defense abilityBRONZE
Lurker
Spectacular catch/swat animations for lurking defendersTIER LADDER
What each tier is worth
MECHANICS
Read at bronze. This ability gains effects as it climbs — the ones it picks up at this tier are marked. Triggers and shutdowns are shown at every tier because the data does not say which tier gates them — not because the game treats them the same.TRIGGER
When it turns on
No recorded when it turns on.
THEN
EFFECT
What changes in-game
01Related abilities ↗02Related abilities ↗03Related abilities ↗04Related abilities ↗
CatchingDef ChanceToDiveCatch
Grants the defender an improved chance to dive catch.
CatchingDef ChanceToDiveSwat
Grants the defender an improved chance to dive swat.
CatchingDef ChanceToHighJump
Grants the defender an improved chance to high jump.
Catching PenaltyModForDiveCatch
Reduces the penalty applied to dive catches.
THEN
STOP
What shuts it down
No recorded what shuts it down.
AT BRONZE
What you need to know
Defenders with this ability can make spectacular interceptions while lurking in zones, and are more likely to attempt and succeed at diving swats/catches.
TRIGGERS0GAMEPLAY EFFECTS4DEACTIVATORS0
What players have figured out
The animation it unlocks is close to standard now, and the ability that bundles it with Pick Artist costs less than either alone.Jumping, 180-degree picks from a middle-of-the-field zone
The effect is tied to lurking in a zone over the middle. It is what lets a defender turn and high-point a ball thrown behind him, which is the play the user lurk is trying to make.
Base defenders already make that play
The honest read from the forums is that it is far less helpful than it was a few years ago, when linebackers simply had no good interception animations in that spot. The gap between having it and not having it has narrowed with every animation pass since.
Lurk Artist is this plus Pick Artist for fewer points
This is unanimous across the comparison threads: Lurk Artist is Lurker and Pick Artist combined and costs less AP than buying the two separately. If a card can equip Lurk Artist, there is no argument for taking this instead.
Where the points actually go
The usual split is Pick Artist on corners and Lurk Artist on sub-linebackers — but if your budget allows, players recommend pushing Lurk Artist onto the corners or safeties instead, precisely because it is the cheaper way to own both effects.
The offense's answer is throwing high
The counter named in the user-lurk threads is a high pass over the lurking defender, which beats the ability at the cost of a harder catch for the receiver. That trade — a contested grab instead of a clean one — is what you are actually buying.
What else touches this.
Every ability writes a set of gameplay effects. These are the abilities whose sets meet this one's.No shared effectsAt this tier, no other published ability writes any of the gameplay effects this one writes.
GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE
See it in action
Community-submitted clips of Lurker activating.No clips yetBe the first to add a clip of Lurker activating.