As a lifelong FIFA player with over 500 hours just on the latest editions, I live and breathe squad building and meta tactics. Do you want to know the secrets to constructing an unstoppable Ultimate Team? Well, you came to the right place.
I‘ve helped friends save up for Mbappé, coached peers to Weekend League victories, and even competed professionally in esports tournaments. Let me guide you on the journey toward FIFA glory.
How to Get Started
Before we delve into the exciting world of player stats and formations, here is a quick chemistry primer if you‘re new to FIFA Ultimate Team:
- Team Chemistry ranges from 0-100
- Higher chemistry improves attributes and performance
- Link players with similar Nationality, League, Clubs, and Positions
Okay, with basics covered, let‘s evaluate what makes a good FUT squad by digging into the key gameplay attributes.
Pace, Shooting & Dribbling – Attacking Attributes
Strikers thrive on three vital offensive traits – pace, shooting, and dribbling:
- Pace (PAC) determines acceleration and sprint speed. 90+ pace allows strikers and wings to beat defenders.
- Shooting (SHO) improves finishing inside the box. 80+ finishing is solid, 90+ elite.
- Dribbling (DRI) enables maneuvering in tight spaces. 5* skill players have the best moves.
Wingers need pace and dribbling to sprint down the sidelines and cut inside. Central strikers should focus heavily on elite finishing and shot power. No matter your style, the attack must threaten the net.
Passing, Defense & Physicality – Other Vital Stats
Beyond offense, well-rounded teams need passing, defense and physicality:
- Passing (PAS) allows midfield control and build attacks. 80+ is great.
- Defending (DEF) winds tackles and interceptions for backs and CDMs. 75+ does the job.
- Physicality (PHY) boosts strength, stamina and aggression.
You‘ll notice defenders rely most on defense and physicality with passing secondary. Midfielders need passing as their primary trait.
Okay, now that we understand the key attributes, let‘s move onto to budget players who deliver strong value.
Budget Gems
Building your dream team takes patience. While accepting some weaknesses, these emerging gems boast quality well beyond their price tag. They‘re perfect starters on the path to glory:
Wissam Ben Yedder
- Position: ST
- League: LaLiga
- OVR: 84
- Best Stats: 90 PAC, 84 SHO, 87 DRI
- Price: 14K
- Lightning fast striker with 5 weak foot*
Federico Valverde
- Position: CM
- League: LaLiga
- OVR: 84
- Best Stats: 83 PAC, 76 SHO, 76 PAS
- Price: 10K
- Well-rounded CM perfect for midfield trio
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
- Position: RB
- League: Premier League
- OVR: 83
- Best Stats: 93 PAC, 79 DEF, 84 PHY
- Price: 3K
- Lightning pace at RB to shutdown wings
The FIFA 23 top 100 ratings and a site like FUTBIN will guide you toward metas and value players. With market prices always shifting, stay patient bidding on promising prospects.
Okay, enough budget ballers. Let‘s examine some high-level squads.
Well-Rounded Squad
After grinding games and rewards for a couple weeks, you should have around 200-300k coins to spend. Here is a properly balanced Serie A group with meta tactics:
Squad
- Formation: 4-1-2-1-2 (2)
- GK: Mike Maignan – 87 OVR
- LB: Theo Hernández – 84 OVR
- CB: Alessandro Bastoni RTTK – 87 OVR
- CB: Fikayo Tomori – 81 OVR OVR
- RB: Davide Calabria – 81 OVR
- CDM: Sandro Tonali – 84 OVR OVR
- LCM: Nicolò Barella – 87 OVR
- RCM: Sergej Milinković-Savić – 85 OVR
- CAM: Paulo Dybala RTTK – 87 OVR
- ST: Lautaro Martínez – 84 OVR
- ST: Dusan Vlahovic RTTK – 84 OVR
Photo Credit: Dexerto
Tactics
Balanced or Long Ball on Attack. Press on Heavy Touch for Defense. Striker press back line, get in behind. CDM drop between defenders. Full team press with high depth.
This group has tremendous Serie A links and remains under 250k coins on Playstation and Xbox. Let‘s analyze the standouts:
- Theo Hernández – Pacy LB who charges forward
- Alessandro Bastoni – Tall CB with 87 pace to catch strikers
- Nicolò Barella – Box to box CM talisman
- Paulo Dybala – Deadly finishing and 5* skill moves at CAM
Now let‘s push the budget even further.
Elite Squad
Finally, courtesy of my friend Hashtag Harry, one of the top FUT traders around, here is a world class group:
Squad
- Formation: 4-2-3-1
- GK: Thibaut Courtois – 89 OVR
- LB: Ferland Mendy – 86 OVR
- CB: Éder Militão – 86 OVR
- CB: Antonio Rüdiger RTTK – 87 OVR
- RB: Achraf Hakimi RTTK – 86 OVR
- CDM: Aurélien Tchouaméni – 82 OVR
- CDM: Luka Modrić – 89 OVR
- LM: Vinícius Júnior – 86 OVR
- CAM: Karim Benzema – 91 OVR
- RM: Federico Valverde – 84 OVR
- ST: Kylian Mbappé – 91 OVR
Tactics
Fast Build Up or Direct Passing on Attack. Press on Possession Loss for Defense. Striker and CDM stay central. LM/RM cut inside, get in behind. CAM balanced support runs.
Notice the emphasis on lightning pace with Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior at LM. Modrić facilitates from deep midfield and Benzema pulls the strings at CAM. This runs about 2.5 million coins but is worth every penny.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it – everything you need to know to construct competitive squads at any budget in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team. Let me leave you with a few closing tips:
- Maintain 100 chemistry – loyal links are key
- Balance the squad across vital attributes
- Skills moves and weak foot rating matter
- Check in on META shifts and patch notes
Armed with these guidelines, you‘re ready to start trading, grinding, and claiming victories. Need any help building your next squad? Feel free to reach out.
Now get out there and bring home the trophies! Remember the journey of squad building never truly ends.
