Ultimate Team chemistry: how to reach 33 without overspending

How chemistry is counted

Each player in the starting XI has 0 to 3 chemistry points, so a squad tops out at 33. Substitutes do not count. A player only earns points in a position his card accepts, the main one or an alternate; out of position he stays at 0, no matter who is next to him.

Points no longer depend on links between neighbours on the pitch. The game counts how many players from the same club, league and nation are among the 11 starters, and each count gives points from certain thresholds.

• Club: 2 players give 1 point, 4 give 2 and 7 give 3.
• League: 3 players give 1 point, 5 give 2 and 8 give 3.
• Nation: 2 players give 1 point, 5 give 2 and 8 give 3.

Points add up to 3

Club, league and nation points for each player add up, but the total stops at 3. A French Premier League player in a squad with five other French players and three more Premier League players gets 2 from his nation and 1 from his league, which already makes 3.

That is why hybrid squads work: instead of 11 players from one league, you build two or three groups that support each other, for example a block from one league and a block from one nation that overlap on a few players.

Icons, Heroes and the manager

Icons and Heroes in position always have 3 chemistry without depending on anyone. Icons also help others: they count for their nation and for every league present in the XI, which helps teammates reach their thresholds.

The manager gives +1 to players who share his nation or league. It is only one point, but it is often what two or three players need to go from 2 to 3. The FCUTeam managers page shows each manager's nation and league.

Chemistry styles

A chemistry style boosts groups of attributes, such as pace and shooting with Hunter, passing and dribbling with Artist, or defending and physical with Sentinel. The boost grows with the player's chemistry: the full effect only applies at 3 points.

Pick the style for what the card lacks, not the most famous name. A fast striker who finishes poorly gains more from Finisher (shooting and dribbling) than from Hunter. On each card page, FCUTeam previews the attributes with every style.

Building it in practice

In the FCUTeam squad builder, place the cards you will not give up first and check the chemistry of each slot. Then replace the pieces with fewer points with cards from the same league or nation as their block, and pick the manager last to cover whoever is still on 2.

• Check the position before anything else: out of position the player stays at 0.
• Prefer swapping a full-back or a holding midfielder over swapping your best card.
• Use an Icon as the piece that links two different blocks.