FC 26 90 Thunderstruck Raphinha Player Review

The Thunderstruck promo came rolling into packs this weekend with a host of upgradeable cards to choose from.  Immediately the upgrades look a little underwhelming if honest, the lack of any major boosts makes it clear that wins should not really move the needle on these prices… Which is exactly why they will skyrocket in price.  Always a pleasure watching the logic with some of these cards.

Not a ton of options in the “not so expensive that they are impossible to get… but not so cheap that they can easily be tested” category this promo.  In the end we settled on the Barcelona speedster Raphinha, whose NIF was an early powerhouse in the game and we wanted to see if that continues with a boost to statistics and a PlayStyle+ swap.

At least one more weekend with the 4-4-2(2), but the way the 4-5-1(2) is looking makes me tempted.  Raphinha slotted in nicely to the LM position with his INSIDE FORWARD++ Role and statistics that seemed perfect for the wingplay required.  After last weekend when Chiesa’s Pace allowed for the FINISHER Chemistry Style to provide the scoring touch, it seemed like the best way to squeeze attacking returns out of Raphinha as well.  With everything set it was off to the grind to see if Raphinha could be a difference maker this weekend in the following squad: 

Rating: 8/10

In my mind there were two major questions going into this review.  1. Would Raphinha have the Passing capabilities to make the most out of his Pace down the wing?  2. Would the FINESSE SHOT on Raphinha’s weaker right foot be effective enough to trust in key moments?  The answer to question #1 came in the form of 5 assists in 5 matches where essentially what I explained would happen, happened… Raphinha burns his defender for Pace or dribbles them into a pretzel before laying it off.  Thankfully the Passing was good enough and the assists racked up.  The answer for question #2 was more difficult as Raphinha did score 3 or 4 finesse shots on the right foot, but also missed some easy ones along the way to the point that I would say no, you can’t trust him on his right foot in key moments.

Main Statistic - Dribbling & Pace

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

Pace Rating: 9/10

PlayStyles: Quick Step Plus, Rapid, Relentless, Trickster

Skill Moves: ★★★★

Starting with the Dribbling and this is a situation where my self-imposed rules of no 10/10 without the 5 STAR SKILLS does get a bit murky.  Raphinha is the pinnacle of left-stick dribbling and feels like you could literally dribble in a phone booth… The 95 AGILITY & 98 DRIBBLING have the ball on strings with the EXPLOSIVE AcceleRATE and QUICK STEP Plus ready to punish anyone attempting to dive in.  

But having used two previous speedsters in Chiesa and Osimhen it was immediately apparent that 92 SPRINT SPEED was not 100% jiving with the RAPID PlayStyle, as quite a few defenders caught me up when well through on goal.  Don’t get me wrong Raphinha is quite fast and it is not a glaring issue, but not the same confidence in the top end Pace as the past few cards.  I have heard a few times that the 83 BALANCE can ever so slightly affect overall SPRINT SPEED, but most importantly the double up of QUICK STEP & EXPLOSIVE seems like the biggest issue, ironically the better combination existing on the NIF version of Raphinha with RAPID Plus.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 4/5

Difficult category to explain but I will try my best.  Essentially Raphinha’s Thunderstuck is a glorified Inform.  If you look at the potential boosts (two base PlayStyles and all ++ Roles), there are a few PlayStyles that would make this card stronger for sure, but not really overpowered.  Then you consider that Raphinha has INSIDE FORWARD++ for both positions (and I would suggest they are the most popular), and there is not much to gain there either.  Essentially you are getting a 600k +1 Inform here that unfortunately has QUICK STEP instead of RAPID.  When you look at statistical comparison to a card like Scream Di Natale at LM you see that Raphinha is about on value, but without the links.  In the end the 14 goals and 5 assists is a decent return, but there were just a few issues including the lack of position options that just make it feel a bit overpriced at the moment.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 4/5

The Shooting and Passing are just about good enough…

+ The FINISHER is once again huge with this card and 97 FINISHING always looks good on the screen.  Raphinha is lights out on strictly left or right footed shots with the laces, whether to the far side or close post he is money.  The FINESSE SHOT with the left foot is also lethal, while I mentioned the relatively steady right foot finesse with some room for improvement.  The biggest issue is in the form of the 87 SHOT POWER & 83 LONG SHOTS that especially take the zip out of the right footed efforts and nullifies some of the threat cutting inside.  14 goals is a solid total and clearly Raphinha can score, but more tools in his arsenal like a LOW DRIVEN addition would go a long way.

+ The Passing is another area that a PlayStyle could improve matters.  In fact as I type this I am picturing a LOW DRIVEN & TIKI TAKA combination for Raphinha’s upgrades and all of sudden these two categories look a lot better.  But Raphinha still has passing ability beyond some of the previously mentioned speedsters I reviewed… The 86 SHORT PASSING is perfect for making sure long runs are rewarded with setting up teammates for good shots on goal, The 88 VISION & 87 CROSSING offer some threat to the overall package.

One massive area of concern… Raphinha is not massive…

- It is a chore to get the ball off of Raphinha when you are able to start weaving and turning in and around the box.  I will beat the drum again about how responsive the left-stick movement is with this card.  However, should an opponent lay a hand on you it is about game over.  One of the least jammy cards I have used and the 77 Physical overall does create a bit of an illusion to Raphinha’s quality.  When you start searching for similar statistics in cards it is the 77 Physical that puts Raphinha in some awesome company… but there is still 67 STRENGTH mixed in there, well hidden by the 93 STAMINA.

Closing Words

I realize some people will be upset by this rating and I am open to all skill issue comments that would be rightly hurled my way.  But it does not change the fact that Raphinha simply underperformed in some categories that even recent reviews have eclipsed.  The RAPID to QUICK STEP was a huge one, the lack of any 5 STAR capabilities, minimal upgrades on the horizon, and some key missing statistics all have me swerving this one if I were you.  I should repeat, still a great card and near 20 goal returns in 5 matches is a nice haul… But there are simply better options out there.  Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.