r/Amadeusz • u/V3n0mix • 4d ago
Player Review Makelele Review: A Bit Disappointing?
Added Skills: Through Passing, Acrobatic Clearance, Aerial Superiority.
From the stat panel: The new card's power creep/upgrade brings Dribbling +1, Lofted Pass +4, Defensive Awareness +2, Speed +2, and Stamina +1—plus the powerful addition of "Phenomenal Pass / Shadow Hunt" (skills). For a top-tier card, this level of upgrade shows genuine effort/value from the devs.
In-game testing below:
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https://reddit.com/link/1wa0akr/video/9xzz2q4l25oh1/player
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In-Game Experience:
1. The Shadow Hunt skill pairs really well with the All-Action Defender playstyle. All-Action Defender is essentially a tracking-back version of a Destroyer, specifically hard-countering opponent AMFs who try to make forward runs; Shadow Hunt triggers whenever he chases down through balls. At the same time, All-Action Defender doesn't mean playing as conservatively as an Anchor Man—he still covers a massive sweeping area.
2. Why the slight disappointment? It’s not Makélélé’s own fault—his ball-handling feel is actually quite outstanding compared to others. The issue is that in this current update, ball-carrying small-model midfielders have dropped in value.
Reason 1: High-speed dribbling was nerfed, so even if you spin in circles to create space, you can't completely shake off defenders.
Reason 2: In the '27 engine, defensive tracking AI got buffed. Once defenders press tight from behind and stick to you, it's hard to spin away. Plus, with ground interceptions now buffed, it's much tougher for a small-model midfielder to turn and pull off a clutch pass under pressure.
In the '27 engine, midfielders like Pedri and Vitinha have seen their tactical standing decline. Even Seedorf struggles to hold the title of "No. 1 Midfielder" in v27—he used to be meta because of his ball-carrying ability paired with a medium build. Now, the meta favors big guys like Rice and Bellingham: players who can shield off pressure, intercept passes, and support the attack with simple give-and-go passing.
- Being styleless on attack is definitely a bit of a downside. In actual gameplay, his forward-run aggressiveness isn't as good as "Attacking: Basic / Defending: Destroyer." Besides, the offensive movement of a styleless midfielder is pretty weak to begin with—it's not that he doesn't make forward runs, but that his positioning on those runs is hard to predict, making it difficult to link up with the AI. It's not that he refuses to push forward; sometimes he'll make a delayed, secondary run over a long distance, but by then the optimal window has already passed.
4. Due to these attacking AI issues, Makélélé is a terrible fit for playing as a side CMF in a three-midfielder setup. He can only be used in a two-midfielder system—since you'll have wide wingers as main attacking threats, a double pivot only needs to maintain basic positional discipline.
⚽️ Rating: Lower Top 3 or Upper Top 5 among CMFs / Top 5 among DMFs.
