ICON Moments Butragueño Review

This past weekend marked a small lull in content as the normal release of promos with different squads was replaced with the Showdown Series concept.  In truth, I didn’t mind the change of gears, but the lack of anything noteworthy in packs certainly affected the potential value with opening rewards this weekend.  Not that I pack anything anyway.  With the tight turnaround to look at the SBCs, we went a different route this weekend, taking a look at two Prime ICON Moments that may be of interest.  The first on the list was a personal favorite of mine and regular guest on the FUTBIN review show, none other than El Buitre himself, Emilio Butragueño.  This card always brings a level of clinical finishing that is hard to replicate and epitomizes the phrase, “taking your chances.”  The HAWK chemistry style is always one that works so well with the Spaniard and the weekend was looking rather routine with a traditional card and a traditional chem style.  However, Friday night everything changed as a look back on the struggles to get 16 wins in recent weeks saw a major move away from the traditional formations we have been using this year.  The hype around 3-5-2 has been growing around the community, especially with its use in recent ePrem success, and in the final hours I decided to make a switch.  This is why you will notice Butragueño’s card statistics show 28 matches as a trial through Division Rivals was needed as opposed to a baptism by fire in FUT Champs.  With everything set and a new formation in place, Butragueño was part of the double edged sword in attack all weekend long in the following squad:            

Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 8.5/10
Pace Rating: 9/10
Dribbling Rating: 9/10
Shooting Rating: 10/10
Passing Rating: 6.5/10
Physical Rating: 8/10
Defending Rating: N/A

Before we dive into the details of the ratings I will clarify that Butra managed 11 goals and 1 assist in his 10 games Elite Division Rivals matches before adding an additional 20 goals and 4 assists in his 15 matches FUT Champs review.  These statistics actually do a fantastic job in outlining the quality and definicanies that you will experience with this card and really do act as an overview of what I witnessed this weekend.         

Main Statistic - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 10/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★★
Traits: Finesse Shot

Eusébio, Dalglish, Butragueño … three of my favorite ICONs in FUT for a variety of different reasons… but all three most importantly have true 5 STAR WEAK FOOT capabilities.  It doesn’t matter the position, angle, or style … Butragueño will find a way to score on either foot.  The trust you can place in the 99 FINISHING & 94 COMPOSURE is up there with the best I have used and makes finishes in the box appear easy in a game when they certainly are not.  The key here, compared to recent reviews, is the ability to hurt opponents who back off the Spaniard from distance as the 99 SHOT POWER & 97 LONG SHOTS combine beautifully as well.  The card is a clutch performer and is definitely one of the reasons I gravitate towards this review every year.   

Main Attribute - 3 Star Skills

Dribbling Rating: 9/10
Pace Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 8/10
Height: 168cm | 5’6 
Skills: ★★★

There is a lot going on with this section of the review but I think it is important to touch on these key details as they will be one of the key factors for those of you considering this card.  First off, it is obvious that the 3 STAR SKILLS will be an immediate turn off for some FUT Managers and leave Butragueño out of the question for their squads.  In a weird way, it was also one of the downfalls for me as well, despite my lack of skilling.  With the small and lean body type, Butragueño was always going to be smooth and clean on the ball given the 93 AGILITY & 93 BALANCE.  Then you add in the 99 ACCELERATION and opponents are going to have their hands full.  However, on occasion it did feel like Butra got “stuck” in the middle of my left-stick dribbles and I would largely attribute this to a lack of the Flair trait and the lack of higher star skills.  This might all be in my head, but the likes of Eusébio & Dalglish are not affected by this despite similar dribbling statistics.  Whether or not this is reality it was a small hiccup along with the 99 SPRINT SPEED that never really felt like it was all there.  These issues caused Butra to get into a lot more wrestling matches with defenders than I would have liked, but surprisingly he was able to ride out more of these challenges than you would expect given his 72 STRENGTH.  There is no doubt he is quality on the ball, but there are better out there, which was a little disappointing.     

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

These Prime ICON Moments have about as much stability on the market as a one legged duck in a hurricane.  You will see what I bought Butragueño for and thankfully I sold with only a 200k loss as it only got worse after the weekend.  It is also why we are bringing some of these PIM reviews given their crazy low price tags.  However, my loss on yet another review is your gain.  1.6 million feels like a low price for this card and to put it into perspective, he was 2.3 million at this time last year. However, when you compare the Spaniard to the likes of Mid Eusébio & PIM Dalglish it appears that despite his already low price tag, there is still room to fall.  Two very similar options, but with higher star skills and lower price tags. 

The small “catches” in the flow of the dribbling wasn’t bad. I could live with defenders catching Butra up in areas I thought 99 SPRINT SPEED should have seen me clear.. and I could live with getting dispossessed in challenges due to his size.  But what really got me was the lack of passing with this card.  I mentioned previously that the statistics told the story and the single assist in 10 Rivals matches about sums it up.  In the 3-5-2 formation playing alongside Eusébio, I feel like Butra should have had more assists, but the 89 SHORT PASSING and shocking 65 LONG PASSING & 76 CROSSING simply made that impossible.  It is the one area that I would caution you with this card and was ultimately what took away the possibility of a 9/10 overall rating despite the very impressive goal returns.   

Closing Words

It is the price for me.   I would say that the price of MID Eusébio scares me the most with recommending this card given a lot of their similarities.  However, the issue with avoiding Butra is that if you are looking for a potent finisher to take your squad forward, you can’t go wrong giving the Spanish Sniper a chance to lead the line in your squads.  Of the three comparisons I have been using for the review, it is Butra that I would want with the ball at his foot to win me a match.  But I think, especially for the price, that there are simply better out there.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.  
 

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