Give your players a boost with these essential add-ons – but you’ve got to use them right, says Phillip Ekuwem
FIFA 19’s regular head-to-head mode is markedly different from FUT; all teams are imperfect and there isn’t any way to change that unless you’re going for a fully offline experience, in which case you’ll be able to edit the stats assigned to players. So that's where stat-boosting cards known as chemistry styles come in.
Barcelona have a swift attack but their midfield isn’t physical enough; Juventus have pacey players but most of them have poor finishing; Chelsea have creative players but lack a proper focal point – the list goes on.
Each club on the game has a weakness – some more than others – but where the regular online mode differs from FUT is that on the latter, you’re able to turn a weakness into a strength with chemistry styles. Unlike on FIFA 18, you’re now able to see the effect of them on your players in-game, so rest assured that they actually work and aren’t just placebos.
There are 19 outfield player chemistry styles on FIFA 19, all of which boost certain stats based on the amount of individual chemistry a player has combined with your team’s overall chemistry. Chemistry in itself is a bit complicated, so for a better understanding of how the system works, be sure to check out EAs detailed explanation here.
Here’s a look at all the chemistry styles in the game: their effects, costs, and the best ones for certain positions.
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Basic
Basic is the default chemistry style every player is equipped with fresh out of packs. Unlike other chem styles, Basic provides boosts – albeit small – to all of the face stats a player has.
Recommended for… The best of the best: elite players who have most of their stats nearly maxed out. The stat boosts aren’t big enough to have much of an effect on an average player by FUT standards, such as Koke or Fernandinho.
Recommended for… As the name suggests, you’d do well to apply a Marksman chem style on players you rely on to find the back of the net. Their pace is an important factor as this chemistry style does not offer a speed boost.
Recommended for… A chemistry style capable of turning a decent dribbler into an elite one capable of going past any player on the game, so we recommend applying it to decent forwards and midfielders who could use a tremendous boost to their agility and finishing.
Recommended for… Midfielders who already have the strength needed to keep the middle of the park on lockdown, but lack the agility and shooting ability to pose a threat on counter-attacks.
Recommended for… Players lacking a bit of finishing and passing accuracy. Put this on a winger like Felipe Anderson and watch balls fly into the back of nets.
Recommended for… Midfielders who feel clunky on the ball and slow off it. A player like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will benefit from having this chem style.
Recommended for… Defenders with intimidating height and muscles. This chemistry style turns them into tanks capable of halting any incoming attacker – so give it to someone like Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and he’ll shrug even Patrick Vieira off the ball.
Recommended for… Defensive-minded players who need a pace boost. As you can imagine, this chemistry style allows them to stay annoyingly close to opposition players.
Recommended for… Ball-playing defenders like Borussia Monchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter or Manchester City’s John Stones. The physical boost makes them useable in a competitive setting.
Phillip is a football writer from Nigeria. He’s been a football writer since he was 13 and after getting his work featured on various news outlets including the Daily Mirror, Red Bull, Planet Football and Football.London over the years, he has now turned his focus from solely writing about the beautiful game, to covering the not-so-beautiful virtual game of FIFA as a brilliant excuse to spend hours on his Playstation.
