Fantasy FUT Gelson Martins Review

In the Fantasy FUT Nani review, I mentioned EA's habit of picking certain cards and continuously making them the focus of various promos throughout the year.  For the majority of FUT Managers (myself included), this is a constant point of frustration given all of the options that are left untouched throughout the year.  But I won’t lie… I was ecstatic to see one more opportunity to get in on the Gelson Martins sweepstakes after foolishly missing out on the Signature Signings SBC in November.  I swear this card is a constant thorn in my side and I continuously run into the Portuguese winger in both Weekend League and Rivals even now.  Finally, it was to be my turn unleashing the speedster on my opponents as I brought the Monaco man into the mix this weekend.  Given the return to the 4-2-2-2 formation this weekend it was always going to be a debut as a RAM for Gelson Martins, the time and space a perfect combination for the blistering pace that comes standard with this card.  With the pace taken care of, there were a few chemistry styles thrown around before settling on a test run for both the MARKSMAN and then DEADEYE applications.  While this review will focus on the DEADEYE given the need for passing boosts out in the RAM position… I wouldn’t throw away the MARKSMAN possibility if you give this card a test drive.  Gelson Martins was the injection of pace all weekend long in the following squad:

Starting Formation:
 

Overall

Rating: 8.5/10
Pace Rating: 10/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Shooting Rating: 8/10
Passing Rating: 8.5/10
Physical Rating: 7/10
Defending Rating: N/A

This was one of the most interesting reviews that I have completed to date and a solid reminder (mostly to myself) that there are a lot of cards that might not have every tool … but can still cause a ton of damage when played in the right areas to exploit the strengths they do have.  I wouldn’t be rushing to play Gelson Martins as a striker given some of the shooting fiascos I witnessed this weekend… but I don’t know that I have used many wingers that can stretch a backline as this card can.  The 7 goals and 5 assists were decent returns, but given some of the positions this card continuously arrived at I think a proper end product could have taken this card to a crazy level.       

Main Statistic - Wing Play Specialist

Shooting Rating: 10/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Height: 173cm | 5’8
Skills: ★★★★★
Trait: Outside Flair

There are not enough superlatives to explain just how fast this card feels when running at full clip down the wing.  The 98 ACCELERATION & 98 SPRINT SPEED are a menace and a key part of why this card can be so elusive.  But I think we could all sit here and list cards that carry these traits in FIFA 22 and in a sense don’t make this particular card special in any way. However, I think the conversation starts to change when you add to the list cards that can start and stop with complete responsiveness and control while traveling at those same breakneck speeds.  For me, no one does it better than Gelson Martins, or at least with cards I have used and brings me back to why I have longed for the Signature Series card for so long. Certainly one of the most cagey cards I have used and makes him a handful to deal with when isolated on the wings.   

Main Attribute - 3 Star Weak Foot

Dribbling Rating: 8/10
Weak Foot: ★★★
Attributes: Outside Foot Shot

If you are buying this card I doubt that you have aspirations of a starting striker leading the line and banging in the goals… but if you are, I would suggest you reconsider.  On his favorite right foot, you will get some results with this card, which is no surprise given the 96 FINISHING & 99 SHOT POWER.  But, in all honesty, I was a little disappointed by the goal returns given the firepower Gelson should possess.  Granted, I did have a pass first mentality with this card and therefore passed up on some possible attempts on goal… and the angles were made a little tricky by positioning.  However, this card just doesn’t have that clinical feel with the 3 STAR WEAK FOOT really sinking the overall quality of the shooting. 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

Value/Coins Rating: 5/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 4/5

500k.  I have sat here for way too long determining whether or not I think this is a fair price for a role style player having just given a 5/5 for Nani who was central to everything that went well for my squad this weekend.  At this point, I have left it up to simple number comparisons and I hope you can live with that.  The Signature Signing SBC that I have so longed to have was around 200k to complete.   This version of Gelson is not quite twice the card of that SBC but is both tradeable and upgradeable in the right circumstances.  With all of that in mind, I am saying that this card just squeezes into an excellent value category and the enjoyment alone serves to cover some of that price.

The DEADEYE application was entirely due to some of the bad passing experiences I had using the MARKSMAN and even then didn’t sort out the 86 CROSSING (of course).  The 99 SHORT PASSING though was key to those dangerous runs into the box and picking out open targets making the application justified in my mind.  But again the lack of attention to the 67 LONG PASSING was a difficult gulf to make up.  Some of the passes I cut across to midfielders were arrant and in general, didn’t feel as crisp and accurate as more capable passers in the game.  

Closing Words

A wise streamer recently compared FIFA 22 to a basketball game… with the added AI influence congesting the box to no end the opportunities to isolate defenders 1v1 often only exists on the byline and mimics more of a basketball game than a football match.  With Gelson Martins I found him getting into those positions time and time again, and the amount of attention required from my opponent opened up the game in dramatic fashion… Quick pass to the top of the box... into a striker… bang.  Like I said, not the completed product, definitely deficiencies, but still a fantastic role player for those FUT Managers in need of wing style players.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: