Launched in 2019, Sorare is one of the most interesting platforms of the moment. Combining card collecting, MPG-style fantasy football and trading, the game is attracting more and more players. Check out our review below, after a long test that lasted over a year.
For over a year we have been testing the Sorare platform. Find out our full opinion on this service below.
What is that sorare?
Launched in 2019 by two Frenchmen, the Sorare concept is based on the collection and use of NFT in the form of figurines of soccer players. This is a very relevant use case for NFTs. After a huge fundraiser, Sorare has integrated some iconic soccer players: Kylian Mbappé and Zinédine Zidane invested in the French nugget in 2022.
If you are not familiar with NFTs, a full explanation is available here. To make a simple parallel with FUT cards, each card is not unique and cannot be used outside of FIFA. On Sorare, when you buy a card, it belongs to you and you are even free to resell it outside the platform, as it is by definition unique and authenticated by the Blockchain.
Sorare has collaborated with over 200 clubs from the major world championships. A maximum of 1111 cards per player are issued each season. There are five levels of cards in Sorare. The common level (white) contains all the cards offered when opening the account. They can only be used in the Free League, as discussed below.
The other levels are "limited" (1.000 cards), "rare" (100 cards), "super rare" (10 cards) and "unique" (1 card only). You may have heard of Sorare with the record sale of Cristiano Ronaldo's 2021 single card, sold for… 280.000 dollars!
Unlike a platform like NBA Top Shot, whose concept is based only on collecting for the moment, Sorare's cards are constantly used to win prizes (rare cards or ETH).
How to start working on Sorare?
When starting a match on Sorare, you need to select your 3 favorite teams. From these, you will receive community cards that will allow you to participate in the only championship that does not require rare cards: the Rookie Starter. Before creating your account, two golden rules about Sorare. The first is that of use a referral link to be eligible for a free card by purchasing 5 cards at auction. This mechanism is important, because you can receive a player with a very high value.
The second is to choose 3 strong clubs, to have at least one good goalkeeper. With the cards received (a dozen) you can participate 8 times in the Rookie Starter championship. In the latter case, the only possible rewards are rare cards, but the chances are minimal with only 3 cards dealt to thousands of players.
To find out more, you can watch this YouTube video which provides another detailed Sorare review. A summary allows you to access each of the relevant sections to optimize your strategy on the platform.
How does the “Week of Games” work?
The game weeks are the heart of the game. In them you can play against other managers and try to win prizes in around 20 different leagues.
To participate in a Game Week, simply create a team of five cards. Each league has its own restrictions (rarity, age, federation, etc.) and the prizes vary from rare cards to Aether prizes. The largest championship allows you to win 3 ETH, which is equivalent to € 5.300 at the time of writing.
Once these cards are aligned, it is the performance of the players in the games they play in real life that determines the score. To determine this score, Sorare uses data from Opta, the main statistics company in the world of football. This performance score (0 to 100) will be multiplied by the player's bonus to get his final score. The bonus is a mix of rarity, experience and other criteria such as captaincy.
How to win on Sorare?
Sorare stands out from fantasy football platforms such as MPG because it allows you to invest and grow your resources (cards). The cheapest league, Division 4 All-Star, allows you to earn 0,02 ETH if your team reaches 250 points. If you have chosen to start, this is an often achievable goal.
There is an average of two weeks of play every week. To participate in the championships, you need at least 4 rare cards. Our advice to start well is to choose among the 3 favorite teams those with excellent goalkeepers. The goal is to have a good goalkeeper on the common card, as rare goalies are very expensive on Sorare. For other positions, you can build a solid team by making smart choices.
As explained above, there are many leagues every week and lots vary. But it all depends on your players and your choices, and this is where the trade / market aspect comes into play. During 2022, a Mbappé card was sold for 154 ETH, or more than $ 400.000.
How to buy players?
To buy a card on Sorare, you need to feed the platform's wallet. You have two options: pay by credit card or food through an ETH (Ethereum) wallet. In the game, you can choose whether to display the value of the players in Euros or in ETH.
Unlike games like FUT, the ability to resell cards turns stocks into real investments. If you decide to stop Sorare, you can sell the cards and withdraw the money from your account.
To purchase a Rare card, you have three options:
The first is to browse the auctions. Several times per hour, Sorare creates new cards (up to 111 per player per year). Then, a tender is started with the other managers. Whoever is willing to pay the most wins the auction. If you win 5 auctions, you will win a free rare card if you have gone through a referral link.
The second way to recruit is through the market. In this tab, the other managers are putting their cards up for sale. It's an excellent way to grow your club by making smart buying / selling. For example, summer is upon us and the European championships are about to end. The value of Ligue 1 players is slowly falling, while that of Korean and MLS players is increasing as their leagues are held this summer.
It is also possible to buy injured players (or players short of game minutes) at a discounted price to keep and resell them at the best time. Valère Germain, for example, has been non-existent in the OM for years, but his contract is about to expire. This summer he will leave for another club, if he signs mid-table and becomes a regular, his Sorare rating will skyrocket. It is therefore an interesting time to buy it.
The third way to buy a Sorare player, and one of the most interesting aspects of the game, is through direct offers. You can send an offer to any manager. Players can also be swapped. Eventually you run your own little club and, if you want to go even further, there Sorare's official discord allows you to trade with registered managers. If you've always liked Football Manager, this aspect of Sorare is one of the closest to the game.
Sorare review: NFTs have a future
The NFT world is rich, with its share of useless projects. However, a platform like Sorare appears to be on track to lasting success, with solid investors on the one hand, but above all a community that is growing by the day. He convinced us during our test.
Sorare has developed partnerships with big clubs such as Real Madrid, PSG or Bayern Munich, but also with national leagues. The only thing missing is some Premier League clubs to increase interest. The economic model is virtuous, so the French nugget has duplicated its model in the American MLB (baseball).
The game mechanics are very well thought out and the evolutions are numerous. In a month of play, we have seen the arrival of new teams, Rookies cards and side games such as OneShot, a free platform developed with Ubisoft and which uses Sorare cards.
The only real brake for any new player is the current price spike. The rise of Ethereum and the growing popularity of Sorare make the game less financially accessible. That said, our opinion on Sorare remains positive: the introduction of yellow cards shows that the company is well aware of its challenges and has reacted well. Despite the crisis in the cryptocurrency market, volumes continue to increase on the platform.
What do you think of Sorare? Give your impressions in the comments!
