It has been a wild couple of days since the release of Title Update #4, causing some players like Mid Cantona to lose nearly half their value. This was due to the panic around the death of the 'Lengthy Meta'. What is Lengthy? Well, it's an AcceleRATE type associated with tall, physical players with high Strength and low Agility stats which allows them to reach their top sprint speed quicker than any other players, while having a slow startup acceleration.
This is what the 'meta' had revolved around as tall, bulky, strong players were moving quicker and smoother than any other players, while bullying everyone in their path.
The Title Update caused a shift in this, by allowing other players to move quicker than they used to — due to bugs in dribbling mechanics. Here we'll be getting into what that means for FIFA 23 gameplay.
Is the Lengthy Meta dead?
The short answer is: Yes & No. The "Meta" mechanic of using Lengthy players to overpower other player types is no longer applicable.
We cannot rely on defenders always catching straight line sprints regardless of starting position/running angle. Attackers won't just push past defenders and getting the highest physical stats on a card isn't paramount.
No, this doesn't mean that Lengthy players are no longer useful or have lost the boost offered to them. This is still helpful and desirable.
Why do people think Lengthy players are now bad?
At the beginning of FIFA 23 people have tried to discern the difference between these AcceleRATE types and if/why Lengthy feels Meta and what the problem is with the other types (like Explosive and Controlled).
The main reason for this was the fact that on the ball, Controlled and Explosive players seemed to abruptly decelerate after their initial burst, taking a longer time to reach their top sprint speed, while Lengthy players reached theirs quicker.
Since a lot of defenders have the Lengthy AcceleRATE type, this puts the Non-Lengthy attackers at a serious disadvantage against these players.
With the reduced responsiveness of dribbling, these players had very few avenues to beat their Lengthy opponents.
With the new Title Update #4, the pitch notes revealed previously unknown information after people started noticing the significantly boosted feel of Controlled/Explosive players.
What was previously seen as an attribute of the Explosive/Controlled AcceleRATE type was revealed to be a bug where players would incorrectly SLOW DOWN when trying to DRIBBLE.
This would happen when players with HIGH DRIBBLING tried to SPRINT WITH THE BALL. Explosive and Controlled AcceleRATE type was blamed when it was the high dribbling stats causing this unwanted deceleration
A lot of soft patches were done to dribbling animations and visuals, as well as the speed of certain skill moves. Given that the Left Stick dribbling in Next Gen is completely replaced with Technical Dribbling, these changes have made an impact as well.
The effect is significant in long sprints with players having higher dribbling stats. No more abrupt decelerations at the start. The reason this is so visible with Explosive/Controlled players is that the requirements for those types is high dribbling stats.
Have EA patched Lengthy?
It feels like EA have shadow patched the Lengthy AcceleRATE type — but this isn't the case. What has happened is that a broken dribbling mechanism has been fixed along with other dribbling issues.
Players with high dribbling stats (Explosive and Controlled) have an advantage over their lengthy opponents in terms of starting position and top speed on the ball now. They can no longer be outright bullied when being chased with the ball.
This makes it feel like they may have patched AcceleRATE as the players affected are mostly Explosive and Controlled due to their high dribbling stats. This is NOT the case.
Should I still use Lengthy players?
This means that we can't just look to make our cards Lengthy. The need for balance in the squad has just skyrocketed.
My advised guideline would be to look for Controlled and Explosive players as Fullbacks and Wingers while having Lengthy CBs, CDM and ST.
Should I just use Explosive and Controlled players now?
We've discussed all the ways Explosive/Controlled players finally have an advantage over the Lengthy cards, so how is this any different from earlier where we rushed to make all our cards Lengthy?
The difference lies in the fact that most, if not all these changes come into play when the other player has the *Ball*. These boosts and changes work when the Explosive and Controlled players have the ball.
Off the ball, their behavior is mostly unchanged. A Lengthy player will catch up to a non-lengthy player without the ball.
For example a Lengthy striker will reach over the top through balls quicker than a Controlled/Explosive player. The Lengthy "Meta" may be over, but make no mistake, the boost is still effective, just not broken any more.
Don't go scrambling to switch your players to Controlled/Explosive just to switch with the crowd. Nobody's going to be able to find the right balance for your team except you. Find your balance and use it.
Should I stop using Architect to make my players Lengthy?
A lot of people are left with the question "Should I change Player X's chemistry style to change AcceleRATE type?" This will end up being a purely personal choice based on the type of role the player plays in your team.
For example, in my team Gold Cristiano Ronaldo plays as a lone striker. Even though now, with a pace or dribbling boost(Hunter, Engine) will make him better with the ball, I prefer the Architect and Lengthy because of the off the ball boosts it offers.
This doesn't mean that using a Hunter is the wrong choice. It depends on how you feel about the attributes fitting into your playing style.
Experiment and find out your preferred playing style. Then shift players according to your needs. Don't let anyone tell you a particular chemistry style or AcceleRATE type is better than the other.
What formation should I use after the patch?
Right now, the chaos is making it extremely effective to play 4-1-2-1-2(2) and 3-5-2, using FIFA 21 Cutback tactics by running down the line. This might not be a long term solution.
Use formations with marauding Fullback and cut into the box for an easy and efficient as well as quick sprinters on the wide flanks.
Drop Back + Over the top through balls are wonderful as well, especially with a non-lengthy striker/attacker who can get away once he has the ball.
What does the so called "Lengthy Patch" mean for FIFA 23 gameplay?
The days of the "Lengthy Meta" are definitely over. This Title Update has brought with it a significant change to the dribbling mechanics over long sprints, and as a result Explosive/Controlled have been granted a boost due to their inherently high dribbling stats.
This doesn't mean chuck the Lengthy players out of your team and bring in Explosive/Controlled types. Far from it. All the changes are significantly visible *with* the ball.
Off the ball, Lengthy players still retain their boost and advantage over other types.
Choose your team wisely. For now, have a healthy balance between the teammates. Pull out the pacy players you've stuffed in the club. The Gyan and Buchanan cards are worth mentioning as having become more usable.
This isn't a single wave of change that LENGTHY had at the very beginning, but it is definitely a major shift from the current meta. Let's see where we go from here.
Thank you for reading this article. Shoot me any questions you have here in the comments or come find me on Twitter.