Champions League Fantasy Football: When to play the Wildcard and Limitless chips

Utilising both the Wildcard and Limitless chips at the right time is often pivotal to being successful in Champions League Fantasy Football, presented by PlayStation. UEFA.com explains how each chip works and when could be best to use them.

How the chips work

Wildcard
This gives Fantasy managers the chance to make an unlimited number of transfers for a single matchday without any points deductions. In the event that you have already made enough transfers to trigger a points deduction, activating the Wildcard will erase that deduction. It's important to use this chip at the right time because any players brought into your squad on a Wildcard will remain there after the matchday is concluded, making it particularly useful when you want to reshape your squad for the next few matchdays.

Limitless
While the Wildcard allows unlimited transfers within the allocated budget, the Limitless chip provides Fantasy managers with the opportunity to transfer any player into their squad for one matchday with no budget restrictions. This creates the unique opportunity to build a team full of premium players for a single round of fixtures, regardless of their Fantasy price. Following this matchday, the squad then reverts to how it was prior to using the Limitless chip, meaning this option is best used to exploit one particularly attractive matchday.

When should the Wildcard chip be used?

The Wildcard cannot be used on Matchdays 1, 9 and 11, when managers already have unlimited free transfers. However, there remain a wide range of options for activating the Wildcard, with eight rounds of league phase matches leading up to the two-legged knockout phase play-offs before the round of 16.

In the past two seasons playing the Wildcard on Matchday 8, the final round of league phase fixtures, has proved popular. With all 18 matches taking place at the same time, this allows managers to view the starting line-ups for each of the 36 clubs involved prior to the Matchday 8 deadline, giving them the chance to transfer in players they know will be starting for their respective teams.

It's also key to note that with Matchday 8 taking place on a single evening, playing the Wildcard gives managers the chance to maximise their budget by transferring in the cheapest possible players to fill up their bench positions regardless of whether they appear or not, freeing up more money to spend on high-cost selections for their starting 11.

However, a mixture of injuries, suspensions and poor form can always lead to a change in strategy, so it's important that Fantasy managers remain flexible with the use of the Wildcard, especially if they do not want to trigger a points deduction due to being forced into making a high volume of transfers.

When should the Limitless chip be used?

Just like the Wildcard, Fantasy managers will not be able to use the Limitless chip at the start of the league phase (Matchday 1), the knockout phase play-off first legs (Matchday 9), or the round of 16 first legs (Matchday 11).

The biggest pro of the Limitless chip is being able to bring in as many high-performing players as you wish no matter the cost due to no budget restrictions. Given this, picking a matchday where all those players have favourable fixtures on paper would be a smart move, giving them the best chance of gaining a high number of Fantasy points.

Avoiding squad rotation is also key to the success of Limitless and with that less likely to be a factor early in the league phase, using the chip on Matchday 2 or Matchday 3 could be a sensible move. That would give Fantasy managers who had a strong Matchday 1 the chance to further strengthen their position, while those who struggled can claw back an early deficit through successful use of the Limitless chip.

Matchday 8 also warrants consideration, with Fantasy managers having pre-deadline access to starting line-ups for all 36 teams playing in that round, the last of the league phase. However, not being able to score points with four substitutes significantly reduces the value of the Matchday 8 Limitless chip compared to the Wildcard.

What should be considered when playing a chip?

When it comes to deciding when best to play a chip, maximising value and points potential is crucial. Managers should make sure players selected are spread out over the course of a single matchday, which usually lasts two days, allowing effective use of substitutions and captaincy choices.

The biggest round of fixtures which does not take place across two days is Matchday 8. This means that substitutions cannot be used for this matchday, an important note to consider for Fantasy managers looking to play a chip at that point.