EA has come under fire for the way it’s handled Icons in FIFA 19 Ultimate Team after a recent move that made a number of the best cards in the game virtually impossible to get.
For context, EA recently added Prime Icon Moments cards to FIFA 19 Ultimate Team. These are even better versions of Prime Icons – what were already considered the best versions of Icons such as Brazilian Ronaldo and Dutch superstar Ruud Gullit.
Then, yesterday, EA launched Squad Building Challenges for Icons in FUT 19. Squad Building Challenges, or SBCs as they’re known, task you with trading in a number of cards for a reward. The more valuable or sought after the reward, the more valuable the cards needed to be traded in.
Top ICONS in FUT 19 are now in SBCs!
🌟@10Ronaldinho
🌟@Ronaldo
🌟@Pele
🌟@GullitR
🌟@OfficialVieira
🌟Maradona
🌟Eusebio pic.twitter.com/pBLro6Msx9— EA SPORTS FC (@EASPORTSFC) April 12, 2019
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A tweet from EA then set the cat among the pigeons. EA said it didn’t make Prime Icon Moment cards available as SBCs because their value was “above the threshold that we aim for an Icon SBC”.
“The feedback from the community has been that you want to progress towards getting your favourite Icons and therefore we made the decision to release them as Prime SBCs.”
The cost of some Prime ICON Moments are above the threshold that we aim for an ICON SBC. The feedback from the community has been that you want to progress towards getting your favourite ICONS and therefore we made the decision to release them as Prime SBCs.
— EA SPORTS FC (@EASPORTSFC) April 12, 2019
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Why not just lower the requirements for the Prime Icon Moments, then? EA, at the end of the day, is in control over FIFA 19. What’s stopping it making an SBC below the threshold it’s comfortable with?
According to EA, Icon SBCs in FUT 19 “are directly priced based on their market value”.
Well, to share a bit more context; ICON SBCs in FUT19 are directly priced based on their market value. These specific Prime ICON Moments mentioned are still way above what the team felt comfortable releasing an SBC for.
— Mr. Zaro (@zaro) April 12, 2019
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And then, confirmation that this latest set of Icon SBCs would be the last for FUT 19. “No further individual Moments or Prime Player SBCs will be released in FUT 19,” EA said. This means those Prime Icon Moments cards that haven’t had SBCs won’t ever get one.