The FIFA Ultimate Team calendar has a few consistent events that you can set your watch by. One of the most notable is the Team of the Year (TOTY) drop. When this set of new cards comes out, thousands of players spend boatloads of real-world cash to open packs in hopes of getting some of the best cards in the game. This, in turn, leads to a market crash, which can lose you a ton of coins if you’re not careful. Here are some tips to help you keep your purse full of coins during TOTY.
Related: Who are the nominees for the FIFA 23 Team of the Year? – Full list
What is a market crash?
To put it simply, a market crash in FUT just means that the prices for player cards take a dramatic drop. As mentioned above, this generally happens around TOTY because there are so many packs being opened, flooding the market with Gold Rare players. This means the price of fodder cards (high-rated, but non-meta cards) will generally hit the floor during TOTY.
On top of this, many players will sell off their current team to acquire the funds to buy TOTY players on the market. This price decrease won’t be as drastic, but you will see most meta cards go down in price during the event before shooting back up when it’s over.
How to navigate a market crash
Now that you understand exactly what is happening and why, let’s take a look at a few tips that’ll keep you ahead of the pack during TOTY.
Stay ahead of the market
TOTY voting kicked off on January 9 and the promo will officially start on January 20. Keep in mind that the entire team won’t be in packs on that day, so you’ll have a little wiggle room with that date. Either way, you’re going to have a window on January 14-15 to get rid of any tradeable meta cards you don’t need. After that weekend period, many players will be looking to dump cards ahead of the event. If you have any, you should get out of them around then to minimize losses.
In terms of high-rated Gold Rares, we’d wait to see if EA drops a good SBC in the week before the event. Prices might have one or two more chances to go up before they start going back down again, though it is a slight risk if you don’t decide to sell. No matter what, we’d try to sell off the bulk of your high-rated cards heading into the event. If you’re looking to invest, we’d look at low-cost Team of the Week cards and 83-rated Gold Rares from one of the major leagues. Both of those have plenty of room to rise when the right SBC comes (which almost always happens during TOTY).
Memorize the release cycle
If you’ve been playing FIFA this year, you’ve likely noticed that EA Sports loves to do Lightning Rounds packs when events hit. This means there will be a limited number of great packs in the store and players will buy them in bulk. If you have spare coins, this is a great money-making opportunity because you can scoop up cards that are mass-listed on the cheap and turn around and sell them when an SBC hits.
Again, you have some options for cards to target. You can stick with TOTW cards when they’re close to discard price or keep getting 83-rated cards if they’re still cheap. Don’t forget to check for high-rated Gold Rares though as they can dip quite a bit during Lightning Rounds. None of this is an exact science, but TOTW trading has been the most lucrative for us in the past. You just have to be a bit more patient.
Don’t buy TOTY cards too early
If you have the money to buy TOTY cards, it can be tempting to get caught up in the rush. However, prices on promo cards almost always come down after the first weekend. Wait to buy cards for your team until a few days after the event kicks off. TOTY is a bit of a weird beast for this because the full team comes out in batches, so we’d recommend giving it a few days after everyone is available before making a purchase.
At the same time, if you want older meta cards, try to time the market as best you can. In this case, look to buy these cards as the TOTY cards are being released because others will be selling to afford TOTYs. You can upgrade your team and save quite a bit of money no matter your budget if you’re patient and know when to strike.
Remember that this isn’t the end
While TOTY cards are undoubtedly great, they are no longer the best cards EA Sports releases in FIFA. Don’t feel like you have to get them because better players will likely start to come out during the summer when Team of the Season gets into the swing of things.
To that end, we’d recommend saving some of your money while still building a competitive team. Player prices will continue to come down, especially when TOTS gets here, so you likely won’t need as much money, but keep some on hand. Again, we’d recommend putting a solid chunk of the coins you’re not using into TOTW fodder. Those cards will almost always appreciate in value over the course of the year as better SBCs come out, giving you a nice nest egg to spend during the TOTS season.
