FYI...
Thank you for sharing this.
However, this actually highlights the main concern. If this rule is only explained somewhere on a website or forum, but there is no clear warning shown directly in the game when a player applies the Evolution, it creates a situation where players can unknowingly make a permanent decision without being properly informed.
From a player perspective, this feels like a dark pattern: important information that affects gameplay and irreversible choices is not communicated at the moment the action is performed in-game.
Players should be clearly warned in the Evolution screen that applying a non-FUT Birthday Evolution will permanently remove FUT Birthday PlayStyle eligibility. Without such a warning, it is very easy for players to make this decision unintentionally.
Whenever you try to apply any cosmetic evolution, you get generic warning like this-
Also, when the promo starts, they show a popup message (as well as on News tab under Home) with QR code which detailed out all the information and FAQ related to promo.
Show this warning clearly inside the game itself, not just in the web interface. If players actually saw it in-game before applying the evolution, the issue would likely not exist.
Right now this looks like a clear design oversight that needs to be fixed. Players who were affected should be compensated, either by refunding the coins or by allowing playstyles to be applied to those cards retroactively.
Otherwise it creates the impression that this was implemented intentionally, which would qualify as a dark pattern. Critical information is hidden where most players will never see it, while they are still allowed to make an irreversible decision.
This generic warning message is from inside the game. You can try this on any currently available cosmetic evolution, such as the Retro FUT Birthday. This popup is shown at the point where you confirm the FUT coin or FC Point option. You can try it out yourself.
For example-
