Welcome back to the pitch, legends.
Shahmeer here, back in the captain’s armband after a holiday break. A massive shoutout to Franklin for holding down the fort over the last four newsletters — he absolutely smashed it. But I’m back, refreshed, and ready to guide you through what is shaping up to be a massive week in FC 26.
Today is all about The Grind. We have a new Ultimate Gauntlet that is essentially printing high-rated fodder, a fresh batch of SBCs that range from "must-do" to "IQ test," and some spicy TOTW 17 leaks that might just change your weekend league plans. Whether you are NMS (No Money Spent) or a whale, there is something for everyone today.
Let’s get into the tactics board.
Promo & Event Updates
TOTW 17 Leaks & Predictions
The leaks are out, and TOTW 17 looks like a top-heavy release. While the lower-rated cards are mostly fodder, the headliners are legitimate contenders for your starting XI.
Based on the weekend performances and leaked data, here is who we expect to see in packs on Wednesday:
Lautaro Martínez (90 ST): The main event. With 90 Shooting and 86 Dribbling, El Toro is looking lethal. His 84 Pace is decent, but he will need a Hunter chem style to truly terrorize defenses in the current meta.
Declan Rice (89 CM): A midfield general. With 87 Passing and 85 Defending, he is the perfect CDM anchor. He isn't the fastest (80 Pace), but his physical presence (86 Phy) makes him a wall in the center of the park.
John McGinn (85 RM): A solid utility player. 87 Physicality is great for a wide mid, but 80 Pace might leave him struggling against meta fullbacks.
Ivan Toney (85 ST): A decent target man with 87 Pace and 86 Shooting. If you need a Premier League striker on a budget, he’s a valid option.
Igor Thiago (85 ST): Pure fodder. 48 Defending and average stats elsewhere make him one for the SBC grinder.
Objectives Grind: Ultimate Gauntlet 8
The grind doesn't stop.
Ultimate Gauntlet 8 is live, and for No Money Spent (NMS) players, this is your main focus for the week. It’s a tiered system, so the more you play, the more you earn. The pack weight on these rewards is usually juiced, so don't skip this.
Group Reward: 3x 88+ Rare Gold Players Pack (Untradeable). This is huge. It guarantees walkouts and is the perfect pack to stash for the upcoming TOTY promo.
Score in 12: 3x 87+ Rare Gold Players Pack. A fantastic return for just playing the game. Even if you don't pack a meta card, this is high-rated fodder for SBCs.
Fodder Packs: The gauntlet is loaded with fodder packs along the way, including a 10x 82+ (Score in 5) and 5x 84+ (Score in 6).
Time Warp Card: You earn a Sophie Schmidt Time Warp card for scoring in 9 separate matches.
SBC Spotlight
EA dropped a massive content bomb of SBCs today, but quantity does not equal quality. We crunched the numbers so you don't have to waste your fodder.
Jonas Hofmann (87 CAM, ~35.8k) — Pass. Stats look okay with 88 Passing and 89 Dribbling, but at this stage of the game, he’s useless for competitive play. Save your 35k.
1 of 3 Icon Mix Player Pick (~408k) — Avoid. The classic IQ test. You are paying over 400k for a gamble on Base, Thunderstruck, or Unbreakables Icons. Most players are skipping this to save coins/fodder for TOTY.
Bobby Charlton (92 CAM, ~700k) — Pass. An incredible card with 90 Pace and 91 Shooting, but 700k is extremely expensive. Unless he is your absolute idol, this SBC will drain your club for a card that might be power-crept soon.
Ashley Young (86 LM, ~31.2k) — Complete. This is the value SBC of the day. For just 31k, you get a Time Warp card with 93 Pace, 88 Dribbling, and solid defensive stats for a wide player. Links are poor (Ipswich), but he's a fantastic super sub or fun card.
Cheapest Solution For Ashley Young
Task | Requirements | Recommended players (rating) |
Task 1: England | England players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 81 | Haavi: 82 Chris Wood: 82 Rafa: 82 Galton: 82 Isi: 81 Akturkoglu: 80 Varela: 79 Emil Forsberg: 79 Kaku: 79 Bachmann: 79 Burgess: 78 |
Task 2: 82-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 82 | Gavi: 83 Kamara: 83 Ilkay Gundogan: 83 Bowen: 83 Dejan Kulusevski: 83 Naeher: 82 Lee Kang In: 79 Kaku: 79 Bouanga: 79 Provod: 78 Sallai: 78 |
Task 3: Top Form | TOTW players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 82 | Calvert-Lewin (TOTW): 83 Kamara: 83 Ilkay Gundogan: 83 Bowen: 83 Dejan Kulusevski: 83 Naeher: 82 Lee Kang In: 79 Kaku: 79 Bouanga: 79 Provod: 78 Sallai: 78 |
Task 4: 83-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 83 | Dali: 83 Artem Dovbyk: 83 Athenea: 83 van de Donk: 83 Ilkay Gundogan: 83 Kamara: 83 Bowen: 83 Dejan Kulusevski: 83 Cerci: 83 Hendrich: 82 Eriksson: 82 |
Market Watch
The market is dipping slightly as players panic-sell to fund the new gamble SBCs or prepare for TOTY.
Buying: 86 Rated Cards. The Index 86 has crashed by 6.93%. This is a massive buy signal. Pick these up now while they are cheap; they will rebound when a better value SBC drops.
Selling: 85 Rated Cards. Conversely, Index 85 is up 3.41%. If you are hoarding 85s, now is the time to list them and take your profit.
Avoid: Gamble SBCs. As mentioned above, the Icon Pick is draining coins from the market. Don't fall for the trap unless you have untradeable fodder to burn.
Evolutions
We have two new EVOs today, and one of them is a must-do for pace merchants.
Fresh Legs (10,000 Coins / 100 FC Points)
Upgrades: +1 Overall, +7 Acceleration, +7 Sprint Speed, and the Rapid PlayStyle.
The Play: This is a fantastic value EVO. For just 10k, you can give a massive pace boost to a sluggish midfielder or attacker.
Verdict: Complete. It’s cheap, effective, and makes slow cards usable.
Peak Endurance (Free)
Upgrades: +3 Stamina (Max 90).
The Play: It's free, so there's no reason not to do it.
Verdict: Complete. It costs nothing and boosts stamina on a player who needs it.
Quick Hits
TOTW 17: Lautaro (90) and Rice (89) headline a top-heavy team.
Gauntlet: Play 12 games to earn a 3x 88+ pack. Do this before TOTY!
SBCs: Do Ashley Young (31k); skip the Icon Gamble and Bobby Charlton.
Market: Buy 86s (Crashed), Sell 85s (Rising).
Evos: Fresh Legs is a 10k pace boost you shouldn't miss.
That’s it for today, lads. I’m off to grind that Gauntlet for the 88+ pack. Good luck with your packs, and I’ll catch you on Wednesday.
Shahmeer