Black Friday on the Horizon: A Deep Dive into This Week’s FC PRO SBC Landscape

The night before Black Friday in FC is always charged with a familiar mix of anticipation and anxiety. The card pool has shifted, SBCs have stacked up, and the temptation to unload every resource you own is stronger than ever. Yet this exact moment—right before everything breaks open—is when the smartest players slow down and reassess what truly deserves attention.

This past week of FC PRO content offered a long list of new SBCs, but surprisingly few that can be called must-craft. In reality, only one of them stands out as a pure win: the upgraded Rocket silver card. Despite being labeled as an eighty-five–rated welfare SBC, its blend of speed, shooting, and passing already performs well above its tier. The card benefits from chem styles like Deadeye and Finisher, and even though the shooting and passing updates aren’t fully released yet, the current progression path makes additional shooting evolution unlikely. That means the value of the card is judged as-is—and as-is, it’s worth every resource. For anyone unsure where to allocate their club assets, this is the one SBC you can complete without regret.

Collectors and long-time football fans always have their own priorities. For those who grew up watching certain legends or national icons, cards like Press in the End of an Era series hit a nostalgic spot. What makes this version special isn’t just sentiment; it carries a rare chemistry structure that surpasses even many Icons due to its added club link. In a market heading toward heavy SBC traffic post–Black Friday, such low-cost chemistry engines become uniquely powerful. The card sits at a modest seventy thousand coins, yet for squads struggling with chemistry ceilings, it can solve problems that far more expensive players cannot.

Not every SBC this week carries that kind of value. Several options fall short solely because their price no longer aligns with the future market. Flashback Zhekalai, for instance, returns with the exact same face portrait from last year’s Black Friday promo. But without the Accelerate mechanics or the explosive boosts from Nitro evolutions that defined his dominance last cycle, the card’s impact is noticeably muted. Many players still built Hazard or Di Natale out of affection, and while their SBC prices came in lower than expected, neither option fits the current meta tightly enough to outrank what’s coming. Those preparing for the upcoming Hero 2-Pick SBC will likely find more long-term value in defenders like Carlos Alberto or Cafu—especially if EA manages to bring the cost below eight hundred thousand coins. At that level, the choice becomes significantly more appealing than most forwards who are likely to be power-crept instantly after Black Friday.

The rolling upgrade SBCs made the most noise this week. They feel like the teaser bundle before the full Black Friday cycle begins, yet the system is clearly incomplete. EA is almost certain to add the 83+ Player Picks, 84+ Picks, and other small-selection upgrades that typically form the second half of the “rolling” loop. Only after those pieces drop will the system truly close the circle.

The current 85–87 pack, however, is absolutely worth finishing. The cost is unusually low, the requirements are easier than ever thanks to the 82 Upgrade flood, and the card pool is at its strongest point since launch. Even without the Thunder promo fully integrated, elite cards like Rafael Leão have already joined the draw pool, making the risk-reward ratio the best it has been all year. Anyone with the resources should complete as many as possible before prices normalize.

The daily menu-style SBCs—Advanced Mixed, Hybrid Leagues, Hybrid Nations—move down the priority list this week simply because they demand too much time on the web app when players are juggling rolling upgrades. Marquee Matchups remains worthwhile for its predictable return, and Intercontinental SBCs, especially the Netherlands section, continue to deliver solid value for clubs stocked with untradeable fodder.

One of the most surprising developments is the 91-Max Icon Pack. That SBC is priced barely twenty thousand coins above the 89-Max version, an imbalance that signals EA’s intention to shift large amounts of club inventory right before the main promo hits. With many players pulling high-tier centre-backs through evolutions and upgrade packs, defensive lines around the community are reaching saturation. The Icon Packs, therefore, act as a pressure valve, turning surplus fodder into a fresh round of excitement while stabilizing the market ahead of Friday’s drop. Even players who are saving for Team of the Year will find themselves nearly out of packs by the end of this week, making this Icon Pack one of the more reasonable uses of leftover resources.

As for the SBCs that fade into the background—the 80+ packs, the lower-value Hero Picks, and the oddly priced 89-Max Icon Pick—they simply can’t compete with the power and efficiency of the current options. With Black Friday looming, anything below optimal value is destined to be overshadowed within days.

Ultimately, this week’s FC PRO rhythm comes down to three principles: complete the one guaranteed high-return card, evaluate emotional picks with honesty rather than impulse, and wait for the rolling upgrades to fully mature before committing bulk resources. Black Friday isn’t just a promo; it’s a strategic turning point. The players who emerge ahead aren’t the ones who craft the most SBCs—they’re the ones who craft the right ones.