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
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