Time for a serious conversation about Gem SBCs
Have Streamlined/GEM SBCs actually made Player SBCs worse?
As a very long-time Ultimate Team player, I have to say that this year's introduction of GEM/Streamlined SBCs is starting to have the opposite effect on me from what I assume was intended.
Rather than increasing my engagement with Player SBCs, I'm finding myself avoiding them.
To be clear, I don't dislike the Streamlined SBC system itself. For certain types of SBCs, I actually think it works really well.
For upgrade SBCs, re-rolls and things like TOTW upgrades, it's perfect. Being able to throw cards in without worrying about chemistry, positions or constructing an entire squad makes those SBCs genuinely quicker and easier.
That's where I can see the benefit of the new system.
My issue is using the same system for expensive Player SBCs and POTMs.
Once a Player SBC starts requiring 250,000 GEM/Item Score or more, I don't find the experience streamlined at all.
If you're trying to complete it as cheaply as possible, you can end up submitting considerably more individual players. You're basically feeding card after card into a progress bar until eventually you reach the required total.
Yes, it's simpler than building traditional squads.
But is it actually quicker or more enjoyable?
For me, no.
That's where I think the old Player SBC system was better.
Previously, an expensive Player SBC might have required an 84, 85, 86, 87 and 88-rated squad. You completed each section and normally received a pack back along the way.
Those packs might not have been amazing, but they mattered.
You could get some fodder back, potentially pack something valuable and put those cards straight into the next squad. I always considered those packs when working out the true cost of completing a Player SBC.
More importantly, they gave you little rewards and milestones while working towards the player.
With a large Streamlined SBC, it can feel more like:
Submit → Submit → Submit → Submit → Submit → Player
There's very little encouragement along the way.
And that's probably the biggest indication for me that something isn't working.
Last year I completed loads of Player SBCs. In FC 27, I've only completed the Premier League POTM so far.
So while Streamlined SBCs have technically removed some of the difficulty from completing SBCs, they've actually reduced my desire to do them.
How I'd change it
Personally, I'd use different systems depending on the type and value of the SBC.
Streamlined/GEM SBCs:
Keep them for upgrades, re-rolls, TOTW upgrades, cheap players and other repeatable content.
Traditional squad SBCs:
Bring them back for expensive Player SBCs and premium POTMs, particularly once you're getting into the 200k to 250k+ GEM range.
Or even better, create a hybrid system.
For example, if a Player SBC costs 300,000 GEM:
- 75k GEM → Pack reward
- 150k GEM → Pack reward
- 225k GEM → Pack reward
- 300k GEM → Player
You'd still get all the benefits of Streamlined SBCs, such as using duplicates, submitting gradually and not worrying about chemistry, but you'd also bring back some of the reward and progression that traditional Player SBCs had.
For me, Streamlined works brilliantly when the content actually suits it. The problem is trying to make every type of SBC fit the same system.
The new system may have removed the squad-building grind, but for expensive players I feel like it's simply replaced it with a card-submission grind.
I'd be interested to know how everyone else feels:
- Do you prefer traditional squad-based Player SBCs with packs returned, or the new GEM system?
- Do you think Streamlined SBCs work when they're being used for expensive POTM cards?
- Would milestone pack rewards improve GEM SBCs?
- Most importantly, compared with last year, are you completing more, fewer or roughly the same number of Player SBCs?
For me personally, it's significantly fewer, which makes me wonder whether Streamlined SBCs are actually achieving what they were supposed to achieve
