Which Era Should You Draft In?

Every spin in 38-0 rolls one of seven eras, and the era your XI ends up representing genuinely changes how the 38-match season plays out. The season is simulated in the average era of your eleven signings, so building consistently toward one decade is both a chemistry play and a tactical one. Here’s what each era rewards.

1960s

Muddy pitches, heavy balls, and hard-tackling defenders with little protection for keepers or forwards. A physical, direct era that rewards strong, robust players over delicate technicians.

1970s

The age of Total Football and libero sweepers — tactically sophisticated but still fiercely physical. A good era for a ball-playing defender and creative midfielders.

1980s

Catenaccio versus cavalier attacking, and low-scoring by modern standards. This is the era for a defensive, grind-it-out XI: a commanding keeper, an impassable back line, and a side happy to win 1-0. If you’ve drafted defenders first and they’re strong, the 1980s flatter that build.

1990s

The back-pass rule and the birth of the modern league open the game up. Faster and more technical, with world-class imports — a balanced era that doesn’t punish any one style too hard.

2000s

The globalised, big-money era: deep squads, elite defending and sports science. Possession football and rugged 4-4-2s coexist, so a well-rounded XI is at home here.

2010s

Tiki-taka and gegenpressing. Positional play and pressing dominate, and attacks are built through midfield control. This era rewards attack and creativity — a great fit for a midfield of playmakers and a sharp front two.

2020s

Maximum intensity: high pressing, rotation, and a punishing fixture list played at a sprint. The most attack-friendly era of all, but the relentless pace means stamina and squad fitness matter more.

How to use eras strategically

Two rules of thumb:

1. Match your era to your XI. Drafted a wall of great defenders? The 1980s reward that. Drafted flair and finishing? Push toward the 2010s or 2020s.
2. Commit. An XI concentrated in one or two adjacent decades earns the Era Specialists chemistry bonus; one scattered across all seven risks a Stylistic Clash penalty. Because each spin is weighted toward its era, leaning into a decade also tends to hand you players of the same nationality, helping your national-team core too.

There’s no cheat-code era that guarantees 38-0 — the game is tuned to keep a perfect season rare everywhere. But fitting your side to its era is one more edge on your per-match win rate, and every edge counts.