Showdown
DeanFC 26 is officially here and we kick start the release with a brand new promo! As Early Access ends and the worldwide launch begins, EA rolls out Cornerstones. This promo shines a spotlight on players who form the backbone of their clubs: trusted leaders, long‑term signings who have made an impact, and young talents stepping up to central roles. Cornerstones cards come with permanent upgrades and a +2 Club Chemistry link, reinforcing their status as the central pillars of your Ultimate Team.
The SBC kick-starting this promo is none other than Martin Zubimendi. He’s had a fantastic start for Arsenal since signing earlier this year so it seems only fair that we see this man with a promo card.
This card has had a real nice upgrade from his base card with a +3 overall boost. A whopping +9 to his pace, +6 defending with +3/4s across the board for the remainder of his attributes. Notably though, this card does not come with a Playstyle Plus. This likely to be due to EA’s approach of slowing down the power curve this year, however, could this potentially hinder SBCs going forward if we see them release without that golden playstyle? Honestly i’m sitting on the fence here as i’m all for seeing gold cards holding value for longer, but at the same time, I am more likely to opt for a gold card with a playstyle plus than I would for a promo card without.
The chemstyle of choice for this Zubimendi item is quite clear in the Shadow playstyle. Ups that pace just slightly and boosts his defending up to 90. A clear winner here.
Here are the following segments to unlock the Cornerstones Zubimendi SBC:
# of players from Spain: Min 1
Squad Rating: Min 83
# of players in squad: 11
# of players from Premier League: Min 1
Squad Rating: Min 84
# of players in squad: 11
Squad Rating: Min 84
# of players in squad: 11
Squad Rating: Min 85
# of players in squad: 11
Squad Rating: Min 86
# of players in squad: 11
A total of 5 segments to complete this SBC, which, on first glance, feels a little steep. But the price tag coming in at around 90k, I feel, isn’t the end of the world. Moving upward from this price, you’re probably looking at the higher-tier midfielders, but what’s important to note is that this card does come with a club chemistry boost. Which I feel in this early stage is very valuable.
How did he perform in-game?
+ We’ll start with the standout stat and for me it was the passing on this card. Despite no passing playstyles, he pings the ball to his teammates nicely and made some great contributions to the build-up play.
+ Close behind the passing was his defending. Most notably the interceptions. He was constantly shutting down the opposition as they tried to pass around towards goal. But defending as a whole was nice, he fought for the ball and put a real effort in despite his low-ish aggression.
/ Physicals were okay but I felt they needed a bit more of a boost to be where you expect it to be for this caliber of card. His stamina held up really well though.
/ Dribbling was fairly mediocre. His ball control was fantastic but general dribbling didn’t feel as silky as you would expect to see in the midfield.
- Shooting in general for me felt pretty poor. His finishing was ok but the shot power really let him down. He’s quite clearly a defensive midfielder rather than a box-to-box.
Zubimendi - Cop or Flop?
As an Arsenal fan, I very much wanted to dive in and say this one would be an easy cop. My issue here is this card is coming in at shy of 100k and doesn’t have a playstyle plus. This might not have been a problem if he had some more valuable playstyles in his locker but for a CDM he’s only really got Intercept to support him and it’s just not enough. I understand why EA have released this card the way it is but unfortunately, in what is “Day 1” of this game, this is a lot to release on a card that is outperformed by many others. Not to mention the fact you would be locking in nearly 100k worth of fodder this early.
He might eventually suit an Evolution that could take him to that next level but for now I would say perhaps take a miss on this one.
Verdict = FLOP
