Reviews

The first thing I can say is his agility, the man is fast as a bullet. I tried this man along side RTTF Martinez and they both did their jobs well but in my personal opinion I think players like TOTY HM Rudiger are better than timber because of the Med/ High work rates. I highly recommend Timber if you are able to link him.

The SM is a plus as well.

Before I get into the review I'll give a bit of background of the player I am. I am currently an Elite division player sitting at around 2000 SR and usually get Rank 3 on a regular WL.

Before I did the SBC, I was a bit worried about his work rates and reactions. A card like Teze for example would offer a similar service, while also being taller with better work rates. The main reason why I wanted to do this card is because I have 92 Gravenberch and wanted to fit him in a team with Mkhi and Tammy.

Now that I've used him for around 20 games in the Elite Division, I can say that this SBC is well worth doing. He is fast, agile, and has great defending as you'd expect when looking at his stats. He is not as automatic as the top-tier cards, but you would be foolish to expect that from a 50k SBC. When working in tandem with Flashback Varane, he has offered a nice balance. Feels strong in the tackle and is agile enough for you to feel in control of him. The price is really good as well, and when you have icons and players like Gravenberch, the links are ok.

In terms of cons, for some, his height may be a problem. Standing at 5'10 he will get beaten in the air at times, but for me having used 87 Cannavaro for the majority of the year it's not the biggest issue and certainly not when you have a larger defender beside him. His 5* skills are fun, but would have preferred the WF upgrade. His passing with his WF is quite bad and has gotten me in some bad situations. I don't see a lot of difference between him and Teze, with the latter being 20k cheaper.

Overall Verdict - Do the card if it fits your team, it's fun and is different from the usual CB combinations.

I knew this card would be perfect for a fun hybrid team. The 5 star skills are very unique for cb's (even though they're unnecessary and I rarely find myself skilling with my centerbacks), and made him a must complete SBC for me, especially coming it at 50k.

Pros:

The card itself isn't "meta" but is definitely very good. For starters, the card has 86 pace, 91 strength, 80+ agility and balance, meaning the card is going to be rapid, strong and very very good on the ball. The defensive stats are very good as well besides the heading accuracy (but it's not a real issue because of his 93 jumping). The card is decent in the air, and is very good at sliding/standing tackles and will occasionally push up and win the ball. The pace is a real asset due to the recovery pace, especially when he gets caught out for pushing too high up.

Cons:

Although I really like this card and will be using him for a while, there are a few flaws for this card. Mainly, the H/M work-rates, which makes him out of position often and can lead to a headache with your CB not playing the way you'd want. Another major flaw this card has is the low reactions, and although its not horrible, it's definitely not ideal to work with, and he can feel very slow to turn especially on through balls.

Overall:

I think this is a must do SBC because the card is very fun to use and is pretty good in game. The SBC right now is 40-50k, so even if you don't end up liking the card you won't be losing out on many coins as most 87s fluctuate around 20-25k(30k at times). The card isn't the easiest to link because there are no good eredevise gk, and the fullback options are limited (the fullbacks are also not good either), but if you are able to link him, I'd suggest trying this card out as although he's not going to be the best defender you'll ever use, I can guarantee he'll be one of the most fun ones you've used. This card can also be used at RB if needed.

A card I'd recommend pairing him with is Teze, I tried RTTF Martinez but I didn't really like the partnership and preferred Timber and Teze instead.