FUT Birthday Martial

What a promo event we have had so far!  FUT Birthday has taken a decade full of hype and delivered non-stop content this past week to the delight of many.  My own interest immediately gravitated towards the position change squad; with RW Douglas Costa & 87 rated ST Martial as the standouts.
 

We have reached a point in FUT where just about every card being released from here on out will be a 9/10 minimum. Trying to split the margins of a 9.1 or a 9.5 is borderline impossible as these players continue to pile up.  With this in mind, for the remainder of this FUT cycle, I will be providing a rating out of 10 early in the review, followed by a look at 5 key categories on 5 point scales.

Final Score

Final Rating: 9.1/10

The rating here was an easy one as Martial reminds me a lot of his teammate who he shared a wing with this weekend.  Like POTM Rashford this card has some serious potency around the box.  They are quick, lightning fast, can hammer shots from distance, or curl them into the far corner when given the chance.  Similarity, they both suffer from a need of boots to their passing and physical statistics to reach the next level.  What sets POTM Rashford (9.2/10) apart from the young French forward is the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT and 5 STAR SKILLS; one better in each category… and worth one rating in my mind.

Good vs. Bad

Rating: 3/5

Pace, Shooting, Dribbling … check.  One thing that I have not mentioned is the heading with this card.  Tall and powerful combined with 96 JUMPING were a fantastic combo and a Martial tallied a few headed goals in open play and from corners this weekend.  So why a 3/5 in this category?  As previously mentioned the passing on this card is about as average as you will find.  I would argue that all 7 assists were simply a result of the CR7 Weekend League show and really should have been way more.  The poor passing and crossing on this card, along with 83 STAMINA affects the versatility to play Martial in any position but a striker.  3 STAR WEAK FOOT is not the best either and further hinders versatility as it is hard to cut back or cross with Martial’s left foot when it is so inconsistent. 

Uniqueness

Rating: 5/5

The attractive card design, the addition of a dynamic image, and position change are just the beginning for this card.  You have the meme worthy commentary about the “young French forward” who everyone “knows about but couldn’t stop him.” Followed by the serenading of “Tony Martial” when you belt home the goals.  The dribbling on this card is not unique in a sense, but again with MARKSMAN, you have a 6’0 (184cm) player with 92 AGILITY who can twist and turn away from tackles… while still using 88 STRENGTH more in line with his size.  Keeping the ball and creating chances with this card is made all the more easy by this fantastic combination and puts Martial apart from other players I have tried.

Link-ability

Rating: 5/5

Easy rating to sort out with Martial in terms of links.  The EPL remains the home of numerous META cards and slotting Martial into the mix is a piece of cake.  Add in the fact that he truly is the young French forward and you have a way into a wide variety of hybrids… a bit like my own this weekend.

Value/Coins

Rating: 5/5

280k on XBOX for a ST with 91 ACCELERATION & 93 SPRINT SPEED is good value.  Add a MARKSMAN card and 98 FINISHING, 95 SHOT POWER & 90 LONG SHOTS starts to feel like a steal of a deal.  There are some downfalls of course, but the 25 game return of 21 goals and 7 assists playing as a ST in the 4-2-2-2 formation this weekend shows the strength of this card and an excellent value for coins.

End Game Potential

Rating: 3/5

While we are certainly near the end of this game already, the fact that Martial isn’t the finished article means that most FUT Managers will move on before the end of the year.  I have already traded Martial in to move on to future reviews and it was an easy choice.  Rashford is already a better option in my own squad and with so many options available I can see Martial being forgotten soon.

Closing Words

I didn’t want to end on a bad note and condemn this card to an afterthought for anyone reading this review.  The truth is that FUT Birthday Martial does have a tremendous upside and for someone that appreciates little intricacies in my players, I really enjoyed the weekend with Martial.  While Weekend League was marred by inconsistent gameplay yet again, I will say that when everything was running smoothly I really got a look at how effective Martial can be in and around the box. Perhaps my favorite part is how hard he rips the ball when you really connect with one.  The Goalkeepers Union was filing complaints all weekend long, but Tony Martial just wanted to hear his song.  Cheers for reading.

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Game Highlights: