One of the most anticipated Icon SBC's in FIFA 23 has arrived and, boy, has it caused uproar. Is our ponytail'd friend worth the 23 squads? Let's break it down.
Ronaldinho has a special place in many of the older FIFA fans hearts. Joga Bonito, his goal against Chelsea, that advert for Nike, he is an Icon in every sense of the word.
In FIFA, his cards have always had a je ne sais quoi element to them. Whether it's the ponytail flapping about as he darts around the pitch or the custom skill animations glitching you through defender's legs, his cards have always been desirable. Indeed his TOTY version has been one of the most consistently extinct players I can ever remember in FIFA.
Then, we get the news that we are getting a Prime Ronaldinho SBC. His price, around 5 million at the time, crumbles to 3.5 million in expectation of an expensive but completeable SBC. It's TOTS after all, we're in the final third of the game cycle, it's only his prime, maybe EA will make him affordable.
As the Kooks famously warbled, "You're so naive".
Prime Ronaldinho's SBC is going to set you back 4.4M coins.
Prime Ronaldinho Stats and Review
The card itself is phenomenal and, for a moment, let's focus on his star qualities as a player:
- 94 Acceleration and 91 Sprint Speed is a solid base can be boosted with a chemistry style
- 90 Positioning and 93 Finishing with the Finesse Shot Trait make him lethal in the final third and with his shot power under 90, he also gets those broken looping trivela shots
- 93 Vision, 90 Crossing and 92 Short Passing is cracking for any role you wish to use Dinho in
- 94 Agility, 93 Reactions, 95 Ball Control, 96 Dribbling and 94 Composure is absolutely absurd for a card that's been in the game since January
- Even physically he can mix it with 84 strength and 86 jumping, although his 83 stamina does mean he tails off towards the end of matches, especially when played out wide
- He has 5-Star Skill Moves and 4-Star Weak Foot which makes him an ideal wide player being able to beat players with meta skill moves
- High/Low workrates are ideal for an attacker
Here's the thing though. We're entering silly season in FIFA. Where 99 stats are expecting and anything with an 8 before it is "average". Is he a really good card? Yes. Is he ahead of the curve like he was 3 months ago? For me he isn't anymore. With Mane TOTS Moments, Best FUT Birthday and even Diaby's TOTS all possessing that elusive 5 star skill rating and comparable stats everywhere else.
What Chemistry Style to use for Prime Ronaldinho?
For me, I like to use Prime Dinho with a Hawk or an Engine depending on where he's playing. I do feel that the pace needs a little pump up but I also hate wasting the +15 to volleys that Hunter gives you. I also think you either need to boost his Shooting and Physicality if he's playing up front or his passing and dribbling if he's playing out wide. Engine makes his dribbling genuinely elite whilst also giving him outrageous passing from wide areas. Meanwhile hawk gives you near perfect shooting with a healthy boost to his physical stats.
Prime Ronaldinho SBC: Should You Complete It?
This card was 5 million coins, it dropped to 3.5 million coins at 6pm today (19.05), by 6:20 he was 5.5 million again, at the time of writing he's back down at 3.8 million. Bearing in mind this SBC is 4.4M coins, it is absolutely wild to me that this SBC costs more than the tradeable version that you can sell on once you're finished using him.
Now I know the reply will be "who has 4 million coins", and the answer is, anyone can. If you are sensible with your coins, take tradeable rewards, and don't spend money completing player SBC's, you can absolutely grind up to 4 million coins. But realistically this isn't the argument I think we should be having. The logic of having an SBC be priced at only slightly lower than the market value works when it can be completed using fodder most players accumulate fairly easily. Once you require 3 91 rated squads and a 92 rated squad, the rules, for me, change. Suddenly it's much, much harder to grind towards. You are having to buy the majority of players to complete the SBC. That's why this SBC for me should have been around 3 million coins rather than the 4.4M coins it is currently.
It is there for 3 months. And maybe at some point in those 3 months, it might be easier to grind towards. It's price may even become "worth it". But I believe by the time that comes around, there will be 30 players on a par with this Ronaldinho for much, much cheaper.
My Verdict: Do Not Complete
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