FUT Captain Reus Review

First off I am genuinely curious what your thoughts have been with the FUT Captains Promo… do you like the cards, the concept, or any players in particular, I should be trying?  I know for myself it was an intriguing one, but has really felt like more of an attempted coin drain before TOTS than anything… case in point the PIM Player Pack.  Despite the obvious EA agenda, I was still interested in seeing how some of the new additions to the scene would hold up to the Weekend League test and with that, we were off to the races.  The clear choice for me was always going to be Marco Reus for a variety of reasons.  1) The link to Future Stars Bellingham and an opportunity to get (who I consider) the best non-ICON midfielder in the game back into my squad.  2) The opportunity to try a true CAM in the 3-5-2 and see how they could operate in my latest formation.  3) Marco Reus is always a card I feel that was built for FIFA and yet somehow never translates into the finished product… and I wanted to see if FIFA 22 would be any different.  As previously mentioned it was back to the 3-5-2 this weekend and we will have those tactics reviewed for mid-week for those that would like to test them moving forward. With that, I set out to test the Dortmund talisman with the application of the ENGINE chemistry style to aid those shifty areas in the center of the pitch.  Marco Reus was the creative flair all weekend long in the following squad:                   

Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 9/10
Pace Rating: 8/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Shooting Rating: 9.5/10
Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 8/10
Defending Rating: N/A

This was actually a tricky rating to nail down and I can already hear the moaning about the overall rating.  But in this case, it was more a matter of simple math and contribution numbers, versus feel and overall impression.  In truth, I feel like this card is more of an 8.5/10 overall and wasn’t always 100% satisfied with how Reus felt and operated in game.  But then I start to rate the individual categories and it is clear that this card has some undeniable attributes that would be sought after for any CAM in the game.  Then you take into consideration the 17 goal contributions in 15 matches from the CAM position and the quality of the card is difficult to dispute.  In the end, a breakdown of the various statistics should shine some light on my dilemma and overall experience.      

Main Statistic -Shooting

Shooting Rating: 9.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★
Attributes: Finesse Shot, Outside Foot Shot

I played this card with a HAWK for three matches before realizing that the dribbling statistics from the ENGINE would be a welcome addition in the center of the pitch.  During those three matches, I did feel an added quality in this card's shooting but was surprised just how close Reus performed without the boosts.  The low 90’s across the board were fantastically bolstered by the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT and then multiplied by the presence of the sought after Finesse Shot and Outside Foot Shot traits.  For me, the 91 FINISHING, 93 SHOT POWER & 90 LONG SHOTS did the trick and were a big part of the 11 goals scored during the review.  While the HAWK chemistry style shooting numbers are something to behold, the base statistics did the job and helped Reus contribute from the middle of the pitch this weekend. 

Main Attribute - Eye For a Pass

Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★

Doubling down on the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT with this review but I think it is an important factor for this card… I think we can all agree that if a card can not pass then the CAM position is not one they will hold down for long.  Thankfully Reus has some excellent base passing statistics that were only bolstered to maximized levels by the ENGINE application.  99 VISION describes it best as this card just has a way of finding targets around the pitch… along with the 98 SHORT PASSING, 92 LONG PASSING & 99 CROSSING to ensure that vision turns into quality deliveries.  Even the 93 COMPOSURE felt like it was coaxing this card along to find the right pass at the right time despite operating in the most congested areas of the pitch.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

450k is about the perfect price for this card and will make FUT Managers consider the German over some of the more expensive or less effective options in the same area of the pitch.  The links are pretty easy to manage and if you have CAM positions in your in-game formations then you may just have to give this card a run out in the near future. 

Pace and power are two of the most defining attributes in FIFA and normally make or break a card and in turn, my reviews. The stark contrast between the pace and power of a card like Bellingham to that of Reus about cements why I struggled between a 9 or lower rating.  This card just doesn’t feel like it is harnessing the 99 ACCELERATION & 94 SPRINT SPEED at all and at times was incredibly slow off the mark.  The responsiveness of the 96 AGILITY & 99 BALANCE is on point with some of the better dribblers in the game, but after beating an opponent the result was often needing to beat them again. Against a weaker opponent, this was possible and truthfully quite fun.  But against stronger opponents, it was often a point of frustration as would be chances went begging due to card performance. 

Closing Words

Tough to really call with this one.  I honestly think I enjoyed this review more from the standpoint of my enjoyment of Marco Reus the footballer than Marco Reus the FUT Captain.  The pace and power argument is always one that I am going to come back to and really threw me off when reviewing this card.  I guess you can always look at it from the angle that if this card had it all then you would pay double the coins to get the German into your squad in the first place.  Certainly, a quality CAM and the passing was sublime with a knack for finding the back of the net as well.  I would love to hear from other FUT Managers who have been using this card, what are your thoughts? Where are you playing Reus and what chemistry styles are doing the business?  For the rest of you, hope you are doing well.  Cheers for reading.  

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: