FIFA 23 Insights From Pros: Our Talk With SebFUT And Rannerz

We talked with FIFA coach Rannerz and FUT content creator SebFUT about FIFA 23. Check out what they think about the game, why EA scammed us this year once more, and most importantly: how you can get better in Ultimate Team.

EG Interview Seb FUT Rannerz
EarlyGame had the opportunity to talk with SebFUT (l. next to Virgil van Dijk) and Rannerz (r. in the background) and get their insights on FIFA 23. | © Tundra Esports / SebFUT / Rannerz

What more could a FIFA fan want than to hear about it from the pros of the game. We were lucky enough to have a chat with SebFUT and Rannerz from Tundra Esports and asked them what they think about the latest game by EA Sports – and potentially the last FIFA ever.

Just in case you shouldn't know them, SebFUT is a content creator and FUT trader who can give you tips on how to make more coins. And Rannerz is a former pro turned caster, content creator and coach for Tundra. Check out their Insta for all kind of FIFA content. But first deep dive into our talk with them about FIFA 23.

EG: Hey there guys, pleasure to have you. Since we got the chance to speak to real pros, we have to know – since it's the oldest myth around FIFA – is there scripted gameplay, or momentum?

Rannerz: There's definetly no scripted gameplay, I am 100% sure about that. Momentum, however, is interesting, because I think we all know this: if somebody goes 2-0 up, things get interesting... there is something happening, but I don't think it does favor one player...SebFUT: Yeah, I don't think there is a massive amount of momentum, but if you are 2-0 up the game can slightly go another way. But I wouldn't say there is a lot of momentum. I rather think that if somebody is loosing a game where you were 2-0 up it's much easier to say 'oh, momentum happened' instead of 'I lost because I didn't focus enough once I was 2-0 up.'

EG: Compared to the history of FIFA, where would you rank FIFA 23?

R: I think it feels a little bit fresher, and I like this. They changed enough things that it feels like a new experience, which is nice to see. But it has its ups and downs, so I wouldn't say it's incedible or outstanding.S: I mean I'm not a pro player, but from a more casual point of view I'd say there are enough changes to make it feel different. I'm enjoying the gameplay very much and I would rank it fairly high. But maybe not top 3.

EG: And what would be your favorite FIFA-game of all time?

R: I loved FIFA 18, but I'm biased, because I really won a lot of games back then. But if I think about my childhood I'd go with FIFA 13.S: I would say... from my childhood I loved FIFA 10 on the Wii (all laughing). You could do crazy rainbow flicks just from pressing up on the arrows for example. In terms of later games... I liked FIFA 17 and FIFA 19.

EG: Obviously, we all want to become better in FIFA 23. Are there major tips you can reveal to us noobs?

R: Well, when the game came out within a week I had over 200 games played and really dived into the game. Playing a lot is the way to see patterns and to realize what works and what doesn't. And honestly, I learn so much from other players. Like I was happy with my tactics for quite some time but you will face other players that do some things differently and if you are loosing, you can learn from them. If they do a lot of Trivela shots for example you obviously should do the same and practice them instead of hating on how they abuse the game.

EG: So adapt, improvise and overcome instead of quitting or raging... What would be the one specific thing that people should keep in mind if they want to become better in FIFA in general?

R: For me it is possesion and passing. People tend to throw away the possesion just by forcing through balls whenever they can – and end up loosing the ball. Prioritize X-passes, or A on Xbox, and keep the ball as much as you can. It is so annoying and hard to get it back. So... take care of possesion I think.S: ...I'll just write that down real quick... (both laughing)

EG: The transfer market this year changed a lot, since it's the first time that we got one big market for both consoles. Can you give us a short rundown on how this affects prices?

S: Yes, the market changed a fair bit since the demand changed. Which is natural if there is one market for both consoles, demand goes up by a lot. At the same time the supply also did go up, because more people can sell the wanted players on the same market. It lead to the whole thing being much more volatiale. So we see a lot of quick rises but also much more quick drops.That Haaland price right at the beginning of the season was very inflated for example. So prices can go up in one minute and crash the next minute. We will see this a lot.

EG: We have to speak about those untradeable rewards we get in SBCs. Especially right in the beginning of the season, it was hard to get coins... was this a trick by EA to make FIFA points more attractive?

S: If you don't have a lot of experience in trading or like in 'how to make coins in FUT' you definitely could struggle with creating a good team. Particularly, if you take a look on how they changed prices for FIFA points as well, it does feel like that was the idea behind this...

EG: They always figure out something new to get our money... speaking of SBCs, we also want to talk about FUT events and promos. Do you have a favorite set of cards you look forward to every year?

R: My favorite is FUT Birthday...S: Really?R: Yeah, because I love those weak foot upgrades. There are so many good cards in the game by then but you take a look at them and it's like 3 star 3 star which is so sad. And with FUT Birthday there are like 20 more cards that are potentially meta. It adds variety, I love it.S: My favorite is Future Stars. I like to play with theese young players who I am a fan of in real life. And I always loved Scream... sad that we don't get it anymore.

EG: Are you guys looking forward to the World Cup?

S: Yeah it will be interesting which cards we will see and what kind of ideas they implement. Especially with the timing this year it can create a lot of buzz around the game....R: I am optimistic as well. But I love the World Cup in general so I will like it either way...S: Are you even allowed to love the World Cup as an Irish?R: (laughs) That's a violation by the way (laughs) yeah, I think it will be really good.

In case you are hyped for the World Cup in FIFA 23 as well, take a look at our article to see everything that we can expect in the promo. Thanks to Rannerz and SebFUT for this awesome talk.

Lukas Scherbaum

The head of the EA Sports FC 24 category has played every FIFA since FIFA 04. In FC 24 you can find him mainly in Ultimate Team, but he is also a big fan of Career Mode, Clubs and VOLTA. Before joining EarlyGame, he worked for the German sports website Sport1 and as a gaming journalist for Kicker eSport....