EURO 2020 Fantasy Football: When and how best to play the Wildcard and Limitless chips

Planning ahead is vital to success in any Fantasy game and for EURO Fantasy managers, it is worth pencilling in when the two chips – the Wildcard and the Limitless – are best utilised.

First of all, what are the two chips?

WILDCARD

The Wildcard allows you to make unlimited transfers for a specific matchday without being deducted any points. Players you transfer in will remain in your squad after the matchday has finished. If you have already made transfers prior to a matchday before activating your Wildcard, those transfers will be cancelled, along with any points deductions.

LIMITLESS

The Limitless chip also gives you unlimited transfers for a specific matchday, but there are two key differences to the Wildcard:

• There are no budget restrictions when playing the Limitless chip, meaning you can bring in premium players at your will!
• Once the matchday is over, your squad will revert to how it was before you activated the Limitless chip

Once again, any transfers and/or points deductions that occurred prior to activation on that matchday will be cancelled.

WHEN SHOULD THE WILDCARD BE USED?

EURO 2020 Fantasy Football managers will have a choice of five matchdays in which to use their Wildcard (this chip cannot be used on Matchdays 1 or before the round of 16 as unlimited transfers are already granted at these stages).

Many will be tempted to use their Wildcard as early as Matchday 2, and there is certainly plenty of sense in this approach. Given that just two free transfers are granted during each matchday of the group stage, using this chip will give you more flexibility and nullify the temptation to take points hits early on. Additionally, every team will have been in action by this point, giving you a clearer idea of likely starting line-ups and who the form players are.

Matchday 5, which is the quarter-final stage, also stands out as a useful time to use the Wildcard, particularly if you're looking to rectify any mistakes you made with your unlimited transfers on Matchday 4! Deploying the chip here allows you to freshen up your squad and target the teams you believe are most likely to make it through to the semi-finals and final, thus minimising the need to take points hits in the final matchdays.

WHEN SHOULD THE LIMITLESS BE USED?

For similar reasons, Matchday 2 also presents itself as a useful time to use the Limitless. With progress and elimination still to be decided at this stage of the competition, all teams have something to play for which makes predicting their starting line-ups a little easier. On the flip-side, Matchday 3 could end up being a prime candidate for the Limitless should events transpire that the fate of some of the teams with premium players are not yet certain.

Of course, like the Wildcard, there is no harm in saving the Limitless until the knockout stage, when you would expect many of the premium-priced assets to still be in the competition. An unlimited budget allows you to study the fixtures and select a big-hitting captaincy option from each gameday, ensuring you give yourself the best possible chance of a significant points return.

WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN ACTIVATING CHIPS?

The key to a successful Wildcard or Limitless squad is a healthy balance of players who will be competing throughout the matchday. In the group stage especially, you don't want to be loading up on Fantasy assets who all compete on the same day as it offers you less flexibility when it comes to captaincy and using your manual substitutions effectively. Analyse the fixtures and pick out some key options from each day, deciding ahead of time who your captain will be should you need to change it.

Ultimately, the performance of your own squad may dictate when you use your chips. If you’ve picked up a couple of injuries or suspensions, or if your chosen players don’t appear to be starting for their respective nations, then it could be time for a shake-up.

Keep an eye on UEFA.com over the next few weeks for plenty more Fantasy tips ahead of the Matchday 1 deadline on 11 June!