Matt Prior, Producer

FIFA 09 Ultimate Team – Strategies

Team Chemistry really is the key to success in FIFA 09 Ultimate Team. A high team chemistry rating will boost the attributes of your players and give you that added advantage in matches, particular in online matches where we expect the competition to be fierce. Just as in real life, building the best team is not just about getting the best players. To build a winning team, you’ll need to get players that fit in with your style of play, your formation, and the players around them. There are three factors that are used to build chemistry: Position, Formation & Nationality.

Playing a player in his correct position is the easiest way to boost team chemistry. If you play a striker in defence, he is not going to be happy, so play him in his correct position and you’ll get a team chemistry bonus indicated by the position icon. Have a team full of players in their correct positions and you will notice a real difference.

The formation you play also has a big effect on your team chemistry. Each player has a preferred formation. If you play that formation then all the players in your team who have a matching formation will receive a bonus that boosts your team chemistry. For example, play 4-4-2, then any players in your team whose preferred formation is 4-4-2 will receive a bonus that boosts your team chemistry. Any player who matches your current formation is indicated by the highlighting of the formation icon.

The other way to improve your team chemistry is by finding players of the same nationality. If you are able to find players of the same nationality and play them in corresponding positions, you’ll improve your team chemistry. For example, fill your defence with all English players and you’ll receive a bonus. Have a midfield or attack of all French, and you’ll do likewise. The manager’s nationality also has an effect: any players with a nationality that matches your manager's will also receive a bonus.

With all these various factors playing a pivotal role in how well your team performs on field, it’s a balance of the luck of draw and the skill and aptitude in managing the team. What might appear like a poor team initially, if properly managed could actually be a turned into good team by paying attention to the team Chemistry. Additionally, with the online trading and swaps system even cards that are of no use to your team and style of play can be traded or sold so there is also a large element of trading acumen involved. A few clever trades and buys can really turn your team around.

There are clearly instances when a good team in Ultimate Team would be a good team in FIFA. Some players are superstars and an attack of Rooney & Torres would be good in either game. However, in Ultimate Team there is a lot more strategy to it than simply picking a team full of superstars. The astute management of your team in increasing your team chemistry will mean your players will over perform. A well managed team of good players that has a high team chemistry will likely out perform a team full of great players if their team chemistry is low. It’s kind of like the whole NBA dream team situation back in the Olympics; a squad full of superstars does not necessarily make a great team. At the end of the day though it’s still down to how good a player you are as you are ultimately in control of you players actions on the field.

The other strategy element to the game is using gameplay cards during matches. To play a gameplay card you press the Back (Xbox 360) and Select (PS3) button. This will bring up a mini menu in game showing your cards. Each card is triggered by pressing the appropriate direction on the D pad. In terms of the players the cards effect there are three different levels: Single Player, Multiple player (Positional) & Entire Team. With regard to Single Player cards, they will affect the player that the gamer or opponent is currently in control of, so there is some skill required in playing these appropriately. Positional cards refer to Defence, Midfield and Attack, and if a card is played on a defender, then all his fellow defenders will get the effect, so again, strategic playing of these is required. Entire Team affects everyone and can be played at anytime irrespective of who is currently being controlled. So use your gameplay wisely at frucial moments to gain a tactical advantage over your opponent.

I have enjoyed blogging about FIFA 09 Ultimate Team. It’s now available for you to try. You can download it to your console and experience creating your Ultimate Team and then play a five game free trial. If you decide you’d like to keep it, it will cost 800 Microsoft points or $9.99. I hope you enjoy it.

Matt