This week's article is an update on my progress in FIFA 16 Ultimate Team. If you are unfamiliar with what that is exactly, check out this link to my previous article where I outline the game mode and very briefly about my team(s): https://www.theodysseyonline.com/my-road-to-divisi...

You can also check out their official page which goes into even more depth of what is new about FIFA 16's ultimate team: https://www.easports.com/uk/fifa/ultimate-team/fea...

As you can see I am now in Division Two!

It has taken a while, especially after getting stuck in limbo/purgatory for what seemed like forever in Division Three. Alas, there was an end to the Asphodel Meadow and here I am already two games in to Division Two.

It has been a very sloppy start with a draw and a loss. Both games I had incredible opportunities, more than my opponent, but for some reason I just couldn't find the back of the net. I drew the first game two-two only because of a late (ninety-second minute!) goal out of nowhere from my opponent in stoppage time. The following game I lost four-one in an abysmal performance from my side defensively but also again from lack of finishing.

Needless to say, something(s) needed to change. I have beefed up both of my squads I have developed. Again, I have explained the two-team strategy that many players have adopted especially in the higher divisions.

Essentially I have a French Ligue 1 squad in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

This side has proved to be an offensive powerhouse. It should come as no surprise when I have Lacazette and Griezmann leading the attack as my two strikers, Ribery on the leftwing, Di Maria on the right, and Ibrahimovic in central midfield. This formation can pose a problem with only three defenders, and for a while I was content with only Laporte, Perrin, and Evra as my three center backs. However, a new division promises new challenges and I had a decent amount of coins, so it made sense to make a trip to the transfer market. After stopping at the transfer market I picked up an eighty-eight rated Thiago Silva for a reasonable price. He's a Brazilian center back who plays for PSG so he linked up very nicely with a green link with Di Maria who is at rightwing. For the sake of chemistry I put Perrin in the center although I liked Laporte there. Perhaps as a central CB upgrade may come in the future.

The other squad, my Liga BBVA (Spanish 1) side, has a more conventional 4-1-2-1-2 formation.

Even though I was feeling comfortable in the back I upgraded three defenders. At leftback I replaced Gaya with Alba. I was concerned about this change because I thought I would miss Gaya's considerable eighty-seven pace, only to be assuaged with Alba's ninety-two pace and other increased stats! I replaced the Spanish eighty-one Martinez with an eighty-six Godin for also a very reasonable price of three-thousand three-hundred coins. And finally I placed an eighty-two rated Carvajal in at right back.

However the biggest change I recently made and have yet to play with is removing the Spanish/Chelsea striker, eighty-six rated Diego Costa, with an inform French/BBVA striker, Gameiro. Before anyone hounds me for replacing an eight-thousand and high rated player like Costa with a lower rated (eighty-two), costlier card (roughly seventeen-thousand) like this inform Gameiro, it should be understood that Costa just didn't work. Chemistry is paramount and he had two links on him to other players. Albeit, those red linked adjacent players to him still had an overall ten chemistry to them from other players, and Costa himself had seven because Koke, my center-attacking-midfielder (CAM) is Spanish too. However, for one, looking at the change I've made, now there are two green links; from Gameiro to Benzema because they are both French, and to Konoplyanka because of the same league. Secondly, the stats for inform Gameiro are very good compared to rare gold Costa.

When you compare them it starts to beg the question, how do these ratings come up and get assigned? But that is an entirely different story for another article.

I hope these changes improve my offensive performance. I may consider selling and replacing Krychowiak at central-defensive-midfield (CDM) and getting his inform? I'm hesitant because my coins are almost depleted after making these purchases. It would be nice to upgrade my lowest rated player which is Krychowiak at eighty-two. I am not concerned with Konoplyanka who is also eighty-two rated because of his insane pace and also his phenomenal free kick ability which has already paid off in multiple free kick goals.

This concludes the update. Hopefully the next time there is an article update on my team (IM MYSTERION) I will be in Division 1! It will be fun to see how long it takes me to get there (hopefully before FIFA 17) and what changes will have come to the either squad's lineup by then.