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ICON Stoichkov (92) Review

 

The Prime ICON Moments are finally here and if you are willing to give up one of your vital organs you just might be able to afford one of the half decent options.  However, if you are a fan of two kidneys and not interested in selling your nan on the black market, then you might just be waiting a while to try some of these bright and shiny upgrades.  For me, the Prime ICON Moments sparked an opportunity to try one of the many quality Prime ICONs in the 1 to 2 million coin price range.  In the end, it came down to a few options but none piqued my interest quite like the Bulgarian El Pistolero, 92 rated Prime Hristo Stoichkov.  Throughout the weekend I spent time testing both the HUNTER and ENGINE chemistry styles on Stoichkov before settling on ENGINE for the final 10 matches.  However, there was no debating that Stoichkov would lead the line in my 4-2-2-2 formation all weekend long in the following squad:   


Starting Formation:


 
In-game Formation:
 


 

Overall

Rating: 9/10
Pace Rating: 9.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Shooting Rating: 8.5/10
Passing Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 9/10
Defending Rating: N/A

One goal/assist off of a 2.0 goal contribution across the 20 match review provides some concrete proof of how effective this card was overall.  In all honesty, I was not sure exactly what I was getting this weekend with RTTF Auba and Prime Stoichkov in charge of the goals.  However, if you read my Aubameyang review or follow me on Twitter: @MaeNine_ (yes that Twitter handle has changed… it will make more sense soon) you will know that the Gabonese sniper was in fine form this weekend, and Stoichkov was right there along with him.  In fact, I felt the two frontmen suited each other's strengths perfectly and overall they caused my opponents a handful in the majority of my weekend matches.  

 

Main Attribute – Pace

Pace Rating: 9.5/10
Height: 178cm | 5’10

With 98 ACCELERATION & 96 SPRINT SPEED, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Stoichkov was both a quick and fast threat up top.  However, I would be lying if I didn’t say I actually was pleasantly surprised...  In fact, the moment I laid eyes on Stoichkov in-game I was worried about his slightly taller card and wider frame.  But again, I was caught off guard as Stoichkov demonstrated a fantastic turn of pace, time and time again causing problems running the channels in behind my opponent's backline.  It really felt like the 92 POSITIONING was at work as Stoichkov made the correct runs to find space and create dangerous moments.  Thankfully, I didn’t notice any issue with the MEDIUM ATT. WORK RATE and my Get In Behind instructions seemed to have Stoichkov on the front foot all weekend.

 

Main Attribute – Left Foot

Shooting Rating: 8.5/10
Weak Foot: * * *

This was honestly one of the most difficult ratings I had to make for a review in a long time.  Normally I trust my instincts, think about what happened during the review, and put a rating that I can support if anyone has questions.  With the Shooting Rating for this review, I have been as high as 9.5 and as low as 8… but I think 8.5/10 with explanation seems the best.  What would you rate a player who does not miss on one foot… but couldn't break a pane of glass with the other?  This weekend when Stoichkov would get the ball on his left I would see my players start prematurely celebrating and running back to half, he was that clinical.  With the perfect 90+ in every Shooting category, it is no surprise that Stoichkov rippled the net on his favorite left foot more often than not.  However, I was surprised given those same statistics that Stoichkov was so bad on his right.  Some of the misses were so astray that they were laughable… but with the final shot of a match falling to Stoichkov’s right… it wasn’t so funny anymore.   

 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

1.5 million coins is a healthy chunk of change.  Ultimately, I feel like the poor 3 STAR WEAK FOOT takes away any chance of a 5/5 without something equally as awesome to balance the issue.  But with Stoichkov he is just really good in other areas, not exceptional.  The 9/10 Physical Rating acknowledges that with 83 STRENGTH you can bully situations with Stoichkov in the attacking third… but not at a level that makes you think this card is unstoppable.  Similarly, the 9/10 Passing was really strong as 16 assists represent one of the best attack totals I have had… 90 SHORT PASSING & 87 LONG PASSING were a huge part of this success.  But again these results were all on the left hand side, and if you can find the time and space then this is top notch… but without it you start to see some stray passes flying off the less consistent right foot side.  

 

Closing Words

Here is what I can tell you about this card.  For 1.5 million coins I don’t think I could justify keeping a striker that is so reliant on one foot to bring out the special qualities that Stoichkov commands.  True, if this was just a “Stoichkov on his left” review then his Shooting would be a 10/10 and overall a 9.5/10 easy… he is that good in quality positions.  However, the poor quality on the right really does bring this card down a peg in terms of quality.  There are three moments that immediately come to mind where I was let down by Stoichkov in key situations on his right foot, two of those matches I lost.  On the other hand, there were countless times that Stoichkov was the talisman carrying the squad to victory with key goals and assists on his left.  So that is where the difficulty with the ratings came with this review.  In the end, you will have to choose for yourself if you are willing to make the weak foot sacrifice for the left foot masterclass.  Hoping you are safe and well. Cheers for reading. 
 

 

Game Stats:
 

 

 

Game Highlights:

 

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