Season 5

A new Season brings new Storyline Cards for us to unlock, with Season 5 providing us new options to help us build out our Ultimate Team squads. In this article, I’ll give a review for each of the new Storyline Cards, covering their strengths & weaknesses, squad links, as well as giving my opinion of which player I think is the best choice for both sets of players.

Everyone’s club is unique, of course, so if you have a squad consisting of players from only one league, go for the player from that league if the option is there. If that easy option isn’t there for you, hopefully this article can help you pick the player which would be of most use to you.

Level 15 – 27,600 XP Required

Josh Sargent, Werder Bremen

Card Analysis: Although Josh Sargent has 93 Acceleration, 89 Finishing & 95 Agility, at this stage of the game, with all the other alternatives that are already available in the Bundesliga, this isn’t a standout card in any way. His 3* Skill Moves & 3* Weak Foot also put him at a disadvantage compared to other options too. In fact, buying just a regular 86-rated Timo Werner at around 15k is a smarter option as the Cards are so similar. Sargent being American also limits you when it comes to linking him into any hybrid team you want to make.

Links: Speaking of chemistry links, in terms of strong links at least, there’s only ShapeShifters Rashica & Future Stars McKennie that’re worth linking Sargent to. Outside of the Bundesliga, there’s only really OTW Pulisic to link him with so, in my opinion, I’d only pick Sargent as an option if you already have a Bundesliga-heavy squad & deem the other 2 options as useless to your needs.

Chemistry Style: Marksman or Sniper.

Daizen Maeda, Maritimo

Card Analysis: At 5’8”, with 99 Agility & 89 Balance, as well as 96 Pace, Daizen Maeda is definitely a player in the Insigne-mould, but with significantly better Physical stats than the Italian. In fact, the Card most similar to this Maeda Card is probably the 89-rated inform Sadio Mané. However, just like Sargent, Maeda has 3* Skill Moves & a 3* Weak Foot, whereas Mané has 4* Skill Moves & a 4* Weak Foot, so that might not be a totally worthwhile comparison. Having said that, as that Mané Card is well over 300k, Maeda looks to be somewhat of a bargain if you decide to unlock him.

Links: Maeda joins the plethora of other special Japanese cards that’ve been released this year, with his nation providing links to League Milestone Shoji, Storyline Tomiyasu & Yamaguchi, as well as the Liga NOS League SBC Nakajima, for whom provides Maeda with a strong link. He does, of course, also get a strong link with Icon Nakata too.

Chemistry Style: Marksman or Sniper if you want to use him as a Striker, Maestro or Deadeye if you want to use him at CAM.

Morten Thorsby, Sampdoria

Card Analysis: The final Level 15 option, & the player who would be my personal choice, is Sampdoria’s Morten Thorsby. Standing at 6’2” with 93 Jumping, 88 Aggression & 99 Heading Accuracy, Thorsby is both a threat from attacking set pieces, as well as a valuable asset when defending them. His 2* Skill Moves & 3* Weak Foot are a problem but, as I’d be using Thorsby as a limited defensive-midfielder, those attributes don’t matter too much. You might worry that someone tall like him would feel heavy & clunky on the ball, but with 85 Agility & 87 Balance, that isn’t something to be too worried about with Thorsby. As an added bonus, Thorsby has 99 Stamina, meaning he’d be fine if you want him to play as more of a box-to-box midfielder.

Links: In terms of club links, there’s only Quagliarella & FUTMas Murillo that provide worthwhile strong links to Thorsby but, as he’s Norwegian, Thorsby links with the likes of Future Stars Ødegaard, League Milestone Gabrielsen & all the various special Erling Håland Cards, meaning there’re plenty of options if you want to build yourself a hybrid squad with Thorsby as the key link. You could also link him to Belotti if you choose to go with him from the Level 30 players.

Chemistry Style: As I’d use him as a defensive-midfielder, I’d recommend putting either a Shadow or an Anchor on him.

Summary: So, as I’ve already said, my personal choice would be to unlock Morten Thorsby. I think he’d be a much more useful Card compared to Sargent & Maeda if none of the 3 Cards really appeal to you, even if he’s only used as an option from the bench in the end. Thorsby has excellent stats for a defensive-midfielder, he provides useful links to Norwegians playing in other leagues if you want to make a hybrid team with him, & picking him alongside the Belotti available from the Level 30 players for a Serie A squad would be a wise choice too.

Level 30 – 100,000 XP Required

Yannick Carrasco, Atletico Madrid

Card Analysis: With Carrasco, you’re basically getting a slightly better alternative to Eden Hazard, which isn’t a bad thing of course, but it does seem odd for EA to include a card which really wasn’t necessary given there’s a viable option there in Hazard already. Either way, with 94 Pace, 97 Agility, 94 Ball Control & 95 Dribbling, you’re definitely getting a terrific Card should you decide to go with this Carrasco. His only weakness, if you can call it that, would be his 76 Balance, but that can easily be sorted out with the right Chemistry Style.

Links: As a Belgian playing in La Liga, you get plenty of links to various clubs & leagues, most notably, Future Stars Joao Felix, Headliners Saul & RTTF Partey in terms of strong links. Hazard too if you use a 3-at-the-back formation with 2 left-wingers. Outside of La Liga, you can link him into squads with the likes of De Bruyne & Tielemans from the Premier League, Mertens & Lukaku from Serie A, there’s even the option to link him to the Bundesliga League Milestone Verstraete if you want to.

Chemistry Style: Deadeye, Sniper or Engine.

Fred, Manchester United

Card Analysis: He hasn’t quite made it into the Gullit Gang, but this Fred Card is fantastic nonetheless. His High/High Work Rates, his 90 Short & Long Passing, as well as his 92 Stamina, make him an effective box-to-box midfielder. Fred’s Shooting stats aren’t amazing but, if you plan to use him at CAM, you can sort that out a bit with a Maestro Chemistry Style, which would take his Long Shots up to 94 & his Shot Power up to 96. His strongest points are definitely his Dribbling stats, with this Fred Card boasting 93 Agility, 97 Balance, 91 Ball Control & 92 Composure, so you certainly don’t need to worry about him on that front.

Links: You have PLENTY of options here. There’s Future Stars Mason Greenwood & Daniel James, ShapeShifters David Luiz & Richarlison, as well as Scream Firmino all providing excellent strong links to name a few, plus the multitude of Premier League weak links available too, of course. Outside of the Premier League there’s a similar story, with Fred having links to the likes of Neymar, Future Stars Rodrygo, ShapeShifters Marcelo & the Player Moments Alex Sandro if you completed his SBC.

Chemistry Style: Deadeye or Maestro if you want to use him as a CM or CAM, Shadow or Anchor if you want to use him as a CDM. Could even leave him as Basic if you want a general boost to his stats.

Andrea Belotti, Torino

Card Analysis: The final option from Level 30 is Torino’s Andrea Belotti, & what a Card it is! The immediate standouts are his 95 Positioning, 98 Finishing & 92 Volleys. He also excels when it comes to his Physical stats, with Belotti having 88 Stamina, 90 Strength & 91 Aggression, with his 91 Jumping making up for his relative lack of height (5’11”). His main strength, though, is his 5* Weak Foot. Yes, his 3* Skill Moves & poor Passing stats let the Card down, but if I had this Card, I’d use him purely as a finisher, not someone to act as a link between the midfield & the attack. Other than that, Belotti looks to be an amazing striker.

Links: Belotti has a perfect link with the League SBC Simone Verdi, as well as having strong links with the likes of Future Stars Tonali, any of Immobile’s special Cards, as well as the Serie A League Milestone Politano. I’ve already mentioned his link with the Morten Thorsby Card that’s available as a choice from Level 15, so getting him with Belotti would be a great move. There aren’t many options outside of Serie A, with only Future Stars Moise Kean & the League SBC Eder as the standout players Belotti would link with.

Chemistry Style: Marksman or Hawk, Engine if you want to improve his Passing at least a little bit.

Summary: This is a more difficult choice for me compared to the Level 15 options as each Card is worthwhile getting. Carrasco is on a similar or higher level to Eden Hazard, Fred is an amazing box-to-box midfielder & has so many great chemistry links, & Belotti has incredible stats for a striker as well as that 5* Weak Foot. Outside of the obvious “go with who fits your squad”, I don’t think I could pick which card is best for you to go with as they’re all good options.

As I’ve mentioned, you can go with the combination of Thorsby & Belotti for that Serie A link. You could also disregard Carrasco & go for Fred seeing as Eden Hazard is available from the market as an alternative to Carrasco. Whatever way you go, be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be getting a fantastic addition to your club.