FIFA 23 FUT BALLERS KULUSEVSKI PLAYER REVIEW - COP OR FLOP?

4 months after we started Cop or Flop, we have finally got an SBC of the same player! Having received a RTTK SBC way back when, Dejan Kulusevski has now been given a FUT Ballers card, and this might be the best one yet!

It does feel slightly uncomfortable heaping as much praise on EA as I have done in the past few days. The prevailing desire to decry their management of the game by much of the community is, I’m sure, a hard one to deter. However this promo really is great for players of all abilities and squads of all qualities. 

Newcomers and casual players have really solid cards that all give each other chemistry for super cheap. And hardcore players have access to incredibly cheap fodder. It’s hard to see any downside.

If I was being super picky, I would suggest that the upgrade grind in its current guise is pretty poor. And that having all of these upgrade SBC’s available whilst there are no promo cards in packs feel counterintuitive. However these are minor gripes in an otherwise stellar addition to the promo library.  

Check out the card! - Dejan Kulusevski 88

Kulusevski FUT Ballers SBC Requirements

#1 - Dejan Kulusevski
Spurs Player - Min 1
IF Player - Min 1
Squad Rating - 82

Total Cost from scratch ~ 28K

Once again, this is a cracking price. Today it’s an 86 card with the 88 coming from the objective. These prices are usually reserved for 84 rated Eredivisie POTM’s rather than gateways to 88 rated Premier League attackers with outrageous dribbling. EA must be right leaning cause they’re demolishing the Prem Tax. 

Kulusevski FUT Baller SBC In Game Analysis

I’ve been fairly harsh on the abilities of the FUT Baller players to penetrate solid squads. I genuinely think this might be the first player that is worth a real try for the hardcore players. 

As with all the FUT Baller cards so far, the dribbling is immaculate. It really is eye opening how effective having every single stat at 90+ is in the dribbling category. Whether it’s composure, the mix of high reactions and high agility or just the whole package, every one of the players so far is a real treat to be on the ball with. 

However, unlike Diaz and Bamford, Kulusevski is a proper winger. His shooting is passable stats wise and barely reaches that in game. Distinctly average shot power and finishing mean that inside the box, Dejan is not as deadly as you’d like. Whilst a chemistry style can certainly help here, you do want to boost the pace limiting you to just Hawk or Hunter. 

Where Kulusevski is very effective though is in the air. Usually paired up against a less physically imposing full back, he is like having a striker on the wing for those overhit crosses. If you like getting wingers into the attack, he will pick up a few goals in the air for you. 

Aside from dribbling, the absolute pinnacle of this card’s powers lay in his ability to get in behind down the wing and whip in an absolutely wicked cross. His attacking positioning is only 86 but it really felt like he was consistently making incisive runs and exploiting spaces in behind defences when opponents got over zealous in their press. 

I have a confession. I am a sucker for crossing on FIFA. I love the randomness you can get, I love the heading animations and most of all, holding L2 when shooting is infinitely improved when the ball is in the air. So whenever we get a new winger, I will more rigorously test their ability to pick out a cross than most. And Kulusevski has it. I don’t know what it is. But this boy has it. From anywhere, on either foot, he was creating chance after chance with crosses, getting trajectories and ball flight that I rarely see. 

To top it all off, he’s an absolute nightmare to get off the ball. Whereas Bamford had the dribbling without the physicality, Dejan has both. Bundling through defenders is almost an art form and it really reminded me of the special De Ketelaere FS SBC.

This is a fun card, even for seasoned squads, he might give you a few games of enjoyment in early FUT Champs.   

How Does He Compare?

Currently the fodder value of an 86 and an 88 rated player is 47k. From scratch this SBC is 28k, so on a pure fodder comparison, once again, it stands up incredibly well.

Kulusevski is a rather unique card in that its a properly physical winger. Whilst we have many physical strikers and players further back, it’s rare to have an out and out beast on the wing. It’s an aspect that is worth bearing in mind when comparing to other available players as there are definitely advantages and disadvantages to this burliness. 

To illustrate that point, the most obvious comparison would be to the no longer live UCL Moura. Same club and position with 4/4 but the two couldn’t be more diametrically opposed in their play style. Moura is absolutely rapid and has a solid shot on him. Kulusevski is a target man and solid distributor. 

But that comparison does shy away from the absolutely obvious one. His own UCL no-longer-live card. This one actually did get some upgrades. It ended up at 87 rated and in Shooting, Passing, Defending and Physicals it is absolutely identical to the FUT Ballers 88. It does have two less pace, a huge disparity when it comes to dribbling and only a 3 star weak foot however. 

The SBC came in around 150k at the time. It was overpriced. But it also came out in October. Now obviously the upgrades didn’t happen until much later (it started as an 85 rated card), but if you are wondering why these SBC’s are so cheap. I think this does shed a little light as to why. Clearly the new card is superior, but for 4 months of Power Curve, it’s not that far ahead. 

FUT Ballers Kulusevski - Cop or Flop?

This SBC has 84% upvotes. Interestingly, these SBC’s are getting less and less love from you each day. It’s still an overwhelming thumbs up, and I’m sure the downvotes are mainly made up of MaguireTheGoat’s, but just something to keep track of. 

DenisXVII highlights a very good point when it comes to this promo.

Both TOTW and new promos should definitely start doing a little more with Skill Moves and Weak Foot. I know that FUT Birthday tends to be the beginning of the 5/5 bonanza but it’s one of the only remaining power curves we have left!

Once again, the player is fairly average, but due to the price, this wants doing quicker than it takes Fulham to self implode…

Cop

SBC Rating: 9.5/10