Sorare

The gameplay structure follows that of an ordinary fantasy football title, with the added intrigue of NFT card that have actual scarcity and value on a blockchain. Players can collect, buy, sell, and trade these NFT cards, with a dynamic value that shifts accordingly. Your collection can be used to enter a variety of tournaments, deploying tactical strategies as you edge your way towards one of the many financial prizes. But how does all of this come together? Does Sorare do good on its promise of being the NFT football fantasy game we’ve all been waiting for?
Our in-depth review will give you a detailed look at what Sorare has to offer. We’ll walk you through the game’s stats and gameplay, as well as the transaction and customer support functions it offers. So, read on below to see if this could be the start of NFT fantasy football career!

Deposits and Withdrawals

While depositing and withdrawing crypto may be a walk in the park for some, most new players will need to wrap their heads around a new system. The entire concept of cryptocurrency may be completely alien to some and Sorare’s exclusive use of it can provide quite tricky learning curve.

To kick things off, Sorare uses Ethereum as its general currency. As a cryptocurrency, Ethereum cannot simply be deposited and withdrawn at will from your account. Still, there are several ways for players to interact with their funds, although they do come with a variety of fees and conditions.

Perhaps the closest method to a regular deposit would come via a credit or debit card. If you have no Ethereum in your wallet, this can seem like the most obvious choice. By following a fairly straightforward process, you will be able to bid on and buy cards at Sorare. As simple as this sounds, the process does come with some general issues. Making many bids in quick succession might alert your bank, causing them to freeze your transaction until further clarification. This can prove to be quite problematic when you’re in the middle of a tense auction. Additionally, this method always carries a 10% transaction fee as well as a currency conversion fee that is up to your respective bank’s discretion. 

The ideal option would be to turn to Ramp, the PayPal like system that facilitates crypto trading. Once it has been successfully verified with your personal account, it can be used to make deposits as simple as possible. Although you are free of any bank fees and conversion charges, Ramp will still have you paying a gas fee. This covers the cost of moving Ethereum into the blockchain. It is unfortunately an unavoidable fee ad comes at a flat rate. It is suggested that you move as much as you can in on go, to avoid having to pay the flat rate on every micro transaction. You could also opt for a direct cryptocurrency deposit through Coinbase, Binance, Kraken and more, but this will still have you paying the same gas fees. Metamask Web Wallet is another deposit method that can be used. It’s a simple and secure wallet that can installed as a plugin on your favourite browser. To many it is the easiest and most straightforward way to perform Ethereum transactions.

Withdrawals in Sorare cannot be made directly, as they need to go through the cryptocurrency exchange. Coinbase might be the most user-friendly option, although providers like Binance, Bittex and more are also available. Your funds will first have to be moved into the exchange from your Sorare wallet. Once there, they can be sold for Euro or Dollars, according to your preference. Once this process has been completed, they can be finally withdrawn into your bank account.

The process might seem quite daunting to new players with limited cryptocurrency experience. But the process does get significantly easier once you familiarise yourself with the process. Sorare do their best to make the experience as simple as possible, despite the inevitable hurdles along the way.

How The Game Works

Following in the classic fantasy football genre, Sorare offers players loads of challenges and tournaments to partake in. The concept might take some getting used to, but setting up a team and joining a tournament eases players in. 

The core principles of fantasy football remain at the heart of the game. This is seen in the SO5 tournaments that prove to be the most popular. Here, managers will need to build a team of 5 players, including a Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, Forward and Substitute. A team must also have a captain that will earn a 20% bonus. Cards carry additional bonuses based on the specific card type associated to them. The more you use the card, the better its XP and bonuses. Each season brings along newly updated cards, although players can still opt to use their dated collection. Using new season cards does wield a 5% bonus per card, pushing players to obtain and use current season cards.

Scores for your team are based on real life matches and performances. Your players are then ranked accordingly, creating your team’s overall score for the tournament. These points are calculated through Sorare’s complex matrix. The system adds up positive points for successful passes, crosses, clearances, saves, assists, goals and more. It even takes a team’s progress in an attacking or defensive maneuver into consideration. Points are similarly deducted for failed goal attempts, unsuccessful one-on-one challenges, and bookings.

To compete, managers can enter tournaments that run twice a week. This ensures that both mid-week and weekend match days are covered. All tournaments are global and free to enter, so you can pick and choose players from around the world. In some instances, you’ll find regional tournaments too, limiting your choice of players to a specific set of leagues. There are of course various tournament divisions that players can enter, with varying card requirements. These divisions cater for a variety of budgets, allowing managers to pick and choose the right fit for them. The lowest tier, Division 5, allows for managers to use both common and limited cards. The higher the tier, the higher the card requirement. A scarce number of uncommon cards are released per season, creating the sort of demand and value that makes these NFTs so popular.

• Limited cards – 1,000 per season.
• Rare cards – 100 per season.
• Super Rare cards – 10 per season.
• Unique cards– 1 per season.

Players looking to progress further will need to in tournaments to earn more cards. Alternatively, you can buy or trade new cards, pushing yourself into the upper tiers of the game for even better rewards. Buying and selling cards follows an auction model, so you can engage in a variety of bidding activities to bolster you card collection.

Customer Support

Players running into any difficulties while playing Sorare can resort to the game’s customer support service. The Help section gives players a detailed look at ay common issues and questions that might come up. The idea is to have you, the user smoothes out as many issues as can be. This system reduces the amount of time wasted on waiting for an individual to reply and directly confront your concerns. While it does a great job of ironing out common issues that come up, it still does not provide any direct way to deal with more specific problems. That’s where Sorare’s contact form comes in. Through it, users can fill in a complaint form to request help. Unfortunately, it’s quite a dated method, and we would prefer having a more efficient live chat service to deal wit these issues. Hopefully, Sorare might provide an update in the near future.

FAQ

In case you still have some burning questions regarding Sorare and its selection of NFT cards, we’ve included some quick answers below.

How do Sorare NFT cards work?

Sorare presents its player cards as NFTs. As Non-Fungible Tokens, the cards have a traceable level of availability and can even have their ownership traced over time. This gives them a variable value on the online market, as they are also included on a blockchain. The cards can be bought, sold, or traded freely with a high level of security and transparency provided through the blockchain. The cards themselves represent real football players and can be used in Sorare’s fantasy football tournaments. Ever season brings a new set of cards, with Common, Limited, Rare, Ultra Rare and Unique iterations available.

How do I purchase a Sorare card?

New individual cards are made available for bidding by auction in the transfer market. This gives users the opportunity to obtain the cards directly. Additionally, they can be traded or bought with other managers as well. The bidding process is simple and straightforward. Simply place a bid on you card of choice. If another user outbids you, you get the chance to outbid them yet again. The process continues until the auction ends and if you happen to be the highest bidder, the card is yours.

How do I sell my Sorare card collection?

Its very easy to offload your Sorare card collection and possibly turn a profit in the process. Simply access your collection through the Cards page. Once there, select the card you would like to sell, enter the price you’d like to get for it and hit the Sell button. Your new listing will remain active for 48 hours. You’ll be notified of any new offers that might come your way. If the item does not sell, it will remain in your collection.

What official leagues are licensed to Sorare?

Sorare has managed to secure the official license for over 8 leagues around the world. These include the Dutch and Belgian Leagues, the MLS, and La Liga. Of course, this refers to the licensing of an entire league and Sorare has managed to secure the individual license for specific teams. In total Sorare has over 230 licensed clubs including the likes of Premier League and Serie A giants like Liverpool and Juventus. 

Can Sorare cards be used past their original season?

Although new cards are issued every season, Sorare still allows players to utilize their backlog from previous seasons. These will need to be used with caution though, as using cards from previous seasons will have you missing out on the 5% bonus that comes with current season cards. Sorare has also included some legendary players like Maradona and Zidane, although these cards cannot be used to compete in any tournaments. 

Users reviews

• Having a fantastic experience playing Sorare. I have several teams competing in a lot of different tournaments. The game has made me get back into following football and I’m having a blast setting up my weekly squads. “Marco F.”
• I’d been hesitant to jump into NFT games but took a chance with Sorare. The game merges so many things that I like, from following real football, to the fantasy of competing with my own football team. The cards and the game interface are really cool, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some rare goodies. “Francesco S.”
• As a blockchain game, Sorare has been proof that NFT games can have a place in the gaming world. While I’m enjoying the game (and have had team competing every week), I do feel like customer support can be improved. Without a direct line of communication, I feel quite cut off whenever I’ve run into issues. Hope they solve this soon. “Fabio V.”
• Sorare combines the best of both worlds, with rare footballer cards and tournaments to compete in. Its like mixing Panini stickers with Football Manager. Hope the project keeps growing and more clubs are added to the list. “Flavio M.”

PRO & CONS

PRO

• Huge support – In a game like Sorare, the support from both the gaming community, as well as real league associations and their respective teams is crucial. As we’ve seen time and time again in similar games, the more legitimate the representation of people’s favorite football team and stars is, the better. Luckily, Sorare managed to get several actual players and football associations to support its project. This has proven to be invaluable in providing players with licensed cards, increasing the level of trust and the legitimacy of the game itself. The game has managed to do really well on this front and continuously pushes for even more.
• Good Balancing – Recent years have thought us that an adequate game reward loop can be crucial to keeping your player base happy. Its all about finding that sweet spot between challenging gameplay and adequate rewards. No one wants to be farming endlessly for meager prizes and Sorare has managed to strike the right balance here. This applies to both the prize distribution, as well as the premium player cards that are given away as prizes.
• Rewards football fans – The point of fantasy football is to keep updated with real football leagues, checking out their teams and players’ progress. This translates into the game, where your strategies will need to match the form of the fantasy’s real-life counterpart. Sorare really nails this aspect of the game. Not just through the inclusion of so many leagues around the world, but by also keeping their system consistently updated. The result is a game where players who research and scout the world of football well enough, can thrive.

CONS

• Incomplete roster of world football – Although Sorare is hard at work acquiring licenses from leagues around the world, there is still a long way to go. This means that some key players will still be missing from the game. It can be quite frustrating if your favorite team has not been licensed, especially if you’re looking to acquire specific NFTs.

Final Thoughts

In a new frontier for gaming, Sorare has managed to provide a solid product by successfully translating the football fantasy recipe onto the NFT gaming space. The game manages to create a series of engaging tournaments for players to take part in, with numerous challenges and strategies to look out for. Additionally, the game has also nailed the NFT card elements, creating a level of scarcity that works perfectly with Sorare’s core gameplay. The financial aspects of the game might prove to be quite a hurdle, especially for players who are not familiar with cryptocurrency. But the process will hopefully get easier over time, opening the game up to an even wider audience.

Sure, there is still quite a long way to go, with many leagues and clubs that are still not included, but judging by their progress so far, Sorare will be building up to that in no time. The game has already made good on its promises of increased gameplay opportunities, accessibility, and community interaction. This gives us hope that any issues that currently exist will be ironed out as soon as possible. The result is a game that serves as a perfect example of how NFT gaming can work perfectly when paired with impeccable gameplay and meaningful updates. We cannot wait to see how Sorare continues to progress in the future.