Match Attax Soccer Strategy Card Game

Taking a look at Topp’s Match Attax soccer card game. I talk about the game, explain the rules, and show off some of my cards.

If it hasn’t been made clear yet, I’m a sucker for collectibles. Always have been. Always will be. When it comes to collectibles, any kid growing up in the US had some form of sports card collection. I had friends who had taken to collecting basketball and baseball cards as if it was a full-time job, and in doing so, they made decent money.

When I was a kid sports cards were ubiquitous; however, it was always baseball, basketball and NFL football. Occasionally you would see packs of hockey cards, and on an even rarer occasion, you would see cards from popular movies and comics, such as Star Wars or Batman. I certainly loved these pop culture cards but was seldom lucky enough to get anyone of them

One type of card that was even rarer than all the above: soccer. When it comes to sports card collecting in the USA, soccer cards are nowhere to be found. I mean nowhere. Of course this is bothersome as soccer has become my favorite sport over the past couple of decades.

The lack of opportunity to buy soccer cards was remedied when I went abroad. Once oversees the exact opposite was true. I saw packs of soccer cards everywhere, in bookshops, convince stores, malls, etc. However, if you are a NBA, MLB or NFL fan, you are out of luck. It’s hard to find those cards outside the US—at least not in abundance they are found here.

This is where I first discovered Topp’s Match Attax cards. You can imagine my delight when I discovered a strategy card collecting soccer game. It’s like the game was made exactly with me in mind.

After purchasing a dozen or so packs of cards, I brought them back to the States with me when I returned. I have enough cards to make two decks, so I’ve been able to play a couple of games with a friend.

I’ll quickly go over the basic rules to playing, and then share with you guys some of my standout players. I have lot more, but these are my more interesting ones.

How to Play

The rules of the game are quite simple, which I think helps make this game a lot more fun. Nothing dampers the fun more than spending an hour explaining how a game is played before actually starting. Instead, Match Attax rules can quickly be summed up in just a few minutes.

Setup

• Each player selects a team badge cards to use
• Players build a deck of 11 starters and 3 subs
• Players need to select both attackers, defenders, and a keeper. You cannot have more than 5 defenders, or 5 midfielders, or 3 attackers.
  
• Players take turns attacking and defending. A player attacks by selecting a card while the other players selects a defender.
  
• The card's attack points are compared to the other player's defender points, whoever wins gets the goal. If it's a tie, neither player gets a point.
  
• Players can make their 3 subs whenever they want as long as it's not the last player on the field. 

Reading Cards

Besides the cool graphics on the cards, they also tell you the information you need to evaluate players. You’ll see lots of numbers listed, but the two most important are of course the Attack Score (bottom right) and the Defend Score (bottom left). These two numbers will quickly tell you how good a card is at either role.

Above those numbers are a breakdown of each individual stat. Speed, tackle and power for defense. Shot, skill and pass for offense. These numbers don’t really mean much when playing. I believe they are there to further show the players how the attack and defend numbers are calculated.

You’ll also see the player’s value in the bottom middle. The rules don’t mention the player’s value, but I’m assuming it allows you to put salary caps on teams, forcing people to make value picks or to play with cheaper teams.

Outside of the normal player cards, there are also a few special kinds of cards. These cards range in their affect, but players are only allowed 1 of each special type of card. They include:

• Duo cards. These contain 2 players, making the card have boosted stats, but scoring with these cards only count as 1 goal

• Away jersey cards. These are special cards that have players in their away kits. If you score with one of these cards, it's worth 2 goals.
  

• Rare foil cards (MotM & Record Breaker)  These cards usually have retired legend players or boosted inform players.

My Rare Cards

An 81 defense Burnley Kieran Trippier card. Valued at 10 million before he transfered to Spurs.

Leicester City duo card with Drinkwater and Matty James. 74 attack is okay, but to be truthful this card is kind of crap for being a duo.

Legendary 95 attack rated Michael Owen. As a Liverpool fan, this is one of my favorite cards. That attack rating is sick.

A young Phil Neville with an 82 defense. Not a bad defense rating but nothing compared to the card below.

Another Liverpool legend. A 93 defense Jamie Carragher. This is my highest rated defender card, and it's a must when trying to stop the best goal scorers.

A Chelsea blue turned LA man. Had to end it with the one of the EPL great. An 85 attack rated Frank Lampard. Wonder if there are cards out there of him at LA Galaxy.

Until Next Game

Hope you guys enjoyed this quick look into Topp’s Match Attax soccer card game. If you have played before, please let me know below in the comments. The game reminds me of a real life Fifa Ultimate Team. I really wish these packs were more readily available in the States. I’d be doing pack openings and all kinds of content about them. Alas, this is not the case, but I’ll continue to keep my eye out for them.

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