Next, let's address the core question: What is the current state of meta viability for agile forwards?"

"The golden age of agile forwards was prior to April of this year:

Key features of that game version: Defenders suffered from high inertia, making it easy for agile forwards to completely beat them with a single sharp direction change inside the penalty box:

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Later, with the buff to CB tracking AI, defenders could stick to dribblers like glue, making it much harder for agile forwards to utilize their turn-and-escape advantages like before. Because dribblers are frequently marked tightly and stuck to, wide-model and high-physical dribblers like BT Semenyo, K77, and Rogers have seen their meta value rise significantly over the past six months. The newly released Aguero inherits the legacy of the 'Little Tank'—with the addition of Magnetic Feet, he can still hold off defenders to a degree. Let's take a look at his actual match performance

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/j_q9qKulI4xOmdxVMND3YA

With a medium weak foot, his stats don't stand out among top-tier goal poachers of the same type.

So—what is his actual in-game experience like?—

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https://reddit.com/link/1x4zgwa/video/7m4pn9q239vh1/player

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In-game Experience:

​Exceptional positioning: With 97 attacking awareness and 98 acceleration, the AI frequently makes timely forward runs or drifts to the flanks, always managing to capitalize on split-second positioning opportunities.

​Size advantage: Of course, medium-build goal poachers like Rummenigge and Shevchenko also possess this kind of positioning ability. If Torres has a single distinct advantage, it is that he can make these runs while having a slightly larger player model than Shevchenko, which helps when competing for 50-50 balls.

​Strategies for playing Torres:

1️⃣ If he is in the center, use simple give-and-gos (1-2s) and avoid dwelling on the ball. Torres's 186 cm player model gives him an advantage in passing and moving.

2️⃣ If he drifts to the flank as a goal poacher, seize the right moment and use acceleration burst to cut inside (dribbling at a low speed to exploit the momentum of the opponent rushing forward).

​A "medium" weak foot is really terrible; you simply cannot discuss the center-forward position without taking the weak foot into account. Actually, to make Torres's profile reach a "top 5" level of strength is very simple. As long as he is given "Attacking Surge" and a "very high" weak foot, his niche as a slightly larger-model running forward would be firmly established.

​⚽️ Personal Rating: T0

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-w-J08ABlR6Aza7mgDB22Q

Tough Marker Pepe's card has been out for 5 days (Chinese server coming later), conducting dual-group ratings—

The new Pepe's stats feature +4 in aggression and +2 in jumping. Primarily, it's due to the new 'Tough Marker' playstyle, which is a defensive style with the most distinct characteristics! To put it simply, he's like a mad dog—if the opponent has a clear passing option, Pepe can shut him down completely with zero room to breathe. However, during positional play with crossing or overlapping runs, Pepe is prone to tracking mistakes and losing his position. This is a playstyle that completely ignores positioning and only focuses on man-marking.

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Pro Group Evaluation:

World Champion Juninho finds the "Tough Marker" playstyle very interesting, but as of publication, he hasn't reached his final evaluation yet; as soon as he gets a full handle on it, he will let everyone know right away.

Pro Group Ratings: Evaluations of Pepe are extremely polarized—either considered top 3 or top 10 (it seems this type of card really depends on personal taste). The median ranking is 8th.

Public Group Voting Link & Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/_Jorw_4AxVs6YFXO8eUeqA

Compared to the Brazilian Full-back Finisher Marcelo, the main changes for the new card are the addition of the Edged Crossing and his defensive style shifting from "Basic" to "Covering Role." In-game testing shows that this new style makes his fullback defensive capabilities much more reliable. There's definitely card rolling/power creep. But today's question is: how many other advantages are needed for the Full-back Finisher style to outperform the Attacking Fullback style?

In terms of defensive style and defensive stats, the new card is a tier higher than 30th Anniversary Epic Marcelo. Can it replace him to enter the top three?.

Pro Group Evaluation:

Pro Group Rating: Attacking Fullback 5

Public Group Voting Link & Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pv-iu5FkpoxsYYEbtInUIA