There’s this moment right before the card is revealed, where just as the lights flicker and the music changes, your brain starts doing the math on what’s possible. Maybe it’s just another regular pack, or maybe, just maybe, it’s one of the big ones, the kind you don’t plan for. When it happens, when you see that Icon animation hit and the card starts to walk out, you pretty much forget what you were doing ten seconds ago, because now your entire squad’s about to change, and you know it.
If you aren’t in the loop, Icons in EA Sports FC aren’t just rare players with decent stats. They mean much more, and when you get one of the elites like Zidane, Cruyff, maybe even Pele, it feels like everything you’ve been grinding for suddenly makes sense. Of course, this is a very watered-down version of how this really goes.
The Thrill Feels Familiar
Plenty of players go on long monologues about the rush, saying it’s like a high. Honestly, it sort of aligns with how people describe winning something big in a completely different setting, like an online casino. Not just any casino, but one with a fast payout.
Fast payout casinos give a similar feeling, that immediate reward after a build-up of suspense. People get hooked on that. In this case, it’s not about the win. It’s about not having to wait to enjoy it (source: https://esportsinsider.com/us/gambling/fast-payout-casinos).
It’s not always “logical,” but then again, neither is opening 80 packs in a row and still hoping the next one is going to be the one. We’ve all seen those IShowSpeed unpackings. Sometimes, people pack a big one late at night, just before they’re about to give up and log off. No matter the time, it changes the entire tone of the session and the week.
Some people even remember how, when, and where it happened. On the couch, doomscrolling in one hand, controller in the other, and suddenly there’s a prime Ronaldinho smiling back at you.
Getting There Isn’t Easy
The process to get there can be best described as brutal. You hear stories all the time of players rinsing their clubs dry just to complete one more SBC, recycling gold cards into silvers and silvers into icons, or doing every objective available for a chance at an untradeable pack. The sad reality is that most of the time, it ends in heartbreak, frustration, and even streamers “crashing out” and destroying their setup. After a few messages in the group chat, maybe a sarcastic post on Reddit, it’s straight back to the grind, because the next one could always be the one.
Unlike when you’re selecting the best formation, there’s no method that guarantees results. Even when EA offers a guaranteed Icon pack, it’s still like spinning a roulette wheel since what you might get and what you’re hoping for could be completely different. One guy opens it and gets Eusebio, another guy gets Shearer, and that’s just how it goes. People know that it’s kind of rigged against them, but they still show up for the next one, like maybe this time the algorithm’s in a better mood.
Reactions Say It All
You can tell what kind of Icon it is just by the sound someone makes in their mic. There’s that short inhale when it’s a good flag, then silence as the name loads. Either way, as someone put it, “the excitement is palpable.” You’ll see dogs in the background startled by the noise, roommates walking in to see what the shouting is about, and clips all over social media of people jumping out of chairs or staring at the screen like they just saw a ghost.
Plus, it’s not just the top names that trigger a response. Sometimes it’s the near-misses that sting worse. Like packing Deco when you saw Portugal and thought maybe it was Figo. Or getting an 89-rated Icon that looks good on paper but feels stiff and heavy in-game. The reactions say a lot, and not just about the cards. They show how much people put into this process, how deeply connected they are to the grind, and how rare it is to walk away actually happy.
Everyone Has a Different Strategy
Some save their packs all year, stacking them during promos and waiting for the perfect moment to open everything at once. Others go in as soon as something drops, convinced that waiting is a trap and the game rewards impulse. There’s no proof that either approach works better than the other, but everyone swears by their method.
Not Every Pull Hits the Same
Then again, not all Icons are created equal, and plenty of them are more frustrating than fun. You pack one, think it’s a win, and then 15 minutes into your first match, you realize he turns like a truck and shoots like a bronze. That’s the other side of the coin.
Just because it’s an Icon doesn’t mean it fits your playstyle, and that’s when the excitement fades and the decision-making starts. Do you bench him, build around him, or just wait for the next one?