ShapeShifter Marcelo

Well. We finally found out what the giant green blob promo was going to be.  The ShapeShifters entered packs this past Friday and have to be one of the worst card designs in history, and were borderline impossible to read at first.  After a tweak to the font, they are still the ugliest cards imaginable, but with an interesting concept.  For the football purest they are an abomination, but to the card collecting arcade FUT manager, they are a nice addition.  My biggest complaint was the player choices, which seem to double up on numerous SBCs we have completed in the past, but we can try and focus on the positives.  Immediately a few cards caught the eye, and in the end, CAM Marcelo was just too enticing to pass up.  After the quick addition of the SNIPER chemistry style it was time to test the Brazilian as the CAM in the 4-2-3-1 and at times the ST in a 4-4-2.  Marcelo created the joga bonito in the following squad:
 

Overall

Rating: 9.4/10
Pace Rating: 9.0/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.9/10
Shooting Rating: 9.6/10
Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 8.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

I will start by saying that Marcelo is perhaps the biggest “fair-weather” player I have used in FUT.  When the gameplay is smooth, or your opponent is not quite your level, he will completely dismantle them (note the ball roll meg in the video).  In slower gameplay (which is getting all too frequent) or in tightly contested matches you cannot rely on him to be the game-changer.  Marcelo brings the flair to a squad but not the substance.

Linkability & Current Game Strength

Linkability Rating: 4/5
Current Game Strength Rating: 4/5

Much like my Firmino review, Marcelo has so many angles to enter into your squads.  The Real Madrid links are looking better every day, Brazil has endless options, and La Liga offers a pool of talent to select from.
I will echo my previous comments with ratings … good gameplay/weak opponent = 5/5 rating … poor gameplay/strong opponent 3.5/5.  Regardless of the gameplay though, the 90 Pace does not do Marcelo justice.  Somehow 91 ACCELERATION and 88 SPRINT SPEED adds up to an incredibly fast option and never more noticeable than on the dribble. 99 AGILITY, 95 BALANCE, 99 BALL CONTROL, and 5 STAR SKILLS are all incredibly responsive and the speed at which Marcelo exits the dribble is even more impressive.  Unfortunately, these qualities can be completely erased by the gameplay, but I went for 4/5 rating in the end because of the finishing on this card.  Regardless of the gameplay, this card can take chances with some of the best I have used, the result was of course 27 goals in 20 matches.  It felt all weekend that Marcelo could not miss, especially on his favorite left peg.  The 4 STAR WEAK foot was normally reliable as well, creating a lethal option in and around the box.  

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

Value/Coins Rating: 5/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

If you just look at the stats alone this card is a steal at 1.4 million coins … honestly just look at the list of players with 90+ Pace, Passing, Dribbling & 85+ Shooting, Physical … I can save you the time, the list is short.  Then add in the 80+ Defending and the list is down to three: 94 Gullit, TOTY Kante, and our boy Marcelo.  In fact, I think this card is undervalued at 1.4 million based on stats alone, and after my review, the only conclusion I can come to is that FUT Managers are experiencing the same issues I did, and Marcelo is not receiving the hype that would send his price skyrocketing.

Not sure how to approach the Good vs Bad Rating on this card.  After applying the SNIPER chemistry style this card is the META.  Everything you can think of is at your fingertips when you get this lad into your squad.  Plenty of pace for a CAM, a cannon of a left foot and reliable right, and the way he executes skill moves is incredibly silky.  He has it all; until he doesn’t, and the biggest issue is you don’t know game to game what you will get.

Closing Words

Why I have to offer reviews on good vs bad gameplay in 2020 is beyond me… but I’ll take the positive vibes route and just focus on the good to close.  I am not a skiller at all and anyone following my reviews for the past three years will know that the Marcelo video contains more skills than all of my previous videos combined (and yes I realize it is still nothing compared to proper skillers).  Why?  He honestly brings it out of you and in the right situations, this card is just so enjoyable.  At times I had to remind myself to “stay in my lane”, and “I am not good enough to try and play like this…” but it just kept working.  In closing, if your goal is simply winning matches or fun in the game is directly tied to winning, I would stay clear.  If you want to try a unique and entertaining card, I found that Marcelo can even shapeshift a playstyle.  Cheers for reading. 

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