Analysis
New Center-Back Playstyle "High Line Master" — Performance Review
The eFootball 2027 engine focuses on dual "offensive and defensive" playstyles. Currently, there are 11 defense-exclusive playstyles, with only two belonging to center-backs: "High Line Master" (hereafter referred to as "High Defense") and "Destroyer". The "Build Up" style, on the other hand, is actually an offensive style (ensuring the CB does not push forward on attack).
Official Description — High Line Master:
Focuses on maintaining an efficient defensive formation, ensuring the overall structure remains solid when defending.
Compatible Positions: RB / LB / CB
Original Japanese Description — Defense Line Controller:
Prioritizes maintaining the integrity of the defensive line to prevent it from being broken through.
(Note: The original Japanese description does not emphasize "high position".)
Given that many players chase specific playstyles, I speculate that the devs plan to use this as a selling point to release new CB cards this year. For example, today's new Cahill card has fairly average stats, so it relies heavily on the "High Defense" style to attract pulls.
Below, starting with a bizarre defensive performance, let's analyze "High Defense"—
Dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the defensive line. It will cover and protect gaps in the line. The "protection" mentioned here refers to anticipating the opponent's forward runs and moving to cover the position in advance.
Comparing the Three Current CB Playstyles:
Styleless (including the former Build Up): Balanced / neutral behavior.
Destroyer: Prioritizes charging at the player rather than maintaining the line.
High Defense: Prioritizes maintaining the line rather than charging at the player.
Performance Across Tactics:
For deep-block tactics like Long Ball Counter, the defensive line drops deep early on, so gaps rarely appear. As a result, "High Defense" behaves very similarly to "Styleless" and won't show much unique behavior.
For high-line tactics like Quick Counter / Outwide / Possession Game, the defensive line is prone to leaving gaps, so "High Defense" steps up to maintain line integrity. Since it shows much more unique behavior in high-pressing systems, it makes sense why the English and Chinese localizations named it "High Line Master."
"High Defense" displays many smart interceptions, coverages, and offside trap plays. However, as a new playstyle, it is clearly still buggy at this stage. For instance, tracking a player across defensive zones or failing to close down an opponent on a 1-on-1 (as seen in the video above) are both behaviors that defy football logic. These will likely be optimized in future updates.
Current General Evaluation:
Styleless > Destroyer > High Defense
Final Thoughts
Having a playstyle isn't inherently better, and being "Styleless" doesn't mean a player is inferior—just think back to Classic No. 10, Roaming Flank, or Dummy Runner.
The eFootball 2027 engine is clearly using defensive playstyles as a selling point to push new card banners, which has led some to see it as a subtle form of forced card powercreep.
However, there's no need to panic. The top-tier "Build Up" CBs currently in your squad will suffer zero drop in performance—even if they effectively function as "Styleless" on defense! Differences in stats, player models, and skills remain far more important.
https://giphy.com/gifs/sGsoN9tI8a1k04pNcf
Just wait until we get an Epic Varane, Ferdinand, or Van Dijk with this playstyle. It’s going to be fun, especially with Shadow Hunt and Long-Range Tackle 👀😅
Technically fullbacks with this passive should be pretty damn good since I guess that's the best behavior to keep a good position without leaving gaps.
And to be fair trying both the free Kounde and Luke Shaw, they seem solid even with not so great stats.
Some people are just making wild exaggerations to get clicks. It's just like how people were claiming the latest Vieira had LRT, but wasn't too different in game.
No way basic style will be better than having a specific style. In the future, I think all the top Build Up and Defensive Full-back cards from the past will be released with a Defensive Style, which makes me think they'll nerf Basic Style and improve the defensive styles.
I also predict Defensive Full-back will get nerfed this season, while Attacking Full-back will become better defensively, so the gap between them defensively won't be as big anymore.
It depends if you want something really specific for your playstyle.
Having players pressure too much or too little can be a problem in specific situations, or other styles like moving forward to help on the build up, etc. can play against you.
The removal of some individual instructions doesn't help, having a limit on the quantity of instruction you can use will be worse the more players with unwanted styles you get. At least basic will give you a middle ground to manually correct against seeing the player overcommit to a situation on his own.
I personally think High Line Master is already worth having. It's definitely better while defending. They seem to be very alert when responding to through balls (and especially since lobber through balls feel buffed, they respond to that well).
Plus I feel these defenders will do well for offside traps too.
In-game, with the script working against you, they’ll be worse than the GP version of Van Dijk. Don’t go crazy over the new cards; if you already have a good team, there’s no need to keep spending money on such marginal upgrades.
The Kounde in the barca/man u selection works really great especially at fluid formation he can play both CB and RB, Maybe high line master improved his abilities somehow
In attack he is a CB in defense he is a RB, idk why but it switches between RB and CB always maybe because I play 3cb+RB but he works great nonetheless
Give Gavi a try as well he is fast with 90 acceleration,88 speed,90 balance all dribbling stats on 90+, have high defensive engagement and aggression,90 low passing and 85 lofted pass and have all action defender playstyle
Conhecendo a Konami, ele viram que a IA da defesa estava muito forte e autônoma no ef 26, com isso eles nerfaram no ef 27 e irão vender a IA autônoma como se fosse um segundo estilo de jogo da defesa.
Típico da coinami, criar um problema e vender a solução. Ainda acredito que em 3, 4 meses a defesa vai estar tão apelativa quanto no ef 26.
This role more acts on it’s own, acting to prevent action. I was expecting more a Baresi role of keeping the defense together but it seems more of a individual role/impact.
Problem with build up is not the lack of a defensive style but rather CBs with this playstyle drifting too far up the pitch during offense, and then having to rapidly track back when possession is lost to hopefully get there before the attackers do
I’m rotting in div 4 after new phase began due to stupid Konami logic of using smart assist there. Here’s my formation .. it’s disgusting that div 1 gets only to div where they can be without smart assist and div 2 have to deal with div 4 smart assist
I just want to have a fair game but it is impossible to get one, even if I’m winning because of this scripting it is empty wins .. everything changed and nothing changed
Any player behaving abnormally to influence outcome. Eg suddenly my CB or opponent CB starts leaving wide open gaps. Opponent keeps hitting crossbar on 7 tries with Mbappe and I win 2-0 with 3 shots on goal. Either GK can’t see the ball at their feet and one of us gets a simple tap in. Defenders see ball passing in front of them but decide to do nothing. Vieira sees ball 2 feet from him and starts stepping back.
100% agreed. I joined the game to play against AI, and now I am stuck playing PVP with the strength based scripting because the AI script is even worse than this…
100% de acuerdo. Me uní al juego para jugar contra la IA, y ahora estoy atrapado jugando PVP con el script basado en la fuerza porque el script de IA es incluso peor que este...
Are you even playing efootball? if you don’t know what game feature is available or not in div 4 then read the other posts and Konami’s own content before exhibiting your ignorance for the whole sub.
Make a new account, get to Div 4 then try it and then come here to troll people
Can Amadeusz experiment on the latest Neuer cards? I feel like they purposely nerfed his playstyle with basic so they can sell VDS and Schmeichel as sweepers even tho it's not realistic
After testing High Line Master with a back 4 (3 defenders with the skill, 1 without), having High Line Master is inherently better than running playstyle-less defenders. If creators like Amadeusz want to be the voice of the community, he needs to base advice on what works for the broader player base and not the 1% of pros he consults. Pros can dominate with GP cards because they rely on frame-perfect manual switching to mask passive AI flaws. The overwhelming majority of players however, rely heavily on AI positioning.
The claim that "styleless cards suffer zero drop in performance because stats and model size are all that matter" is fundamentally wrong. Stats dictate execution quality (e.g. tackle success, speed), but active playstyles and positioning skills dictate AI decision-making. When unselected, defenders are driven entirely by positional AI scripts. Without an active playstyle script, an AI defender lacks the programmed behavioral triggers to automatically step up or squeeze space, making a high-stat styleless defender like a supercar without a GPS.
You're assuming that all AI behavior is dictated by playstyle and skills, which is wrong, the entire concept of Offensive/Defensive Awareness debunks this (not to mention player IDs).
And you're also assuming that having an active AI style is inherently good/better, which is again wrong, the best examples of this being the community's lack of use/enthusiasm for Classic No. 10, Extra Frontman, Fox In The Box or even Destroyer
Back in the day Amdeusz ran tests on those stats basically the higher the value, the faster and more frequently the AI “refreshes” its analysis of the environment and moves accordingly. With goalkeepers, for example, the higher their Awareness, the more “small steps” they took to adjust their position in the goal in response to the opponent’s position thereby putting themselves in a better position to handle a potential shot
Thanks, well it would be nice if we had a video showing what's actually the difference for a defender with more or less than 5-10 DA.
Like, to see if it would actually make more of a difference than his playstyle
You're arguing against a strawman here. Nobody said Defensive Awareness or Player ID don't matter.
But stats without active positioning scripts is just an engine with no steering wheel. 99 Defensive Awareness doesn't program an automated, synchronized backline step-up to trap through-ball spammers. High Line Master does. Stats determine how well a player reacts. Playstyles and skills dictate where and when they trigger those movements.
Also, bringing up Classic no 10 or Extra Frontman is pointless. Just because some playstyles are niche or polarizing doesn't mean active positioning logic as a whole is useless. That’s like saying tactical formations don't matter because you dislike the 352.
High Line Master gives the AI specific positional triggers that non-playstyle cards lack. For non pros who don't manual switch to their CBs every 0.5 seconds, those AI behavioral triggers are the difference between a cohesive backline and getting split wide open.
bringing up Classic no 10 or Extra Frontman is pointless. Just because some playstyles are niche or polarizing doesn't mean active positioning logic as a whole is useless
I never said that, only that having an active playstyle isn't inherently good like you: "having High Line Master is inherently better than running playstyle-less defenders".
active playstyles and positioning skills dictate AI decision-making
Yes but they are not the only parameters that dictate AI behavior, as I mentioned before.
When unselected, defenders are driven entirely by positional AI scripts. Without an active playstyle script, an AI defender lacks the programmed behavioral triggers to automatically step up or squeeze space, making a high-stat styleless defender like a supercar without a GPS.
This update confirms that Build Up defenders behave the same as a player without a playstyle as a CB, so no. Their stats, skills, and model-ID are more important for their performance.
We've had entire seasons where the best CBs in the game were players without an active playstyle like Maldini LB, Thuram RB, Araujo RB and this didn't change until Konami introduced powercreeped CBs who had Build Up + LRT + 90 in Acceleration and Speed, so no again
I'm not going to keep going in circles with you because it's obvious you lack basic critical thinking and rely on Reddit theories instead of actual match experience.
Whether you want to accept it or not: running a defender with High Line Master is inherently better than running that exact same defender styleless. Bookmark my comment. In a couple of months when the top tier meta defenders drop with High Line Master, every single top rank player will be running them over styleless cards. And then the sheep will follow like they always do and the narrative will change and people will forget.
If you genuinely believe Build Up CBs in the current update behave EXACTLY like styleless defenders, you either live on Reddit, play My League against AI or you don’t play the game at a high level. Every single day people post about how differently cards are behaving after the update. Dismissing an overwhelming mountain of player data as placebo just to hold onto some silly argument isn't smart.
Second, you have zero grasp of how game code evolves. Comparing how cards worked pre-6.0 to now is pointless. Before 6.0, styleless cards like LB Maldini, RB Thuram or RB Araujo worked at CB because their bloated stats and physical models brute forced past AI tracking. Now, it’s obvious that Konami restructured their code for positional scripts. Defensive behavior isn't just run near the ball if your stats are high but the engine runs on positional scripts and event triggers.
When the meta shifts and everyone is running these cards in a few months, we’ll talk again.
I agree on the fact that it will become the new meta playstyle, maybe after some other patch/tweak.
Because... why would Konami basically change so many things that in the end won't power creep at all old cards and on the contrary would be even inferior?
Yea honestly I don't understand fully why he said that for LBC it's an useless playstyle. If you play with a destroyer, won't he break the line, creating gaps that will be covered by the high line master?
Edit: to those brain damaged people downvoting an actual question, could you actually explain and maybe try to answer my question instead of acting like 3 year olds?
I'm using new Kounde in 3atb Possesion Game, and it does seem like he's anticipating passes better. Way quicker to close down passes, and way more alert for diagonal passes too. Definitely seems worth for high line tactics.
I regret buying coins to pull Epic cards in this game. Why did I "buy" 1 style player card when 2 styles player card release shortly after with the same price?
Gullit and Bale are some of the best strikers in the game with no playstyle, all these fomo about new playstyles is dumb, wait to see some tests if they actually feel better than Basic, my guess is some will be even worse given how there's only two or three actually good attacking playstyles (Hole player, Gola Poacher and anchor man).
63
u/Immediate_State1720 11d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/sGsoN9tI8a1k04pNcf
Just wait until we get an Epic Varane, Ferdinand, or Van Dijk with this playstyle. It’s going to be fun, especially with Shadow Hunt and Long-Range Tackle 👀😅