FUT Birthday Atal Review

Normally we don’t do this... Going back to a card that was released in a promo the week before.  But after the bombardment of “you have to try this card” in the comments of the previous FUT Birthday reviews, a Youcef Atal review just had to happen, didn’t it?  Like all good plans, I had it laid out how this review was going to go, and then came nowhere near completing what I wanted.  One of the most staggering attributes about this card is how many different positions Atal appears to be able to play.  With that in mind, I set off to test Atal as a ST, CAM, CM, CDM and potentially even as a defender as there was no doubt in my mind that he would excel at all of them.  But then, a wrench was thrown into my plans as Atal got off to a relatively rocky start that had me questioning if this card is simply all hype and no substance.  I believe it was 2 goals and 1 assist in those first three matches which included a 0-1 start to the Weekend League for the first time this year.  But then something clicked.  To be honest, it was a mixture of my own game improving, but also getting a better feel for the movement and abilities in the card and slowly his true sorcery started to reveal itself.  Of course, the better Atal played, the more I wanted to see what the card was all about, and before I knew it I had completed all 20 matches with Atal as the ST in my 4-3-1-2 formation… utilizing the DEADEYE chemistry style to squeeze every inch of talent that is crammed within this fantastic card.  While the card said DEADEYE, Atal truly was the marksman all weekend in the following squad:       


Starting Formation:

Overall

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

I just about did it… and maybe I am nit-picking.  Actually, I am definitely nit-picking, this card is insane and really you are just splitting hairs trying to find any real negatives.  39 goals and 10 assists in 20 matches are borderline ridiculous and some of these matches were against some crazy opponents.  There were matches that ended 4-3 with last gasp finishes… and upon inspection, I would fully realize that Atal had single handedly lifted the squad with a 4 goal match performance.  True, some of the goals were “get you off your seat” bangers.. but for the most part, Atal was just incredibly reliable and took his chances with little fuss, often going unnoticed.  Truthfully, I was talking to my mate about the qualities in this card and had not checked his actual returns after 10 matches and could not believe my eyes with the returns to that point.  With that all in mind I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who suggested Atal, what a fun weekend.

Main Attribute – Dribbling

Dribbling Rating: 10/10
Pace Rating: 10/10
Height: 175 cm | 5’9
Skills: *****
Traits: Flair

Magic.  What else is there to describe what Youcef Atal can produce on the ball across a 90-minute virtual match.  The 5 STAR SKILLS is one area that I 100% undervalue in my own playstyle, but I know how important it is to many of you… and after witnessing what some of my opponents could conjure with this card, it makes me think I need to get into the arena and practice more.  However, just with left stick dribbling, mixed with the odd drag back and fake shot allowed me to put defenders on skates as they struggled to keep up with Atal's insane movement.  With the aforementioned skills mixed with Atal’s base 89 AGILITY & 88 BALANCE, it was always going to be an important part of Atal’s attacking threat.  Yet, it was the 98 ACCELERATION & 97 SPRINT SPEED that really put this card over the edge while on the ball.  The exit from any sort of dribble was nothing short of explosive, while the top end speed was easily enough to keep those gaps created in the dribble and even grew the distance in many cases.  

Main Attribute – 5 Star Weak Foot

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

In the end, it doesn’t matter if a card can harness prime Messi in the dribble if there is not a finished product at the end of the wizardry.  For some reason, I was certain after 3 matches that this card should be on heavy fraud alert in the finishing category.  But then, as I said, something clicked, and the rest as they say is history.  The absolutely silly 39 goals in 20 matches with Atal can certainly be attributed to the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT and just how pure those left footed strikes can be.  Again, I will continue my long standing belief that the 99 SHOT POWER with Atal is more important than the 99 FINISHING, but either way, they both combined to be deadly accurate both inside and out of the box.  The 99 POSITIONING was evident in the spaces that Atal occupied in scoring opportunities and even the 83 LONG SHOTS felt drastically juiced as the video will demonstrate.  The card is an astonishing attacker… so much so that I abandoned all other plans just to get the full experience of a 20 match review… as I was also interested to see just how many goals Atal could manage before the review concluded.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

735k.  Honestly, this is a joke of a number.  I don’t really know if it is the links? The stage in the game?  Or maybe just where we are at in terms of quality cards?  But this is a million coin card, end of.  There are not many cards that have the complete package that Atal offers, but even on top of that there are not many cards that specialize as strikers that could match what Atal brings … and I have a host of reviews to prove that.  The key here is that Atal has every single piece of the “must have to be meta” check box in his arsenal and even better, he delivers them in spades on the virtual pitch match after match.

So why a 9.5/10 for a card that attempted to break every Weekend League record in Dynamo Parklund history and every controller in my opponent's hands?  I guess the main reason would be that a 10/10 is normally reserved for those cards that jump off the screen and deliver something that no one can touch.  PIM Butragueño is an example of this type of excellence and truthfully with the match on the line, I would want him on the ball over Atal any day.  Yet, I know deep down that Atal would take those chances the majority of the time as well.  With that, I can only sum up the Passing and Physical statistics with Atal in one way… they didn’t feel perfect, there was the odd mistake, and so they keep the Algerian just short of a perfect rating.

Closing Words

Thank you once more for relentlessly suggesting I review this card, it was worth the wait.  There is literally no reason that I can think of for not giving this card a test in your squad.  And before you ask, the answer is yes!  The question… can Atal play ________ position in my ______ formation?  Honestly, this card could play anywhere and will not only do a job but excel.  For me, I moved on to my new 10 and Done YouTube series (search: MaeNine) where I test different cards, formations & challenges for the final 10 matches of Weekend League… and without Atal in my squad, it truly felt like a canyon sized hole opened in my club.  Moving forward, I have my eye on this card to return though… I truly think he is my FIFA 20 FUT Birthday Griezmann… and if you have followed my reviews or myself on Twitter: MaeNine_ then you will know that this is a bigger compliment than any rating I could give!  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.

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Game Highlights: