Double Review - OTW 86 MKH & OTW 85 Batman

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is one of those high rated players that is rarely used this year, but sparks some interest when he earns himself an inform. Arsenal v. Everton ended with Mkhitaryan assisting three goals in just his second match for Arsenal, enough to earn a spot in this weeks TOTW. His enticing 5 star weak foot, dribbling, and passing stats raise some eyebrows and have lead to me playing 11 games with the card and reporting back to you.

This review is based off of 8/11 games using Mkhitaryan with a “Basic” chemistry style, then “Marksman”. The reviews are based on this squad:
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PACE

Mkhitaryan’s pace reminds me a lot of Okocha with his size and speed. Mkhi. is not very tall (5’9”) and has 91 agility, those two stats paired with his 89 acceleration and 84 sprint speed means it’s easier to staple jello to the wall then to catch Mkhitaryan on a run. He accelerates like he’s been shot out of a catapult meaning most players are left coughing in his dust. It seriously takes him no time at all to go from completely still to his top speed, like a rocket blasting off but if you skip all of the “T-minus 10 seconds to blast off” stuff. At this point I’m convinced you have a better chance of catching measles than Mkhitaryan.

Rating; 4/5

SHOOTING

This is where I’m a little confused with his card. I’ll start with the good stuff, 89 shot power is immense, I thought he had blown a hole in the net a couple of different times. That and his 84 positioning were impressive, as he seemed to be in the right place at the right time, especially right in front of net. But…he only has 78 finishing and 76 long shots. Sadly his finishing felt like 78 finishing, it was mediocre. There were times where he wouldn’t even get it on target or would just smash it into De Gea’s chest. But then there were also times that he would score a worldie or volley one into the top corner. It’s honestly hit or miss and in my opinion here you should be boosting his shooting stats to some degree if you want to use his card.

Rating; 3/5

PASSING

This is where his card really begins to shine, and rightfully so considering how he got his inform! 88 short passing, 89 vision, and 87 curve set Henrikh apart from the rest. He uses and abuses his 5 star weak foot by ruling the midfield like Mussolini, Stalin, or Kim Jong-Un would. Especially if you switch this card to a CAM in game he is the one pulling strings and starting everything, no play works it’s way up the field without touching his foot at least twice, which makes sense because he does have the “Playmaker” trait. The only disappointing stat (aside from FK’s) in this category is his 75 long passing, which leaves something to be desired, so I’d stick with the short passing for most parts.

Rating; 4/5
DRIBBLING

Yes, it’s all I have to say. But that’d be no fun, so I’ll explain. This Armenian maestro has 91 agility, 89 ball control, 89 dribbling, and 86 balance. Weaving in and out is his specialty and all he wants to do is send Aubameyang on goal, so he will stop at nothing to keep that ball on his foot. Something about this card gives him an unreal touch and quick feet, making it an absolute joy to watch him, let alone use him on the pitch. He puts on a better show than Queen or AC/DC, and he makes it his job to make Kante and Vieira look stupid. It’s like his 5 star weak foot makes his dribbling better because his stats don’t look insane, just really good. He makes walking up the field with the ball entertaining and impressive. He could probably make an instant ramen dinner look fancy. This has to be his best stat, and if you like an agile dribbling winger, Mkhitaryan could be your man.

Rating; 4/5

PHYSICAL

No one likes to look at the physical stats of a short player, because usually you end up having to justify getting them afterwards. 87 stamina is the only thing that’s remotely green in this category so buckle up it’s going to be fun. 63 strength and 69 aggression on him mean he’s like an Armenian blade of wheat, blowing over quite easily. But to be honest it doesn’t feel that low, his agility and balance mean he’s pretty good at staying on his feet. But the real trouble is when he’s fighting shoulder to shoulder with someone because that’s most definitely his kryptonite. Having his shirt pulled? No big deal, body slammed by Bailly? Catch him in the ICU.

Rating; 2.5/5

MENTALITY

Possibly my second favorite part for Henrikh is this right here, all about his weak foot and traits. Four star skill moves and five star weak foot make this card more appetizing than a tide pod. You’ll love not having to worry about which foot to shoot on, and even better is his passing is always at 100% since it’s not relying on his weak foot. It honestly makes such a huge difference and I adore having any player with a five star weak foot. That being said he also has four star skill moves, meaning he’s got everything he needs to beat that defensive player and break down the line. He also has the “Flair”, “Speed dribbler”, “Playmaker”, and for some odd reason the “Long Shot Taker” trait.

Rating; 4/5

CONSENSUS

Rating; 3.58/5

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an incredibly dynamic and impressive player. Sitting at just below 200,000 coins I’d like to say there are better options on the wing, but he does bring a lot of things that many don’t offer, the most prevalent option being that five star weak foot. He’s a fantastic playmaker and amazing with the ball on his feet but lacks some finishing. In my opinion I’d give his non-inform a try first as it’s cheap enough, and if you get along with it then upgrade to his IF as you can still feel improvement between the two cards. I can’t say he justifies his price tag of 200,000 coins as that’s a bit exorbitant at the moment but if you have the coins by all means. I’d recommend his OTW over the LW card because if he gets a SIF he will be one of the best wingers you can get. If you change your formation in game I recommend using Mkhitaryan as a CAM because it’s the other position he’s built to play in! If you’re going to use a chemistry style I’d suggest a boost to his shooting, and maybe his physical. Otherwise best of luck to you and Henrikh as I hope the relationship works out.

Game Stats:
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Michy ‘Batman’ Batshuayi should be a household name from now on, let me explain just why. He ended up getting two goals and an assist on his debut for Borrusia Dortmund clearly earning himself a spot in this weeks TOTW. He had already gotten a special card for Chelsea, but this card for Dortmund would be considered his SIF card. Are we going to see more Batman in upcoming Weekend Leagues or will people favor Werner and Aubameyang more?

PACE

Michy Batshuayi is a tall player, 6’0” to be exact. Usually that means lower agility and balance right? Well apparently not. He has 85 agility and balance, as well as 81 acceleration and 85 sprint speed. For a taller player he is no stranger to speed that’s for sure. He does a great job pushing his way through to goal and has enough pace to do so. Now what I’m getting at is he’s not very fast, 84 pace is good! But nowadays doesn’t exactly cut it for top of the line striker. What sets Batshuayi apart is that he’s strong, tall, and has surprisingly good pace to back it all up. He reminds me a lot of Marco Van Basten when it comes to speed. He takes these long strides and if someone dares to catch up he has no trouble stiff-arming them. I honestly love his pace for this type of a card and did not feel let down at all. What I feel is that it fits his type of play style and card very well because usually you’d expect 80 or less pace for his type of play.

Rating; 3.5/5

SHOOTING

This is where you start to really get along with Marco Van Ba…I mean Batshuayi. Let me read off the statistics, 92 positioning, 92 finishing, 92 shot power, 84 long shots. God almighty that’s making me sweat a little bit. He is so clinical, I have no clue if that has to do with his 88 composure but he keeps reminding me of Marco Van Basten as time goes on. Shooting with Batshuayi is much like throwing a bowling ball with the gutter guards up, there’s no way you miss (unless you’re like my friend Paul who managed to throw it into the other lane, don’t be like Paul). Pressing the B button with Batshuayi is 9.8/10 a goal, and the 0.2/10 times is because De Gea saved it with his feet. Pressing shoot = scoring goal. But I do have a bone to pick with Batman here, his curve is terrible. I do not recommend trying to finesse the ball from long ranges, but rather power the shot. If you’re one-on-one a low driven finesse is still optimal but don’t try and replicate Messi or Ronaldo curling the ball in from distance and odd angles as it’s not his strong point.

Rating; 4.5/5

PASSING

There is not much to say here, he’s bad at passing might suffice though. 75 short passing, 42 long passing, 74 vision, 72 curve, and 77 crossing is embarrassing. He’s not a playmaking card, and definitely not a CAM. He’s fit to play as a ST and that’s the end of the discussion, while he did manage to get 6 assists for me in those 11 games it was mostly from easy passes right in front of net. Don’t try and create plays with Batshuayi but rather let him finish them. If you’re not using a chemistry style to boost his passing then avoid his.

Rating; 2.5/5

DRIBBLING

Batshuayi has a pleasant 84 dribbling on his card, and it’s evenly spread out. But my favorite stats aren’t his 84 ball control and 82 dribbling, but rather 85 agility and balance. The more agile a player is, the better he feels when he’s doing anything and everything. You don’t want a clunky player trying his best to stand up straight but is able to dribble like Neymar. You’d rather a player who can stand up straight really well and has decent dribbling, which is what Batshuayi has. He feels fluid on the ball for a taller player and is no stranger to taking good, close touches with the ball. His dribbling isn’t fantastic, but actually rather impressed me and made me like his card even more. If I had to compare his dribbling to someone I’d say Morata, Immobile, and one of the IF Cavani’s.

Rating; 3.5/5

PHYSICAL

This is what makes this card what it is. 88 strength and 88 jumping are amazing. Batman doesn’t need Robin when he can body slam anyone that gets near him. He seriously will stiff arm anyone getting in his way and will not get pulled down. He has 85 balance and agility, and 88 strength. That means he not only can shove people away and hold his own but has amazing balance and agility to keep himself on his feet. He has good speed for a tall and strong player, good strength for a fast and tall player, and good height for a strong and fast player. It’s such a wonderful trio of things that I’m left very impressed by this SIF Batshuayi. But I’d be bad at my job if I didn’t mention his sad 71 stamina. He has issues playing the whole game through and by the 80th minute will be dragging his feet and begging to be subbed off for Musa.

Rating; 4/5

MENTALITY

Honestly my reaction here is, m’kay. He has three star skill moves and four star weak foot. The four star weak foot is really great and helps his ridiculous shooting even more…but the skill moves are a let down. It’s really nice to be able to pull off a Berba spin or something impressive to make that pesky defender fall on his butt, but Michy has to rely on his strength. His only trait is the “Selfish” trait which doesn’t exactly suit his card too well since he will really only be getting the ball when he’s through on goal as that’s the role he plays best. But to be fair the “Engine” chemistry style covers all the areas he lacks in so he might shine even more.

Rating; 3/5

CONSENSUS

Rating; 3.5/5

Michy ‘Batman’ Batshuayi is a really great Bundesliga striker card to use, and I think I could even say the best one. He has such a great powerful shot, good pace, fantastic strength and physical, as well as decent dribbling. But he’s not very dynamic. He has one job and that’s to break through on goal, muscle defenders off, and score. He’s no Mertens who is a pest anywhere on the pitch and can curl in shots from odd angles. Neither is he like Werner or Gnabry who have pace and dribbling on their side. But he fits more of an Ibrahimovic/Lewandowski role. He kind of sits in this grey area inbetween where he’s fast enough, but also strong enough to be both a target striker and to get in behind. Personally I prefer him to get in behind and break through on goal because his passing is trash for working up plays. But he’s honestly a better Lewandowski in my eyes. If you use an “Engine” chemistry style on him to boost his pace, passing, and dribbling, I would consider him the best Bundesliga striker and at a great price too (90,000 coins). All I’m saying is he scores goals, and that’s really that. Don’t expect too much of him aside from putting the ball in the back of the net as he’s not a flashy player but more restricted. Is he ready for the weekend league? I’d say yes, but there are many better options that aren’t too expensive (IF Mertens, SIF Icardi, IF Son, etc.)