TOTSSF Mbappé

Day 1592 of lockdown? We finally move towards the home stretch of the TOTSSF promotion and it honestly feels like they left the best for last.  While the team is not as well-rounded as the EPL squad, it does have a nice mixture of superstars, value for money, quality, and intriguing options.  Leading up to this review I knew I wanted to look at two of the four horsemen of the FUT apocalypse.  Originally, I assumed Neymar would be too expensive and therefore set my sights on Ben Yedder and Atal as my targets.  However, I completely underestimated the quality of card Ben Yedder would receive… that mixed with his FUT popularity made him completely unattainable for this weekend.  By the process of elimination, I was still left with a formidable pairing of Atal and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Kylian Mbappé.  I realize that this is one of those reviews were me saying “he’s good” is not of any use … he is by the way … so instead I tried to find any issues I could to give you the full story before you make such a huge investment; and I even gave him minutes as a winger to try and cover all avenues.  In the end, I went with the MARKSMAN chemistry style and played Mbappé as both the right ST and RM in the 4-4-2 formation.  Mbappé was the Parisian style in the following squad all weekend: 

Overall

Rating: 9.7/10
Pace Rating: 9.9/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.7/10
Shooting Rating: 9.5/10
Passing Rating: 9.9/10
Physical Rating: 9/10
Defending Rating: N/A

I need you to use your imagination with this one a bit, as the image of Mbappé’s weekend return is quite misleading.  First, I had two matches where the connection was lost with my opponent, thankfully not leading to a loss, but they do add a match played to the card without any goals or assists.  So the stats you see are still the result of 20 matches.  Additionally, as I said I wanted to give you a summary of Mbappé on the wing as well and so I played Mbappé 15 matches as a ST and 5 as the RM. In the end, Mbappé had 23 goals and 7 assists in 15 matches as ST and then 1 goal and 6 assists in 5 matches a RM.
Regardless of where you play him, Mbappé has the pace to burn and causes a load of issues, even with the constant release of pacey defenders.  Mbappé has a true 99 Pace rating as his 99 ACCELERATION & 99 SPRINT SPEED make him the roadrunner of FUT.  

Linkability 

Linkability Rating: 4.5/5

I went for the 4.5 in this case as there is an endless supply of French META options in every major league to get Mbappé into a squad.  Furthermore, the PSG options are at a ridiculous level and again this weekend I was reminded of the powers of Neymar in this FIFA.  Finally, having used Atal and Renato Sanches this weekend I can say with full certainty that Ligue 1 has some serious firepower on demand.

End Game Strength

End Game Strength Rating: 5/5

No brainer here, so I want to discuss not only why, but where.  With the MARKSMAN chemistry style applied Mbappé’s statistics move to the borderline ridiculous.  All 99 rated Shooting statistics (except for 85 penalties) and a 4 STAR WEAK FOOT make Mbappé a lethal weapon around goal.  However, for how many weapons he does possess I did feel like something was a bit off with this card’s 99 FINISHING.  The problem here is that this weekend was infested with hitting posts and the bar left right and centre.  Seriously, Mbappé alone must have hit the post once per match in situations where I would have been 100% certain of a goal.  So, I can’t say, “Mbappé finished everything,” when he definitely didn’t.  So while I can’t say Mbappé is a nailed on ST for any squad, I can’t stress enough how amazing he was on the wing.  Moving Mbappé to the RM for 5 matches was a complete game-changer for my squad. I have not used a winger who completely dominated a match but from the wide position like Mbappé did.  Not sure how it is possible, but he even felt quicker out on the wing… a constant threat.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

Value/Coins Rating: 4.5/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

I might get some stick for this opinion, but I honestly felt and still feel that the price tag on Mbappé is just too high at this stage in the game.  Just a look around the FUT universe at the cards available at between 1.5 and 2.5 million coins makes me feel like Mbappé is just slightly overpriced.  However, before we sharpen the pitchforks I will say that Mbappé does play up to his price tag… but at a price closer to under 3 million he would be insane value. 

I have used a lot of high ends, quick, accurate passing and pinpoint finishing cards since the TOTSSF started.  However, one constant issue has been the mixture of pace and power in the cards I am using.  Finally, Mbappé delivered on all fronts.  I realize this review might sound like I am selling Mbappé short… I’m definitely not, Mbappé is an insane operator.  I touched on the pace already, his passing resulted in a nice assist return, his finishing was not 100% perfect but still effective, the dribbling was as if the ball was glued to Mbappé’s foot … and finally… he has the strength to shrug off some of these new and improved defenders.  This was a huge selling point for me and again was even more amplified on the wing against the smaller wingbacks in opponent’s squads.  Mbappé went out on the wing and bullied my opponents, created goals, and didn’t stop until he had all of the wingback's lunch money.   

Closing Words

Okay, we all knew that this card was going to be good.  I think if you are eyeing Mbappé as a card to save for he has the META factor that could pull a squad forward and help contribute to improved results.  However, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was slightly disappointed.  In all honesty, I think I was just imagining too much from this card and the hype train ended up delivering an unrealistic expectation of what Mbappé would produce.  I will go back to my experience with Mbappé on the wing and would say that it changed the entire dynamic of my squad and really pushed my squad forward in quality.  The only issue being, if you are like me, you can’t afford placing a 3.5 million coin player out on the wing without sacrificing quality in the middle of the pitch.  Again, if this card fell to below the 3 million coin range I would be singing a different tune completely… he just seems too expensive for how he feels. Yet, in the end, if it comes down to a simple yes or no ... Mbappé gets a massive YES from me.  There is no denying Mbappé can stand up to the onslaught of pacey and powerful defenders currently available.  He fought for the badge all weekend, and I know he would do the same for you too.  Cheers for reading.
 

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