Premium SBC Rooney Review

This is slowly becoming a bigger and bigger problem for me.  The majority of these players' SBCs are enticing enough to want and get a review out quickly; the hope is that everyone reading can make an informed choice about whether or not to pull the trigger themselves.  The issue is that my club is starting to look like a rainbow hodgepodge and deciding which combination to use when not completing reviews has become borderline impossible.  This weekend I added to the collection in an attempt to shine some light on the Manchester United and England legend, Wayne Rooney.  Previously, I had heard/read quite a few FUT Managers raving about this card operating in the midfield as both the CAM and CM roles since his release.  But for me when you are test driving and End of an Era Wayne Rooney… one of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen… then it could only be one position for me as I placed Rooney at the head of my 4-2-3-1 formation.  The ENGINE chemistry style has some magical results with Rooney’s card and was key to producing some fantastic results in the end.  Rooney truly proved to be the knockout punch all weekend in the following squad:


Starting Formation:

Overall

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

One game.  That is how long it took me to realize that I had a serious contender for most goals in a Weekend League review on my hands.  The quickness in tight areas, the pace in open space, the agility in the turn, and the power behind the shots… everything just feels right with this card.  Even in gameplay that will give you FIFA 20 PTSD this card managed to bring a spark to my squad and was enjoyable to watch and use.  I have never thought that EA really does many ICONs much justice… in fact, at times you wonder if they ever watched a minute of some of these legends in action.  However, if you want to point out the bad then you have to acknowledge the good as well and with Wayne Rooney’s EOAE card… I think they got it just about right.  

Main Attribute - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 10/10
Weak Foot: * * * *
Trait: Outside Foot Shot

With 36 goals in 20 matches, Rooney just fell short of my previous Weekend League review record… but he did just about everything he could to claim the title.  For starters the Outside Foot trait is borderline redundant, Rooney hits a ball with his left just as pure as any 5 STAR WEAK FOOT player I have reviewed.  Wazza’s comes with just about the perfect stock Shooting statistics and requires zero chemistry styles to boost his impressive 90+ categories. Just look up the list of players on FUTBIN who have 90+ across the board in Shooting categories and you will find yourself with an impressive list of cards (the cheapest being 92 Stoichkov at 1.6 million coins, who has a 3 STAR WEAK FOOT).  Rooney slides in alongside this elite group of snipers and truly ripped apart the net all weekend long.

Main Attribute - Intelligence

Work Rates: Medium/High
91 POSITIONING

At this point I have amassed a pretty healthy total of cards used and reviewed… and I can tell you that none have felt as switched on as Rooney was this weekend.  The runs that this card will initiate when midfielders are progressing with the ball are borderline unfair, Rooney simply finds the right space and the next thing your opponent knows the ball is in the back of the net.  It was an extremely rare occurrence that Rooney was called offside this weekend (while IF Rashford does so 10 times a match) and overall he ran the channels and toed the line flawlessly across the 20 matches.  I can understand why some FUT Managers are utilizing Rooney as a midfielder given the awareness that the card displays… but for me, it is a waste of the true menace he can create when unleashed in the final third.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

If my Stoichkov comment didn’t lay this one out, then I will double down on the fact that this card is insane value.  Honestly, Rooney might be the one and only thing about TOTY that truly brought the magic we were all so desperate for.  The nostalgia of a once dominant figure in world football, brought back to footballing life in pixelated form, at a price that allows you to keep your kidneys, is exactly what this game should be about.  EOAE Rooney ticks every box, including the excellent value for under 400k price tag.

This card is about as well rounded as Mike Dean’s ego and really it is difficult to pinpoint a true weakness.  The 89 SHORT PASSING (12 assists) made for some amazing tiki-taka plays and the accuracy mixed with pace can result in devastating one-two opportunities.  But for me it was the raking 50 yard passes made possible by his 95 LONG PASSING that really caught the eye.  Time and time again I would pick up the ball on the left side of the pitch, turn the would-be defender inside out with the 91 AGILITY & 90 BALANCE, then hit a devastating 50-yard missile across the pitch into the feet of Rashford in a dead sprint down the opposite wing… magic!  Maybe even better than the passing is the physical nature of this card… the card truly is a spit of Wayne in his prime and the stocky body type can prove an absolute nightmare to dispossess.  The 90 STRENGTH feels dead on and was incredibly useful against Drop Back Danny when trying to find some space in the box… holding off defenders and turning for a quickfire goal became a constant go-to option during the weekend and was only made possible by another one of Wayne’s many key attributes and talents.

Closing Words

As an LFC supporter who spent a large part of my life cursing the success of this Man United talisman… it pains me to say that this card is a no brainer.  If you are early in the game and still trying to build up coins… scrap, save and crawl your way to completing this SBC.  While time is on your side, the sooner that you find a way the more time you will have with a true game-changer in a FIFA that constantly feels less and less like the masterpiece we started with months ago.  Rooney thankfully found a way to mitigate a lot of the sluggishness and poor gameplay, which resulted in a nice return and even more importantly, an enjoyable experience… a MUST complete.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading. 

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