ShapeShifters Abedi Pelé Review

There are a lot of things to complain about when it comes to FIFA. The sporadic connection, random gameplay moments, ever-crashing market and the rewards system to name a few. But I still think credit is due in terms of the content department and various cards that have been thrown our way throughout the year. True, the continuous output has destroyed any form of tier system with the cards available… 99 PACE is the new baseline… but there are still unique and enjoyable squads to build if you allow yourself to remember that this is July and games are meant to be fun. This weekend marked one of my most favorite squads to date, and it was all made possible by another triumph for FIFA this year in the form of Heros. For me the Heros are some of my favorite cards and offer some amazing squad building opportunities… the idea to ShapeShift the leagues of the Heros with this promo, nothing short of genius and a welcome addition to a long, but entertaining month of this promo. Abedi Pele was one of those welcome changes as he jumped over to the Bundesliga, paying homage to his time in Munich at the sunset of his career. For me this just welcomed yet another opportunity to return Bellingham to my squad, while simultaneously offering the chance to review a card that was simply made for me and my playstyle. Knowing that I would be deploying Abedi Pele as one of the strikers in my 4-2-2-2 formation, it was the application of the DEADEYE chemistry style before we plunged our hands into the murk of this past weekend. Abedi Pele proved to be the left stick sorcerer all weekend long in the following squad:

Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 9/10
Pace Rating: 10/10
Dribbling Rating: 10/10
Shooting Rating: 9/10
Passing Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 7/10
Defending Rating: N/A

This review marks one of those occasions where your expectations are through the roof to the point that a card would have to be immaculate to match your excitement.  In the end, Abedi Pele was not far off of meeting those lofty standards and generally contributed to the overall success of my entire weekend.  The 25 goals and 6 assists across 15 matches is one of my better goal scoring returns, while simultaneously meeting the coveted 2.0 goal contributions per match as well.  It is interesting to note that I am confident this number could have been staggering if it were not for minor deficiencies that will be discussed further on in the review.                           

Main Statistics - Dribbling

Height: 174cm | 5’9
Pace Rating: 10/10
Dribbling Rating: 10/10
Skills: ★★★★★
Trait: Flair

Inevitable.  There simply was not another possibility for this category with this card.  Everything from the size to the traits is meant for all-action final third gameplay and offers a plethora of options to cause issues for opponents.  99 ACCELERATION & 98 SPRINT SPEED were both as advertised and generally feels like this card reaches top speed out of the dribble as if the Ghanaian was fired from a cannon.  That pace, mixed with the obscene stock dribbling statistics, was always going to be a fun test drive… the lowly 98 BALANCE & 93 COMPOSURE the only two categories not reaching perfection.  Touch-tight doesn’t quite describe just how perfect this card feels on the ball, but it is the best I can do.

Main Attribute - 5 STAR WEAK FOOT

Shooting Rating: 9/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★★

DEADEYE & MARKSMAN continue to be the two most popular chemistry styles for this card and for good reason… The shooting statistics (especially with the DEADEYE) are insane with both applications and with the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT promises some serious fireworks.  With 95 VOLLEYS the only sub-99 rated statistic, and with a goal return that exceeds the majority of recent reviews, I am sure there will be a few questions about the 9/10 rating… So here is the why.  1) Don’t get me wrong, 25 goals is amazing.  But this weekend saw some of my highest scoring matches without opponents quitting and definitely contributed to a higher total.  2) In said long matches, Abedi Pele missed some glorious chances, especially on his “weaker” right foot.  3) The dribbling is actually cracked with this card and allowed for numerous chances I had no business creating, only to be denied by a brilliant keeper save.  For me, the number should have been higher and a more potent and composed card would have cracked 30.  Don’t get me wrong, there were still some brilliant goals and clinical moments… but there were some notable misses and therefore not worth a 10/10.      

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

“1.35 million coins is a heavy price tag to pay, especially for a card without a 5 STAR WEAK FOOT.”  The line is straight from my ShapeShifter Rashford review and still holds true.  Of course Abedi Pele does have the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT (which of course didn’t always work 100% of the time), but the fact of the matter is that 1.35 million is a lot in FIFA 22.  I still think this card is crazy value for coins and it doesn’t quite make sense, even in the FIFA 22  market, why his price is so low.

The 9/10 overall for this card comes primarily from two categories.  1) Underperforming Passing … 2) Non-Existent Strength.  The DEADEYE takes this card all the way to 99 SHORT PASSING while the responsive dribbling creates the space.  This should have been a recipe for a lot more than 6 assists, but the odd mishit saw those chances go begging.  Less surprising was the fact that the 74 STRENGTH on a smaller card was borderline comical.  More often than not smaller cards will ride challenges and put up a fight to keep the ball.  Abedi Pele showed no interest in these battles and gave up the ball instantly.  Thankfully the dribbling helped avoid a lot of these encounters… but one bump from an opponent's defender and Abedi Pele was down and waiting for the trainers to come and stretcher him away.

Closing Words

Blistering pace. Fantastic dribbling. Constant shooting.  This card is a defender's nightmare and could be a massive addition to a lot of squads at the moment.  The Hero links, just another reason to include the Ghanaian in your squad.  I did point out a few difficulties with less than perfect finishing, sporadic passing and paper-like strength… but those were to clarify the 9/10 rating and the fact that this card is not quite perfect.  In the end however, this card makes a lot of squads instantly better and I would love to use this card again sometime soon.  My weekend league finish was made considerably easier by having Abedi Pele leading the line and I feel this would be a similar result for the large majority of FUT Managers.  If anything, the card offers considerable fun and a reason to fire up matches, which says everything.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.

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