The TOTY Grand Finale
It is the endgame of the Team of the Year promo, and EA has saved some of the heaviest hitters for last. Today marks the arrival of the Honorable Mentions and the highly anticipated 12th Man. The power curve just took a massive vertical leap. If your team wasn't meta yesterday, it certainly needs a look today.
The market is currently a sea of red — panic selling is in full swing as players liquidate everything to rip packs for the blue cards. This chaos creates opportunity. We have massive SBCs dropping with premium price tags, an Evolution that is arguably a must-do for wingers, and a roster of Honorable Mentions that rival the actual TOTY squad in raw stats.
Let's cut through the noise and break down exactly what you need to do this weekend.
Promo & Event Updates
TOTY Honorable Mentions & 12th Man
The Best of the Rest are finally here, and honestly, some of these cards are better than the main TOTY squad from previous years. The headline act, however, is the 12th Man Winner: Raphinha. He takes the crown with a monstrous card that fits perfectly into any La Liga setup.
Here is the hierarchy of the new drops:
Raphinha (95 LM) - 12th Man: The main event. With 95 Pace and 94 Dribbling, he is an elite winger who can glitch past fullbacks.
Harry Kane (92 ST): The ultimate finisher. 95 Shooting is no joke. He isn't the fastest, but his playmaking (88 Passing) makes him the perfect False 9.
Lamine Yamal (92 RW): The "Mini-Neymar." 91 Dribbling and a unique body type make him feel incredibly slippery in the box.
Mohamed Salah (92 RW): Finesse Shot merchant. 91 Pace/Shooting. If you cut inside on his left, it’s a goal.
Patri Guijarro (91 CDM): A midfield engine. 90 Defending and 86 Physicality make her a Kante-esque interceptor.
Kadidiatou Diani (91 RW): Pure pace abuse. 95 Pace with 87 Physical is a terrifying combo for opposition fullbacks.
William Pacho (90 CB): The pacey defender choice. 85 Pace is great, but 70 Passing might be a liability under pressure.
Lauren Heaps (90 CAM): A technical wizard. 90 Dribbling/Passing makes her a perfect link-up player.
Luis Díaz (89 LM): 5-Star Skills and 93 Pace. A fun card, but lacks the "jam" factor of the top-tier elites.
Denzel Dumfries (89 RB): A physical bully. 89 Physicality means he wins every back-post header.
Marquinhos (88 CB): Positioning king. 90 Defending means he’s always in the right spot, even if he lacks top-tier sprint speed.
Promo Takeaways
The Chase Cards: Raphinha and Yamal are the clear standouts. They offer the agility and responsiveness the current meta demands. Salah remains a top-tier threat for anyone who abuses Finesse shots.
Solid Picks: Marquinhos and Dumfries are incredible value for coins. They offer endgame defensive stats without the multi-million coin price tag.
The Avoids: Marc Guéhi (88 CB). Low agility and lack of lengthy acceleration make him struggle against meta strikers like Mbappe. William Pacho feels clunky despite the high defensive stats.
Pack Value Alerts
The store is flooded with promo packs today. Here is the verdict on whether you should open your wallet or save your coins.
Halftime Level Up Pack
Cost: 225,000 Coins / 1,000 FC Points.
Odds: 10 Rares (85+). All Untradeable.
Verdict: AVOID (With Coins).
Why? 225k for untradeable fodder is a bad deal unless you are desperate to craft an SBC immediately. You are essentially paying 22k per card, which is way above market value for 85s.
Step Ahead Pack
Cost: 250,000 Coins / 1,500 FC Points.
Odds: 25 Rares (84+), guarantees on Pace/Shooting/Defending stats.
Verdict: HARD PASS.
Why? This is a lottery ticket with bad odds. The "guarantees" (like 82+ Pace) are easily met by discard value cards. Save your coins for the players you actually want.
SBC Spotlight
We have three major player SBCs to look at today. One legend, one defender, and one midfielder.
Francesco Totti (91 ST, ~2.1M) — Overpriced Nostalgia. This card is pure class with 92 Shooting and 5-star skills, but the price tag is staggering. 2.1 million coins for a card with 82 Physical and potentially clunky movement is a hard sell. Unless you are a die-hard Roma fan, this is a skip.
Matthijs de Ligt (90 CB, ~397K) — Solid Wall. A fantastic value for a top-tier defender. With PlayStyle+ like Aerial Fortress and 90 Defending/Physicality, he dominates the box. If you can link him (Man Utd/Dutch), he is a safe, reliable anchor for your backline.
Rose Lavelle (91 CM, ~184K) — Hard Pass. Don't let the 91 rating fool you. While the dribbling is nice, 70 Defending is too low for a CM, and the NWSL links are tricky. 184k is better spent elsewhere; save your fodder.
Cheapest Solution For Matthijs de Ligt
Task | Requirements | Recommended players (rating) |
Task 1: Manchester United | Manchester United players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 85 | Alexandra Popp: 85 Foord: 85 Girelli: 85 Granit Xhaka: 85 Giugliano: 85 Svenja Huth: 85 Vivianne Miedema: 85 Kim Little: 85 Ella Toone: 85 Locatelli: 84 Cata Coll: 84 |
Task 2: Premier League | Premier League players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 86 | Marie Katoto: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Ada Hegerberg: 87 Millie Bright: 87 Ruben Neves: 84 Maanum: 84 Isco: 84 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Manuel Locatelli: 84 Pedro Goncalves: 83 Matheus Cunha: 83 |
Task 3: Netherlands | Netherlands players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 86 | Marie Katoto: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Ada Hegerberg: 87 Millie Bright: 87 Ruben Neves: 84 Maanum: 84 Isco: 84 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Manuel Locatelli: 84 Pedro Goncalves: 83 Frimpong: 83 |
Task 4: Top Form | TOTW players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 86 | Marie Katoto: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Ada Hegerberg: 87 Millie Bright: 87 Ballard (TOTW): 84 Maanum: 84 Isco: 84 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Manuel Locatelli: 84 Pedro Goncalves: 83 Gimenez: 83 |
Task 5: 87-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 87 | Endler: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Gabriel: 88 Ella Toone: 85 Giugliano: 85 Girelli: 85 Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Maanum: 84 Cata coll: 84 |
Task 6+7: 87-rated squad | TOTW players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 87 | Endler: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Gabriel: 88 Ella Toone: 85 Giugliano: 85 Girelli: 85 Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Maanum: 84 Ballard (TOTW): 84 |
Task 8+9: 88-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 88 | Rodri: 90 Alessia Russo: 89 Khadija Shaw: 89 Mapi Leon: 89 Endler: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Girelli: 85 Laura Freigang: 85 Svenja Huth: 85 Isco: 84 Viggosdottir: 84 |
Market Watch
Market Overview: The market is bleeding. The Index 100 is down 2.42%, and the panic is real.
Fodder Crash:
Index 81: DOWN 6.40%
Index 82: DOWN 8.52%
Index 83: DOWN 7.87%
Action: BUY. The market is flooded with supply from people opening saved packs for TOTY. 82-84 rated players are hitting rock bottom. This is the perfect time to stock up your club with cheap fodder for future SBCs. Do not sell your fodder now; you will be selling at the absolute floor.
Evolutions
Inside Edge (75k Coins / 500 FC Points)
This is the highlight of the day. A massive upgrade for RWs.
The Upgrade: A huge +20 Overall boost (Max 87 -> 90).
The Hook: Turns a mediocre winger into a 90-rated beast with 5-star skills potential.
Top Picks:
Marcus Rashford (87 RW): Becomes a 90-rated monster with 93 Pace and 5-Star Skills. He is the clear meta choice here.
Désiré Doué (87 RW): A great option for Ligue 1 squads, balancing pace and dribbling.
Oscar Bobb (85 RW): The Man City youngster gets a massive glow-up to 90 OVR with elite dribbling stats.
Verdict: MUST DO. For 75k, getting a 90-rated meta winger like Rashford is a steal.
Golden Gloves (7.5k Coins / 100 FC Points)
The Upgrade: +2 Overall for Goalkeepers (Max 86 -> 88).
Top Picks: Nick Pope (86 GK). He is already broken in-game due to his height and animations. Upgrading him to an 88 makes him arguably the best non-Icon keeper in the Premier League.
Verdict: WORTH IT. It's cheap and upgrades your keeper significantly.
Quick Hits
TOTY HM: Raphinha (12th Man) and Yamal are the big wins.
SBCs: De Ligt is the smart play; Totti is the heart-over-head play.
Market: Everything is down. Buy fodder, hold high-tier meta cards if you can.
Evos: Do Inside Edge for Rashford immediately.
Don't let the crash scare you. Play the game, craft the upgrades, and may your packs be heavy.
Catch you Monday,
Shahmeer