It’s the official release day of FIFA 23 and the first promo is here already. The Ones to Watch (OTW) promo kicked off tonight, bringing us new players in packs and players that can be obtained through Squad Building Challenges (SBC) and Objectives.
If you want to learn more about the Ones to Watch promotion and how it works, we have a full FIFA 23 Ones to Watch Promo breakdown.
OTW SBC Player
In the typical format, EA released one SBC player with the start of the Ones to Watch.
Franck Yannick Kessié OTW
The Kessié Ones to Watch SBC is an enticing one but is the 75,000 coin price tag leaving you uncertain? It's expected he will be at the heart of the Barcelona midfield this season and given his consistency to pick up performance-based cards in previous FIFA games, that might be a reason to lean towards completing his SBC. If you can manage to get your hands on Yaya Touré, you could find yourself having an amazing core to your team.
OTW Objective Player
With it being the start of the game, we are back to receiving just one objective player. Maybe we will get another one during the mini-release on Sunday.
Richarlison OTW
As you'll see as you go through the rest of the article, there are plenty of Brazilians included in Ones to Watch this year. Richarlison is always an interesting starting card and following his move to Tottenham Hotspur, he has more desirable links. Unfortunately, if he doesn't manage to get any upgrades in the early weeks of the game, he could quickly fizzle out as the power curve increases. The plus side here is that he's an objective card so it only involves investing a bit of time and not any coins.
OTW Players in Packs
We have promo players in packs for the first time in FIFA23. Below you can find a full breakdown of every player. All of the OTW players have the same rating and statistics as their gold cards but have the potential to receive upgrades throughout the game cycle, meaning they will be much more valuable. Which player would you like to pack most?
Robert Lewandowski OTW
First up we have Lewandowski, and it was pretty easy to predict his arrival after the loading screen showed a 91-rated Polish player. In past FIFA titles people would have written off this card as being too slow, but with how the game currently plays, Lewandowski offers a lot for your Ultimate team. You can almost guarantee multiple upgrades for him this year, as we expect him to shake things up in La Liga with Barcelona.
Sadio Mané OTW
Much like Lewandowski, we are expecting Mané to pick up a clatter of upgrades this year. He is already performing well for Bayern München so it will only be a matter of time before the upgrades come rolling in. Being from Senegal would have previously made him a bit more difficult to link in a hybrid squad, but with the new chemistry system, you can use Mendy and Koulibaly for links along with all of the Bayern München players. If you pack him this next week, count yourself lucky.
Erling Haaland OTW
How many of you have already felt the struggle of playing Haaland in the early days of FIFA 23? Well, I hate to break it to you but it's only going to continue throughout the entire game. He's started the season scoring goals at an incredible rate and it doesn't look like he will slow down anytime soon. The Norway links could be seen as limiting, but with how many Man City players are incredibly meta this year, you should be fine.
Antonio Rüdiger OTW
EA has not held back on including high-tier meta cards right from the start of Ones to Watch. Rüdiger is arguably the best CB on the game right now and following his move to Real Madrid, he should be a regular starter putting in great performances. If we had to make a prediction, we can see him becoming at least 90-rated. For those of you that love a good hybrid squad, you should certainly be considering this man as the German links are plentiful.
Paulo Dybala OTW
He was given an amazing welcome to Roma and the Romanisti will be crossing their fingers he continues to be the game changer they expected when the signing was complete. Although smaller and weaker players aren't perfect for the meta right now, Dybala can still have a big impact in-game. With Roma links to the likes of Pellegrini and Spinazzola, along with the Argentina links, if you pack him, he could very well be worth building a hybrid around.
Gabriel Jesus OTW
We're stepping down to the mid-tier players included in the FIFA 23 Ones to Watch promo now. In the build-up to the game release, plenty of people had been including Jesus in their starter squads, and for good reason. He's quick with great dribbling for the early power curve and has the added excitement of being a new signing. Being a Brazilian playing for Arsenal, there is an abundance of links to make him fit into your Ultimate Team.
Antony OTW
His gold card was already expensive, so we can only imagine what sort of price the Antony OTW will settle at on the market. There's a lot of excitement surrounding Antony both for his real-world performances since joining Manchester United and the impact he can have on FIFA. Boasting 93 pace with responsive dribbling and 5-star skills moves can help to explain the higher cost.
Aurélien Tchouaméni OTW
It will be interesting to see how the progression of Tchouaméni goes through the FIFA 23 game cycle. Every year there's one Ones to Watch player that everyone wants to pick up a plethora of upgrades but ends up not receiving a single one. I think this year Tchouaméni will fulfill that role. Although being 3* 3*, has the potential to be meta given he gets an early upgrade or two, and being French with Real Madrid links is definitely a benefit.
Nico Schlotterbeck OTW
I'm going to class this as the lower end of the Ones to Watch promo that includes players you ideally don't want to get from your Guaranteed OTW pack. That's not to say the Schlotterbeck card isn't good, as he can without a doubt be used and become a solid part of your defensive line, he's just not overly valuable. Within an hour of being released, he is already under 25,000 coins. If you link building slightly unconventional teams, I think you should keep an eye on him if upgrades do come through.
Darwin Núñez OTW
Yes, Núñez is included in the lower end of the selection which might come as a surprise to some, considering he's between 80,000 - 90,000 coins on the market. After his big-money move to Liverpool, there are high expectations for him to meet. Maybe I'll eat my words in a couple of months but he's not great in FIFA 23 and has had an inconsistent start to the season. If you have invested in Núñez, you will be waiting for the team-based upgrade requirements to be achieved to have any rating increase.
Corentin Tolisso OTW
Apologies if you're a Lyon or Tolisso fan but the excitement for the players in packs does end here. Despite being a well-rounded player outside of pace, there is an overwhelming amount of central midfielders that can be used already in FIFA23 and it doesn't seem like he will bring anything special. The only saving grace is that he will upgrade to an 84 rating after one upgrade, and maybe the French links will make it more enticing... that will come down to personal preference.
Tyler Adams OTW
Rounding off the players that are in packs at the moment, we have Tyler Adams. Now, this could be an interesting one. He should be playing regularly for Leeds and it's likely he will be playing at the World Cup with the USA, so there is a chance that we could pick up a couple of upgrades before Christmas hits. Even two upgrades would get him to the point of being a usable option.
If you pre-ordered FIFA 23, who did you get from your guaranteed Ones to Watch pack?
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