eFootball Introduces New “Shadow Hunt” Skill During 9th Anniversary Update

KONAMI has added a brand-new gameplay mechanic to eFootball as part of the game’s ongoing 9th Anniversary celebration on mobile. The newly introduced skill, called Shadow Hunt, is designed specifically to strengthen defensive play by helping defenders react faster to dangerous through balls and attacking runs.

The skill arrived following today’s maintenance update alongside the newly released Epic Shadow Hunt player pack.

What Is the Shadow Hunt Skill?

According to official details, Shadow Hunt is an exclusive defensive skill available only to players positioned as:

• Center Backs (CB)
• Left Backs (LB)
• Right Backs (RB)
• Defensive Midfielders (DMF)

The main purpose of the skill is to improve defensive recovery speed whenever an opponent plays the ball behind the defensive line.

Once activated, the player receives a speed boost that helps them track back quicker and chase down attackers making forward runs.

How Shadow Hunt Works in Matches

The new mechanic functions automatically during gameplay, meaning no manual input is required from players.

Shadow Hunt activates whenever:

• An opponent sends a through pass behind the defender
• The player with the skill begins tracking the run

Once triggered, the defender gains enhanced pace and acceleration to better recover against fast attackers.

The skill is expected to become particularly useful against speedy forwards and wingers such as:

• Kylian Mbappé
• Samuel Eto’o
• Other high-pace attackers

Because of this, Shadow Hunt could quickly become one of the most valuable defensive abilities in competitive matches.

Players Currently Featuring Shadow Hunt

At launch, only three players in eFootball currently possess the new Shadow Hunt skill, all released through the latest Epic pack.

A Major Boost for Defensive Gameplay

The addition of Shadow Hunt appears to be part of KONAMI’s broader effort to improve defensive balance in eFootball, especially against the growing dominance of pace-heavy attacking players.

With the skill automatically helping defenders recover against dangerous runs, teams using players like Cannavaro or Maldini could gain a significant advantage when trying to maintain clean sheets in high-level matches.