The recent release of FIFA 23 has plenty of players curious about ‘sniping’. Here, we run through what the phrase means, break down how Ultimate Team players do it and discuss EA’s stance on it.
The release of a new FIFA means Ultimate Team players are scrambling around to make as many coins as they can. While some are happy to invest real money into FIFA points and packs, others are less eager to spend beyond buying the game itself.
As a result, players often resort to ‘sniping’. But what does it mean, how is it done and what do EA make of players who do it?
What is ‘sniping’ in FIFA 23?
The term itself simply refers to acquiring cards on the FUT transfer market for well below their market value, often by completing multiple market searches in a short space of time.
Each FUT card has a price range, but also a value within that price range. A player with a price range of 650 – 10,000 FUT coins might sell on average for 5,000 coins. On occasion though, players may list them for cheaper, either by mistake or simply to sell their card quickly.
Snipers seek to take advantage of these below-value sales and acquire cards for cheaper than their typical value.
After sniping a card for cheaper than its typical value, they can either re-list the item to generate a profit or simply use it in-game.
How to snipe in FIFA 23
Because of the simplicity of sniping, it’s very easy to pull off. Players simply set their search filters to only bring up cards below their typical market value.
For example, a player sniping Raphinha, who currently sells for roughly 43,000 coins, would search at a max Buy Now price of 40,000 coins.
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They would then search multiple times until a card is listed, quickly navigate to the card and attempt to acquire it ahead of any other player.
Because below-value cards are in high demand and often sell within a few seconds of being listed, it can take multiple searches to finally win the card in question.
Is ‘sniping’ in FIFA Ultimate Team allowed? EA stance on sniping
In short, it’s a bit of a gray area. Players are technically not breaking rules when sniping. If players are listed are below their value, it’s entirely fair to try and win those cards and save coins, whether the goal is to use the card or to sell it on for profit.
Because sniping often requires searching multiple times rapidly, players who do it can be mistaken for bots by EA’s anti-bot and anti-cheat systems. This often leads to players having to complete Captcha verification checks.
Sniping too frequently has also been known to result in market bans for players. These are generally temporary to begin with but can be made permanent if players are determined to have sniped too frequently.
In general, completing the Captcha verification process allows players to return to FUT and access the market as normal, suggesting that the check itself is only to ensure bots cannot disrupt normal market activity.
However, players who snipe should know that it can lead to bans from the market and Ultimate Team itself.
