Brendan_B
OZCT Supporter
Well we are coming up to nearly three weeks post release so I thought I would throw together a little review. As always any feedback (constructive please) is encouraged and just a reminder that this thread is about the actual product and nothing to do with the delivery issues or stacked cases. I feel that several of the changes in this years release were as a result of things posted in last years review. Personally I have enjoyed this release, it is certainly not without its faults but an overall improvement.
The biggest issue seems to be the number of cards in the release and I agree 700+ cards is to much. In saying that the Select AFL release, Footy Stars has over 900 cards for a master set so it seems to be a general theme in many releases as the hobby loses master set collectors and is replaced by team collectors. I purchased a few packets of the AFL this year for comparative purposes and will use examples where necessary.
Common set
Very basic and plain but the white background is good for IP's. The info on the back is good but I would prefer that it is a 9 card team set without a logo or an 18 card team set with the logo which covers the starting 17. The design of the AFL commons is far better (see attached pictures) but I wish we could return to the days when the backgrounds were not cut out and it was of an actual game. I have mentioned previously that I would love to see subsets within the common set make a return. If you had 18 cards per team one card could be a 'captain card' or similar.
Parallels
Very basic design, the cards themselves are fine but I am not a big fan of parallels. I still think we need only one parallel set per release and I must say the AFL Excel parallel set is brilliant and leaves the NRL for dead. They use different images to the commons and the design is excellent (see attached image). The inclusion of team logos in the parallel set is a winner.
Special Parallels
It would seem that ESP listened by using different images on their special parallels. The special parallels look good and I can see that they have tried to cut parallels number by only including 80 but this is really puzzling. I think just one set of parallels with different images or designs like the old jersey die cuts (I know the different image technically doesn't make them a parallel).
Faces of the Game
Still a basic looking card but much improved IMO with the large signature space on the front. A full set of these signed IP would look sensational. You could completely cut both levels of parallels and bump the numbers of the faces up so they could be the parallel set!
Pieces of the Puzzle
The design of these is significantly different to last year and the actual puzzle that is formed on the back looks much better this season. I didn't see the need for this set to double from 45 to 90 and I thought it could have stayed at 1:12 or at least 1:9.
Club Heroes
I really like this subset and personally it is by far my favorite of the low end insert sets. Good player selection, foil finish looks great and stats on the back are also a good inclusion. I feel that this set could have been a 1:18 inclusion though.
Cyber Heroes / Cyber Heroes Folder
Just another variant of the Galactic Stars from the previous two releases and I really think that this subset has been overdone. The Club logo on the bottom of the card looks okay and for that I would say it is a slight improvement over the Galactic Stars but this is a tired set and needs to be shelved. I think for a one per box insert set they could do much better. In relation to the folder cards it is great to have a bonus card when you purchase a folder but it just seems to be duplication for the sake of duplication. I have heard other collectors mention that this lower end release is aimed at the kids hence the Cyber Heroes style card but in reality Power Play is for the kids and that release is where this kind of card belongs.
Retirements
These are a good looking card, always have been and a set which I am happy to have continued. The players represented are often ones who don't get many cards aside from commons so it is a good acknowledgement of their contribution to a team. The one fault I have is that the player is depicted in the club they last played for. Glenn Stewart a Rabbitoh? Come one! TLL in a storm jersey where he played 2 games as opposed to the previous decade at Canberra? At the very least if a player has multiple clubs then all of the clubs logo should feature on the card. The other issue I have is players who have left the NRL to go to the ESL getting a card, they haven't retired yet! Imagine if Jeff Lima or Zeb Taia had Retirement cards made when they are both now back in the NRL (and killing it just quietly)!
Power Forwards
Great to see the 'piggies' have an insert set dedicated to them because they have been few and far between over the years! The design is not that different to last seasons Club Leaders with a smaller logo. The player selection is good and by varying the theme for this 1:72 insert they have really done well.
SAS Black, Gold and Signatures
While a set like this destroys master set collectors the fact that you can get 18 signature cards with some very good players from a low end release is excellent value for money. When I first heard that there were three levels of this card I instantly thought here we go, all the same images again. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not the case and all three cards together look great. There are some excellent players including Morgan and Lillyman who has never had a signature card. I was personally very happy to add a Croker to my collection despite that terrible moniker! I think that they could have cut down the number further to make the blacks limited to 500 and the golds 300. I couldn't believe that when these were released some were listing the golds at $80-$100, they were never going to be worth even close to that! As ESP are also a player management company I think it has been raised that some agencies are reluctant to let their talent sign cards for ESP. If that is true they have done very well with this release because some the names are huge.
Dynamic Duos
I am not sure whey they changed the design from last years as this will look strange for those putting together a complete set. In saying that Select changed the design of their Future Force signatures every year in 01, 02 and 03 and this was a rolling set. I think the design of this years does look better and the player selection is mostly good but a bit questionable for the Roosters and Souths ( no disrespect to those players). The inclusion of Dynamic Duos as a case sweetener this release has not been a good think. For starters it has driven the price right down and while dealers are an essential part of the hobby the collectors are the ones who should be given the opportunity to jag these cards from packets because cases are just not an option for some.
Legends Signatures
As always an excellent addition. Great looking cards, fantastic player selection and both, particularly Beaver have excellent signatures. The fact that these are /208 means that the prices do stay down around the $300 mark but this is not so bad for a low end release.
Case Cards
We are used to the Legends signatures being duplicated into case cards now but this was a mistake from the beginning. A different them was needed and case card need to be numbered. Select have a great theme with their 200 games club and I think ESP need to find something similar.
Overall
I have enjoyed this release and think it is the best Traders yet. The price has stayed at $4 per packet despite the huge amount of quality signature cards available. As always the starter packs are a great concept and have been adopted by Select also. While there is room for improvement I acknowledge that no release will ever be perfect. The Brownlow Predictor concept being run by Select is sensational and I would love to see a Dally M Predictor come into Traders in 2017. Overall I give this release 7.5/10.
The biggest issue seems to be the number of cards in the release and I agree 700+ cards is to much. In saying that the Select AFL release, Footy Stars has over 900 cards for a master set so it seems to be a general theme in many releases as the hobby loses master set collectors and is replaced by team collectors. I purchased a few packets of the AFL this year for comparative purposes and will use examples where necessary.
Common set
Very basic and plain but the white background is good for IP's. The info on the back is good but I would prefer that it is a 9 card team set without a logo or an 18 card team set with the logo which covers the starting 17. The design of the AFL commons is far better (see attached pictures) but I wish we could return to the days when the backgrounds were not cut out and it was of an actual game. I have mentioned previously that I would love to see subsets within the common set make a return. If you had 18 cards per team one card could be a 'captain card' or similar.
Parallels
Very basic design, the cards themselves are fine but I am not a big fan of parallels. I still think we need only one parallel set per release and I must say the AFL Excel parallel set is brilliant and leaves the NRL for dead. They use different images to the commons and the design is excellent (see attached image). The inclusion of team logos in the parallel set is a winner.
Special Parallels
It would seem that ESP listened by using different images on their special parallels. The special parallels look good and I can see that they have tried to cut parallels number by only including 80 but this is really puzzling. I think just one set of parallels with different images or designs like the old jersey die cuts (I know the different image technically doesn't make them a parallel).
Faces of the Game
Still a basic looking card but much improved IMO with the large signature space on the front. A full set of these signed IP would look sensational. You could completely cut both levels of parallels and bump the numbers of the faces up so they could be the parallel set!
Pieces of the Puzzle
The design of these is significantly different to last year and the actual puzzle that is formed on the back looks much better this season. I didn't see the need for this set to double from 45 to 90 and I thought it could have stayed at 1:12 or at least 1:9.
Club Heroes
I really like this subset and personally it is by far my favorite of the low end insert sets. Good player selection, foil finish looks great and stats on the back are also a good inclusion. I feel that this set could have been a 1:18 inclusion though.
Cyber Heroes / Cyber Heroes Folder
Just another variant of the Galactic Stars from the previous two releases and I really think that this subset has been overdone. The Club logo on the bottom of the card looks okay and for that I would say it is a slight improvement over the Galactic Stars but this is a tired set and needs to be shelved. I think for a one per box insert set they could do much better. In relation to the folder cards it is great to have a bonus card when you purchase a folder but it just seems to be duplication for the sake of duplication. I have heard other collectors mention that this lower end release is aimed at the kids hence the Cyber Heroes style card but in reality Power Play is for the kids and that release is where this kind of card belongs.
Retirements
These are a good looking card, always have been and a set which I am happy to have continued. The players represented are often ones who don't get many cards aside from commons so it is a good acknowledgement of their contribution to a team. The one fault I have is that the player is depicted in the club they last played for. Glenn Stewart a Rabbitoh? Come one! TLL in a storm jersey where he played 2 games as opposed to the previous decade at Canberra? At the very least if a player has multiple clubs then all of the clubs logo should feature on the card. The other issue I have is players who have left the NRL to go to the ESL getting a card, they haven't retired yet! Imagine if Jeff Lima or Zeb Taia had Retirement cards made when they are both now back in the NRL (and killing it just quietly)!
Power Forwards
Great to see the 'piggies' have an insert set dedicated to them because they have been few and far between over the years! The design is not that different to last seasons Club Leaders with a smaller logo. The player selection is good and by varying the theme for this 1:72 insert they have really done well.
SAS Black, Gold and Signatures
While a set like this destroys master set collectors the fact that you can get 18 signature cards with some very good players from a low end release is excellent value for money. When I first heard that there were three levels of this card I instantly thought here we go, all the same images again. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not the case and all three cards together look great. There are some excellent players including Morgan and Lillyman who has never had a signature card. I was personally very happy to add a Croker to my collection despite that terrible moniker! I think that they could have cut down the number further to make the blacks limited to 500 and the golds 300. I couldn't believe that when these were released some were listing the golds at $80-$100, they were never going to be worth even close to that! As ESP are also a player management company I think it has been raised that some agencies are reluctant to let their talent sign cards for ESP. If that is true they have done very well with this release because some the names are huge.
Dynamic Duos
I am not sure whey they changed the design from last years as this will look strange for those putting together a complete set. In saying that Select changed the design of their Future Force signatures every year in 01, 02 and 03 and this was a rolling set. I think the design of this years does look better and the player selection is mostly good but a bit questionable for the Roosters and Souths ( no disrespect to those players). The inclusion of Dynamic Duos as a case sweetener this release has not been a good think. For starters it has driven the price right down and while dealers are an essential part of the hobby the collectors are the ones who should be given the opportunity to jag these cards from packets because cases are just not an option for some.
Legends Signatures
As always an excellent addition. Great looking cards, fantastic player selection and both, particularly Beaver have excellent signatures. The fact that these are /208 means that the prices do stay down around the $300 mark but this is not so bad for a low end release.
Case Cards
We are used to the Legends signatures being duplicated into case cards now but this was a mistake from the beginning. A different them was needed and case card need to be numbered. Select have a great theme with their 200 games club and I think ESP need to find something similar.
Overall
I have enjoyed this release and think it is the best Traders yet. The price has stayed at $4 per packet despite the huge amount of quality signature cards available. As always the starter packs are a great concept and have been adopted by Select also. While there is room for improvement I acknowledge that no release will ever be perfect. The Brownlow Predictor concept being run by Select is sensational and I would love to see a Dally M Predictor come into Traders in 2017. Overall I give this release 7.5/10.
