Thursday, September 01, 2016

2015-16 Upper Deck Champs

This is the 3rd time around for Champs, and the first release of this set in 6 years. I have mentioned in the past of my love for Champs. I think the first release rivals '08 A&G as one of the best retro style sets every produced. I had no idea Upper Deck was bringing back the set until I saw an email from my LCS of the new releases.


Simple foil packaging with the script Champ's logo. I ripped a box of this and here is a random hobby pack to show off. Six cards per pack. In a box, you get 3 hits - an auto and two relics. And the usual smattering of SPs and inserts.


A nice set again. Simple, no foil design. Just black and gold in the framing, with the faded image of the player. Clean lines and easy to read.


Champ's has always been a set builder's nightmare. The 2008 release was just 200 cards big, with the first 100 being established players and 101-200 being rookies. However, it was the mini set that was the fun, at a whopping 480 cards strong. Then you have parallel colored backs on the minis. And lest we forget - one mini per pack. 2009-10 was as difficult if not worse.


Traditions is a fun insert set, focusing on the things teams or players do for habit and luck.


This year's release has a fun checklist. 1-180 is the base set. 181-270 is a SP set, but short printed to fall 1:1.5 packs. So 2 in every 3 packs for simple math. 271-315 is the high number short prints - 1:5 packs. 316-321 are rare rookies. One is each 600 pack. And 322-327 are rare stars, and they fall at the crazy one in every 1,200 packs.


Senators hot pack.


No - I'm serious! Gold parallels fall one in each 10 packs, though I think that ratio is wrong. At least in my box. This is no ordinary gold.


Gold back. Think A&G backs. These fall one in 20, and then proportional in regard to the short printedness of the card. Here is the regular back.


Puempel just has one year under his belt. Players can get up to 5 years of stats and then a career total. As you see, btw - old school chipboard paper. And no UD hologram on the back.

1 comment:

Billy Kingsley said...

Love the Victory Rat card! Would love to have seen the back of that one.