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Hidden Gems for Sorare in J1 league 2022

Intro


The 2022 J1 league season is less than a month away! The market on Sorare for Asia has been booming recently, for me this has happened for a couple of reasons:


1) Increase in users - we have almost reached 90k users with 1 or more cards. As scarcity is fixed, increase in users will see a general increase in prices. Of course this will vary from player to player, but the general trend is clear and I am optimistic about this continuing.


2) Value in Asia - as a high % of users are from Europe, understandably when joining the platform most users will gravitate towards teams & leagues they are familiar with. Asia, also has several barrier to entry, including unfamiliarity and difficulty getting team news.


These barrier however can open up opportunities to find value, especially after doing research as there will be less eyes focussing on these players.


Below we can see Sento (Nagoya) has a L40 = 54 with a current price of 0.108. Similar players in Europe are priced 3-5x this.




Of course, if wanting to play in Champ Europe we are needing to pay a premium as demand & rewards are better. And secondary utility, such as players playing in Champ league/Europa and internationals needs to be considered.


However, in my opinion, there are plenty of players in Asia that offer excellent value to get rewards not only in Asia divisions but also in GAS and U23. Like with most things , research is key and important to note that the players I will list are what I personally consider excellent value as of today. So important to check the prices when you read this and secondly, to check if the player makes sense for your team.


I am primarily a S05 player rather than a a trader, so I am looking at:


  • Score averages (L40)

  • Price

  • Risk of DNP

  • Quality of team


You can see how I scout players here. There is also an excellent article around predicted lineups here. I strongly suggest looking at these but also being conscious that the quality of team varies significantly. I plan to do a predicted table and my own predicted lineups soon


In this post, I have attempted to give a range of players from different positions and ages. I am primarily looking at players from a rares perspective but have included limited prices.





Player Suggestions


Name: Takuji Yonemoto

Team: Shonan Bellmare

Rare Av: 0.036

Limited Av: 0.0018




Positives

  • Will be starting regularly at Shonan

  • When started previous scored, consistently & regularly over 50:



Risks

  • Playing for a lower quality team with Shonan

  • Age - is 31 years old, however I dont see this as a big deal as he will bring much needed experience at Shonan



Name: Koki Tachi

Team: Shonan Bellmare

Rare Av: 0.029

Limited Av: 0.002





Positives

  • Will be starting regularly at Shonan, injuries had caused his stop start season last year

  • U23 and combines very well with Tani

  • Shonan got 11 clean sheets last season, well above the expected amount for a relegation fighting team.


Risks

  • Prone to making big mistakes on occasion

  • Only U23 till July this year

  • Shonan are a relatively poor side that were fighting relegation last season


Name: Leo Silva

Team: Nagoya

Rare Av: 0.018

Limited Av: 0.0010





Positives

  • Will be starting regularly at Nagoya in a similar role to the departing Yonemoto

  • Scores are consistent and solid when he starts


Risks

  • Age - at 36, he wont have many seasons left, however saying that - he did play 30 games last season

  • Will not score spectacular scores however is the perfect anchor for a team that scores 45+ and can be used with Mateus for example to give a potential excellent combo score



Name: Yuya Yamagishi

Team: Avispa Fukuoka

Rare Av: 0.03

Limited Av: 0.002




Positives

  • Will be starting regularly at Fukuoka

  • Plays more as a forward and takes some set pieces

  • Coming back from an injury and will be ready for the start of the season




Risks

  • Has shown glimpses of his ability but consistency is an issue, though this could be down to not having a regular run in the team which he will be getting at Fukuoka.


Name: Yuichi Maruyama

Team: Nagoya Grampus

Rare Av: 0.1

Limited Av: 0.0085






Positives

  • Will be starting regularly at Nagoya & is the captain of the team

  • One of the best scoring defenders in the J League prior to his injury. For me his price of 0.1 - 0.15 is excellent value as he is what I consider a "premium" player whose L40 can reach > 60







Risks

  • Should be back for the start of the season but still unknown if any long last effects from his long term injury


Name: Tatsuya Tanaka

Team: Avispa Fukuoka

Rare Av: 0.04

Limited Av: 0.002





Positives

  • Will be starting regularly at Fukuoka

  • Excellent passer/playmaker with high number of crosses



Risks

  • Has shown glimpses of his ability but consistency is an issue, though this could be down to not having a regular run in the team which he will be getting at Fukuoka.



Name: Yuito Suzuki

Team: Shimzu S-Pulse

Rare Av: 0.06

Limited Av: 0.0055







Positives

  • U23 till 2026, giving 4 years + utility

  • One of the most promising talents and mentioned in this article on the best future u21 stars in the J1 League

  • Plays in a forward/striker position



Risks

  • Has shown glimpses of his ability but finishing has let him down.

  • Playing for a relatively poor team




Name: Tomoya Inukai

Team: Urawa

Rare Av: 0.057

Limited Av: 0.01





Positives

  • Urawa need experience and though there CBs did great last year, I think from comments I have read in the preseason training camp he will start regularly. He was also in the predicted teams I have seen so far.

  • Coming back from an injury, however prior to that he was a consistent scorer for Kashima:




  • Urawa are playing the ACL which is covered by sorare and gives him extra utility


Risks

  • There is the risk of him not starting regularly, could wait for more info from preason or the first game though his price will almost likely rise if he starts.




Name: Hwang Seok Ho

Team: Sagan Tosu

Rare Av: 0.015

Limited Av: 0.0013







Positives

  • Experienced CB and Sagan, formed an excellent partnership with Eduardo

  • Scored very well, especially at the start of last season with high number of interceptions



  • In predicted teams and I personally think will start but fell out of favour at end of last year so not guaranteed.


Risks

  • There is the risk of him not starting regularly

  • Sagan have had alot of changes over the year and could struggle next year. Saying that, their defence has remained intact with Eduaro and Kim Gyu in nets.


Notable others


Nagato

Ohata

Fujita

Kida

Onose



Finish


As you can see there a lot of players in the J1 League with high potential of scores for the new season on Sorare. As I have said previously, these are all just my own suggestions and the most important element is your own research and if the player fits your team/budget. An element I touched upon in this article was added utility of players. In Asia, this is from ACL and also internationals.


We have seen that when there are gamweeks with few international games, players playing for their international team can give extra utility & rise in price


Let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions of other players :)


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