else, and then the madness began.  Sergio Ramos: really happy with that.  Kylian Mbappé: jumping up and down ecstatic.  With that my review was set and I was jumping feet first into my first FIFA 19 review.  Mbappé was the hero in a half shell in the following squad:

PACE

For this review I can only set bench marks for future players, try to compare to the players I have encountered, and take in additional thoughts and ideas from around the FUTiverse.  However, I think I can safely say that this card will match just about any card for pace in the entire game at this point and in the future.  Seeing as it is the first week-ish of FUT there are only a few defenders that can cope with this level of pace.  Taking into consideration that the tractor beam for chasing defenders seems to exist yet again in FIFA; the majority of defenders still could not reel in the Mbappé Train after it rolled out of the station. 

Rating: 9.6/10

DRIBBLING

To piggyback on my previous comments, I am ever so slowly trying to figure out this game and how it plays.  I notice that patches of quicksand seem to appear and vanish beneath my player’s feet and pushing the joystick does not always mean my player advances.  But one thing that has been constant for me is the constant motion of Mr. Mbappé.  He is like a pinball bouncing in and out of challenges and rarely ever does he lose the ball.  I can only attribute this on the ball success to Mbappé’s ability to swivel and shake in the green grass dance hall and avoid the contact of would be tacklers.  I had the SNIPER chem style added to Mbappé and this only added to the slick feel of the Frenchmen.  By statistics this is the second highest rating on this card and it was noticeable throughout the weekend.

Rating: 9/10

PASSING

Passing: the bane of my existence.  How do you rate something so trivial?  My new and improved method is that, you don’t.  To explain, I have selected 7.5 as the baseline for passing this year.  If Player A passes the ball with consistent success to the target selected then they get a 7.5.  If their passing is out of the ordinary in any way I will adjust the rating accordingly.  Mbappé is about as average a passer as they come.  Easy decision.. 7.5

Rating: 7.5/10

DEFENDING

From a defensive standpoint Mbappé’s mixture of pace and strength on the ball mean that tackling and ball recovery in the attacking third is a definite possibility.  But beyond that he was rarely involved in any tackling or tracking and therefore this rating is impossible to formulate.

Rating: N/A

SHOOTING

I have been putting off this category and this rating is one that I wish I could review in a month’s time and reconsider what I write.  I feel like Mbappé’s goal return does not do the man justice.  My own personal shooting in the first 4-5 games of this review was like watching a newborn deer trying to walk on ice in roller skates.  I was completely inept and made so many mistakes.  As I stated to catch on to the mechanics and situations I started to score quite a few of the numerous chances Mbappé creates with his speed and dribbling. With the SNIPER chem boost added Mbappé boasts 99 FINISHING, add in 4 STAR WEAK FOOT and you do have great potential for goals.  In saying this the results of 79 SHOT POWER and 76 LONG SHOTS are comical at times as the ball slowing rolls into the goalkeepers hands.  But you can’t have it all this early in the game can you… Mbappé’s shooting is good, but there will be better.

Rating: 8/10

PHYSICAL

You rarely get a player as fast and agile as Mbappé who has amazing strength, when you do this player is top tier and worth millions of coins.  Mbappé will hold his own on the ball and be strong in situations, but when it boils down to it he will lose physical battles with opponents.  Additionally, Mbappé is lacking in the jumping department and this led to losing the majority of headers in and around the box.  For me this is not the biggest omission but FUT mangers looking for an aerial presence should look elsewhere.  From a stamina point-of-you I was only competing in the Division Rivals competition and did not notice the effects of his 83 STAMINA even in the dying moments of the game.  The 80^th minute mark he would lose the slightest step but as your opponents are also weaning this has limited effect.  I would guess that any additional minutes in a FUT Champs format could begin to serious impact this energy levels.  Overall, Mbappé is a sports car built for speed and handling and can pack a punch, you should not be concerned by the mileage and towing capabilities.. just enjoy the ride.

Rating 7.5/10

FINAL SCORE

Overall: 8.5/10

In a game where everyone is getting slower and downgraded for pace, Mbappé has officially hit lightning in a bottle status.  If you want a snapshot of this cards abilities and do not have a ton of time, watch the first 30 seconds of the video below.  The pace for the second goal is borderline cheat codes and demonstrates the frustrations of defending The Flash.  In my mind Mbappé warrants his current price tag of 390,000 (XBOX) coins as he is a complete game changer and can break games wide open.  He is not the finished article of course, but at these early stages in FUT he is a lethal option to improve any squad… if you have the coins.  I do not have a large sample set, but he is the best card I have used or encountered thus far.  With that, my first FIFA 19 review is complete and boy does it feel good to be back.  FUTBIN has added a comments section to these reviews now and I look forward to your own opinions, comments, and discussions on Mbappé and all future players… take it easy on me.  Cheers for reading.   

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