Have you ever wondered what the term META means in the context of video games? If you have taken a stroll through gaming sections of Twitter, Reddit, or Youtube, you would have seen the word META thrown around very often.
Simply put – META stands for Most Effective Tactics Available – and every game has some META. In Valorant, there are META agents that are better than other agents – in Elden Ring, having a bleed build was the META – the point is every game has a META.
In the context of EA FC 24, there are 2 broad types of META:
- META Players – Self explanatory. These are the players that are considered to give an advantage to the user.
- META Formations/Tactics – This includes formations, tactics and instructions that are considered to be superior to the others.
In this post, we are going to have a closer look at META Players.
META Players are the players that are simply better than other players at a certain position in the field. It is very important to understand the META in this game because unlike other video games, there is an overall rating for every player that can be quite deceiving. For example, the highest rated gold LB in EA FC 24 is Fridolina Rolfö (87 rated) who is worth around 18K coins in the Ultimate Team (UT) Transfer Market. However, Ferland Mendy, an 82 rated gold LB is worth almost 100K coins in the same market.
In FC 24, overall rating is not the best indicator of how effective a player is at a certain position. There are some in-game stats, playstyles, weak foot and skill move combo, and work rates that determine if a player is META or not. In this article, we are going to dissect these details and see what makes a player META in each position in EA FC 24. We will also show you the best players in each position, as well as a low-budget META player in each of these positions as a bonus. Let’s begin!
Goalkeeper
EA has been terrible at designing goalkeepers in recent history, and EA FC 24 is not any different. Even though goalkeepers are a big hit or miss in EA FC 24, there are a few important qualities every goalkeeper should possess in this game.
For starters, if you are fielding anyone shorter than 6’0″ as your goalkeeper, you are at an immediate disadvantage. Finesse shots, Trivelas and far post long shots are incredibly overpowered and these short GKs will not have the reach to stop them. It is important that your goalkeeper have decent Reaction stat and good overall stats.
Some of the META Goalkeepers in EA FC 24 are Edwin Van Der Saar, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Mark Flekken (low budget).
Good Morning to legitimately everyone except Goalkeepers in FC 24: pic.twitter.com/R985Ok3KIs
— Zwë 🍟 (@ZwebackHD) October 5, 2023
Centre Backs
Similar to goalkeepers, it is important to have tall players at centre back. Crossing is extremely effective in this game, and having a short centre back may cost you many aerial duels. The key stats required for META Central Backs are as below:
- Height > 6’1″ (or should have Aerial Playstyle)
- Sprint Speed > 80
- Defending > 85
- Reaction > 85
- Strength > 85
- Long passing > 75
- Weak Foot – Minimum 3*
- Defensive Work Rate – High
- Attacking Work Rate – Low or Medium
- PlayStyles – At least two defensive playstyles
Some of the META CBs in EA FC 24 are Paolo Maldini, Virgil Van Dijk, Raphael Varane and Niklas Sule (low budget).
Full Backs (LB/RB)
Full backs are the most underrated players in a football field. It is beautiful to see some of the best players of FIFA/EA FC utilize the overlapping runs made by their full backs to create amazing scoring opportunities. Here are the key stats required for META full backs:
- Pace > 90
- Stamina > 80 (or should have Relentless playstyle)
- Short Pass > 75
- Long Pass > 75
- Defending > 75
- Defensive Work Rate – High
- Attacking Work Rate – High
- PlayStyles – Rapid or Quickstep. If you are attacking with your full backs, Whipped Pass is a game changer.
Some of the META full backs in EA FC 24 are Kyle Walker, Ferland Mendy, Roberto Carlos, and Grimaldo (low budget).
Central Defensive Midfielders
CDMs are your first line of defense and should therefore be competent enough to nip the opposition attack in its bud. A META CDM should possess some of the same qualities as a META CB. However, sometimes, they will also have to step up in attack. Some of the requirements for a META CDM are:
- Pace > 80
- Defending > 85
- Reaction > 85
- Short Passing > 80
- Long Shots > 80
- Shot Power > 80
- Defensive Work Rate – High
- PlayStyles – Any of the defensive playstyles, preferably Jockey.
Some of the META Full Backs in EA FC 24 are Patrick Vieira (who does not have CDM as preferred position), Michael Essien and Konrad Laimer (low budget).
Central Midfielders
The central midfielders are the engines of your team. These players should possess good stamina, and competent stats in both offense and defense. Let’s have a detailed look at the stats a META CM should possess:
- Stamina > 90 (or should have Relentless playstyle)
- Defending > 75
- Long Shots > 85
- Shot Power > 85
- Defensive Work Rate – Medium or High
- Attacking Work Rate – Medium or High
- Weak foot – Minimum 4*
- PlayStyles – At least two from Shooting, Passing or Defending.
Some of the META CMs in C 24 are Ruud Gullit, Yaya Toure, Lothar Matthäus and Marcos Llorente (low budget).
Central Advanced Midfielders
The taller footballers had their fun dominating both goalkeepers and centre back positions, and now it’s time for the shorter players to return the favor. Since CAMs are often overwhelmed by the opposition defenders, it is important that they can take quick touches and turn with the ball better. In our opinion, the META CAMs should possess:
- Height < 5’11”
- Dribbling > 90
- Agility > 90
- Short Passing > 85
- Shooting > 80
- PlayStyles – At least two playstyles from Ball Control
- Weak foot – Minimum 4*
Some of the META CAMs in EA FC 24 are Lionel Messi, Neymar, Pele and Rose Lavelle (low budget).
Wide Midfielders (LM/RM) and Wingers (LW/RW)
As always, pacey wingers are the META in EA FC 24. In terms of custom tactics, the META of EA FC 24 is to use your wide midfielders/ attackers to come back on defense and initiate counter-attacks. However, they are also required to break in behind the opponent defense and utilize the gap left by an overcommitting full back. A META wide midfielder/attacker should have the following key stats:
- Pace > 90
- Stamina > 80 (or should have Relentless playstyle)
- Skill Moves – Minimum 4*
- Crossing > 80 (bonus points if they also have Whipped Pass playstyle)
- Short Passing > 80
- PlayStyles – Rapid, Quick Step, or Technical.
Some of the META wide midfielders and attackers in EA FC 24 are George Best, RTTK Ousmane Dembélé, and Chloe Kelly (low budget).
Chloe Kelly saving me in WL with Swerve+
byu/we_are_hive inEASportsFC
Striker / Center Forward
You need to score in order to win games. Even though defending is slightly harder in EA FC 24 compared to previous FIFA titles, the shooting is also nerfed to balance this change. Therefore, it is imperative to have scoring machines in front of goal. The key stats a META striker in EA FC 24 should possess are:
- Pace > 90
- Finishing > 90
- Attack Positioning > 90
- Weak Foot – At least 4*
- Dribbling > 85
- Strength > 75
- Composure > 85
- PlayStyle – Chip Shot, Trivela, or Finesse Shot.
Not many players have a combination of all these key stats. This is the reason why there is a huge difference between the market value of overpowered strikers and great strikers. Some of the META strikers in FC 24 are Kylian Mbappé, Ronaldo Nazario, Thierry Henry and Founders Evolution Timo Werner (low budget).
🎯 Neymar ➡️ Mbappe ⚽️@Danipitbull33 scores an extra-time winner to go 2-0 in Europe East!#FCPro pic.twitter.com/SU6Ydl0ifQ
— EA SPORTS FC Pro (@EASPORTSFCPro) October 21, 2023
Understanding what truly makes a player stand out in FC 24 can be the difference between victory and defeat in Ultimate Team. Furthermore, while building a competitive team with META players can be costly, we’ve already built a 10k coins budget team featuring some of the players mentioned in this guide to help you secure those much-needed wins in Division Rivals.
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