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Football Duel deck building guide
A good deck wins more matches than a lucky draw. Here are the rules every custom deck follows, and the balance that makes a deck work.
Last updated: October 24, 2026
The deck rules
Every custom deck is checked against the same rules as the built-in decks, so nobody can stack the deck with only superstars:
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Deck size | Exactly 40 cards |
| Players in total | At least 20 |
| Players rated 1–5★ (no substitution) | At least 14 |
| Players rated 6–7★ (1 substitution) | At most 6 |
| Players rated 8★ and more (2 substitutions) | At most 4 |
| Legends | At most 3, and at least one Legend's Call |
| Skills | At most 12 |
| Stadium, Nationality, Referee and Coach cards | At most 12 |
| ⚡ Power cards | At most 3, one copy each |
| Squad budget (all player stars added up) | At most 130★ |
| Copies | 1 of each player, up to 2 of other cards |
The deck builder checks all of this live: a green tick for each rule you meet, a red cross with the reason for each one you break.
Why the squad budget matters
The 130★ budget is the rule that shapes every deck. Adding up the stars of all your players, it stops you from filling 20 player slots with the highest-rated player of each band. In testing, decks built without a budget beat the built-in decks about 80% of the time; with it, the best custom decks win around 60–68%, which keeps matches competitive. Every built-in deck sits between 121 and 130 stars.
In practice the budget forces a choice: a few big stars supported by honest 3★ and 4★ squad players, or a deep squad of 5★ and 6★ players with no superstar. Both can win.
A balance that works
Most winning decks land close to this split:
- 14 to 16 squad players (1–5★). They come on for free, they fill your pitch, and they pay for your stars. 3★ and 4★ players also have a Last Breath when they are sent off, so they are never wasted.
- 4 to 6 mid-range players (6–7★). One substitution each: the backbone of your middle game.
- 2 to 4 stars (8★+), possibly including Legends. Two substitutions each: your finishers.
- 8 to 12 Skills, mostly cheap boosts and one or two ways to attack directly.
- 4 to 8 set cards: one or two Stadiums for your main club, and Referee cards to protect yourself.
Pick a club, then a country
Stadium cards boost every player of one club, and Nationality cards every player of one country. A deck built around one or two clubs gets far more out of them than a deck of random stars: Anfield with eight Liverpool players is worth a lot more than Anfield with two. The built-in decks follow this idea:
| Deck | Idea | Make-up |
|---|---|---|
| Starter XI | Arsenal and Real Madrid, with Henry, Zidane, Sergio Ramos and the golden Ronaldo. | 24 players · 9 Skills · 4 set cards |
| The Captain's Armada | Liverpool and Barcelona, with Yamal, Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Puyol, Guardiola and the golden Messi. | 24 players · 9 Skills · 4 set cards |
| Munich–Paris Express | Bayern Munich and PSG: Kane, Dembélé, Vitinha and Neuer's German Wall, with Beckenbauer, Ibrahimović, Collina and Guardiola. | 24 players · 10 Skills · 6 set cards |
| Manchester Derby | United and City together: Haaland, Rodri and Bruno, with Rooney, Agüero, Ferguson and Guardiola. | 24 players · 10 Skills · 6 set cards |
| London Derby | Spurs and Chelsea: Palmer, Xavi Simons and João Pedro, with Drogba, Bale, Kanté and Simeone. | 24 players · 10 Skills · 6 set cards |
| Calcio | Serie A: Inter, Milan, Juventus and Napoli. Lautaro, De Bruyne, McTominay and Leão, with Gattuso, Maldini and Simeone. | 24 players · 10 Skills · 6 set cards |
Common mistakes
- Too many stars. Four 9★ players are useless if you never have the two squad players each one needs. If your matches feel slow, swap a star for two 4★ players.
- No defence. Set cards like Offside Trap or Tactical Foul win matches by stopping your opponent's best attack. A deck without any is easy to read.
- Forgetting Legend's Call. A Legend without Legend's Call in the deck can never come on. The builder warns you about it.
- Incomplete Gold kits. A Gold player needs all three pieces plus Golden Fusion. One or two pieces alone are dead cards.
Testing your deck
Play a few matches against The Captain first. If you often hold cards you can't play, you have too many expensive cards; if you run out of steam after the first battles, add stronger 6–7★ players. Save the deck when you're happy, and take it online.