Brendan_B
OZCT Supporter
Three weeks in, dust starting to settle from the initial stampede and decent cards being sold for next to nothing on the secondary market...
Time for a review!
ALBUM
The design hasn't really changed at all over the years. The album is okay but without a bonus packet or album card it is well over priced at $25 from dealers or $30 from retailers. Without an album card the folders should be no more than $19.95
COMMONS
I really like this years commons. After a couple of years of the black or dark background this is a nice change and I think shaded area really adds to the image. The matte finish is also quite nice and the IP's I have seen on these look amazing. As always I would like to see either 9 or 18 in the set and I would still love to see a subset among the commons such as coaches.
BOX CARD COMMONS
Lets address this highly contentious issue! Firstly I love the idea of the box card, value adds to the box for the average punter and something different to chase. Personally I have no major issues with the tenth common being a box card (I always put a base set together) as I like the thrill of the chase and trading. I will however concede that this was probably not ESP's best idea and it is good to see that they have acknowledge this by offering a packet redemption. Moving forward, I think the box cards should be BC1 - BC16 so every club gets one and these could be a club logo with the club history on the back.
SILVER SPECIALS
Lets start with the obvious, they are not silver they are black...I think these look classy and the contrast to the commons as well as the significant variance from previous releases is excellent. I have seen a few these IP signed in gold and wow! As with the common set I would like to see team sets as 9.
SHARP SHOOTERS
This is exactly the type of card I expect from a very low end insert. 1:4 is right as it gives you plenty of hits in the box and the theme is something a bit different. The matte finish on these detracts a bit, I prefer a glossy finish but I don't think we have seen that since 13 Elite's Triple Threats. The other issue I have with this set is some player selection. Sharp Shooter implies a general play or goal kicker and players such as Rapana (did kick a cracking 40/20 earlier this year though), Vunivalu, Nightingale don't really fit this.
MASTER & APPRENTICE
Rehashed from 14 Elite with the same landscape design but a much cleaner look. I quite like these and think that the bold Master or Apprentice is a nice touch. Player selection seems fairly spot on to me, the only issue I have, and it's very minor, is they are harder to display nicely in the 9 pocket sleeves! I think maybe a third card per team with both players combined would rectify this issue nicely.
DALLY M AWARDS
A really good set, great theme is nicely designed card. This set is seeded at 1:12 packets but I only got two per box in the ones that I opened. In any case, I think this set is a winner and one that could be a consistent feature in years to come.
2018 CAPTAINS
I am not a fan of this set at all. It is a tired theme and there has been minimal movement of skippers to warrant giving it a third year. The portrait style design is not the best look and I much prefer the action shots of the players from previous years. Perhaps moving forward, the Captain card could be an idea for the box cards?
YOUNG GUNS SIGNATURES
Some absolutely cracking player selections in this lot and the cards themselves have a nice clean design which allows the signature to be the focal point, which it should. I am not aware of any major inconsistencies with pens used and limiting these back to /90 should help with maintaining value.
LEAGUE SENSATION SIGNATURES
Again, some excellent players selections and even though a few have had signature cards with ESP before they were with a different club (aside from Taupau). From a personal perspective I was stoked to get Blake Austin as he is leaving the club and I have enjoyed watching him in his 4 years at Canberra. The design is also nice, clean and simple.
YG & LS BLACK SIGNATURES
What a sensation addition to the release these are! Beautifully designed cards and the signatures, particularly the gold on the LSB really jump off the page. A very limited production run of /40 will ensure that the value on these steadily increases much like the League Leader Blacks from Dynasty. The LSB's are one of the nicest insert sets ESP have produced. Well done! The only side note I would add here is that damage shows up very badly on these so I think that maybe via redemption for all of them is a better option.
CASE CARDS
I haven't seen these in hand but the theme is great and anyone who can play 300+ games in the NRL should be celebrated. The designs seem nice and signed case cards are always a great addition, even if these are just sticker signatures.
ROAD TO THE FINALS SILVER / GOLD
Again, I haven't seen one in hand but the pictures I have seen look great. These continue to be nicely designed cards and the player selection is pretty decent this time around. Thaiday, Brisbane / QLD legend and retiring, Holmes, absolute Super Star, Morgan, was the best player in the game in last years run to the finals and King, although not on the same level as the other three, was very good during Parra's run last year. I would like to have seen some other teams get a card as the Sharks, Brisbane and the Cows have all featured before but I also understand that some clubs are harder to get the jerseys off. I am aware that the production run increased slightly this year hence the increase in numbers but I fell that /80 is just to high of a number for a high end signature card.
ALL STARS MATCH BALL
Something very different and interesting that the ball is from 2015 in a 2018 release! That aside the cards look great and the patches are excellent. Quite limited in number and hard to get at 1:8 cases however many cases have contained two and this is a big muck up. Good initiative though.
GOLDEN TICKET REDEMPTION
I really hope it is a punter who jags this randomly as it is about $15,000 + worth. I also hope that the lucky individual is a genuine collector and doesn't try and flip the card cheaply! This is a really great idea and brings back memories of 02 Challenge and the Treasure Redemptions!
MOJO'S
Ruby: Brilliant concept making these one per box. Value adds to the box, increases value significantly (previous ruby mojo sets were struggling to his $100, these are a minimum of $20 each) and above has given the actual trading of cards a real shot in the arm. The design is not as fancy as previous years but I really like these and you could potentially have a team set comprising of individual jersey numbers!
Sapphire, Emerald & Black Diamond: I am not to sure if the black diamond was a good addition or not. They are certainly a rare and very limited set but paying up to or in excess of $1000 for an unsigned team insert set just doesn't interest me. As mentioned with the ruby mojo, the cards are no where near as fancy as previous years but I do like the double image on the Emerald and Black. Overall these are certainly a nice card but I am unsure on so many variants moving forward.
SUMMARY
Overall this is an excellent set and in my opinion the best Elite release yet. As always there are a few things that need tinkering but that is purely a subjective view. I like the current make up of 24 packets per box but would still like to see this release be split into hobby ($8 per packet and available from dealers only) and retail ($6 per packet from shops) with some of the really high end stuff only in the hobby cases. ESP always show lots of initiative and change things up, even the packets are in landscape this year! I am a big fan of the nostalgia aspect of Rugby League and would like to see a bit of heritage in the Elite. We have the Legends in Traders, maybe a club legend at !:5 boxes in the Elite, doesn't have to be signed, just a limited and numbered card voted on by the collectors.
A very solid release, enjoying collecting it, 8/10.
Please feel free to comment, agree, disagree. I feel that forums like this certainly provide ideas and impetus for change in the hobby.
Time for a review!
ALBUM
The design hasn't really changed at all over the years. The album is okay but without a bonus packet or album card it is well over priced at $25 from dealers or $30 from retailers. Without an album card the folders should be no more than $19.95
COMMONS
I really like this years commons. After a couple of years of the black or dark background this is a nice change and I think shaded area really adds to the image. The matte finish is also quite nice and the IP's I have seen on these look amazing. As always I would like to see either 9 or 18 in the set and I would still love to see a subset among the commons such as coaches.
BOX CARD COMMONS
Lets address this highly contentious issue! Firstly I love the idea of the box card, value adds to the box for the average punter and something different to chase. Personally I have no major issues with the tenth common being a box card (I always put a base set together) as I like the thrill of the chase and trading. I will however concede that this was probably not ESP's best idea and it is good to see that they have acknowledge this by offering a packet redemption. Moving forward, I think the box cards should be BC1 - BC16 so every club gets one and these could be a club logo with the club history on the back.
SILVER SPECIALS
Lets start with the obvious, they are not silver they are black...I think these look classy and the contrast to the commons as well as the significant variance from previous releases is excellent. I have seen a few these IP signed in gold and wow! As with the common set I would like to see team sets as 9.
SHARP SHOOTERS
This is exactly the type of card I expect from a very low end insert. 1:4 is right as it gives you plenty of hits in the box and the theme is something a bit different. The matte finish on these detracts a bit, I prefer a glossy finish but I don't think we have seen that since 13 Elite's Triple Threats. The other issue I have with this set is some player selection. Sharp Shooter implies a general play or goal kicker and players such as Rapana (did kick a cracking 40/20 earlier this year though), Vunivalu, Nightingale don't really fit this.
MASTER & APPRENTICE
Rehashed from 14 Elite with the same landscape design but a much cleaner look. I quite like these and think that the bold Master or Apprentice is a nice touch. Player selection seems fairly spot on to me, the only issue I have, and it's very minor, is they are harder to display nicely in the 9 pocket sleeves! I think maybe a third card per team with both players combined would rectify this issue nicely.
DALLY M AWARDS
A really good set, great theme is nicely designed card. This set is seeded at 1:12 packets but I only got two per box in the ones that I opened. In any case, I think this set is a winner and one that could be a consistent feature in years to come.
2018 CAPTAINS
I am not a fan of this set at all. It is a tired theme and there has been minimal movement of skippers to warrant giving it a third year. The portrait style design is not the best look and I much prefer the action shots of the players from previous years. Perhaps moving forward, the Captain card could be an idea for the box cards?
YOUNG GUNS SIGNATURES
Some absolutely cracking player selections in this lot and the cards themselves have a nice clean design which allows the signature to be the focal point, which it should. I am not aware of any major inconsistencies with pens used and limiting these back to /90 should help with maintaining value.
LEAGUE SENSATION SIGNATURES
Again, some excellent players selections and even though a few have had signature cards with ESP before they were with a different club (aside from Taupau). From a personal perspective I was stoked to get Blake Austin as he is leaving the club and I have enjoyed watching him in his 4 years at Canberra. The design is also nice, clean and simple.
YG & LS BLACK SIGNATURES
What a sensation addition to the release these are! Beautifully designed cards and the signatures, particularly the gold on the LSB really jump off the page. A very limited production run of /40 will ensure that the value on these steadily increases much like the League Leader Blacks from Dynasty. The LSB's are one of the nicest insert sets ESP have produced. Well done! The only side note I would add here is that damage shows up very badly on these so I think that maybe via redemption for all of them is a better option.
CASE CARDS
I haven't seen these in hand but the theme is great and anyone who can play 300+ games in the NRL should be celebrated. The designs seem nice and signed case cards are always a great addition, even if these are just sticker signatures.
ROAD TO THE FINALS SILVER / GOLD
Again, I haven't seen one in hand but the pictures I have seen look great. These continue to be nicely designed cards and the player selection is pretty decent this time around. Thaiday, Brisbane / QLD legend and retiring, Holmes, absolute Super Star, Morgan, was the best player in the game in last years run to the finals and King, although not on the same level as the other three, was very good during Parra's run last year. I would like to have seen some other teams get a card as the Sharks, Brisbane and the Cows have all featured before but I also understand that some clubs are harder to get the jerseys off. I am aware that the production run increased slightly this year hence the increase in numbers but I fell that /80 is just to high of a number for a high end signature card.
ALL STARS MATCH BALL
Something very different and interesting that the ball is from 2015 in a 2018 release! That aside the cards look great and the patches are excellent. Quite limited in number and hard to get at 1:8 cases however many cases have contained two and this is a big muck up. Good initiative though.
GOLDEN TICKET REDEMPTION
I really hope it is a punter who jags this randomly as it is about $15,000 + worth. I also hope that the lucky individual is a genuine collector and doesn't try and flip the card cheaply! This is a really great idea and brings back memories of 02 Challenge and the Treasure Redemptions!
MOJO'S
Ruby: Brilliant concept making these one per box. Value adds to the box, increases value significantly (previous ruby mojo sets were struggling to his $100, these are a minimum of $20 each) and above has given the actual trading of cards a real shot in the arm. The design is not as fancy as previous years but I really like these and you could potentially have a team set comprising of individual jersey numbers!
Sapphire, Emerald & Black Diamond: I am not to sure if the black diamond was a good addition or not. They are certainly a rare and very limited set but paying up to or in excess of $1000 for an unsigned team insert set just doesn't interest me. As mentioned with the ruby mojo, the cards are no where near as fancy as previous years but I do like the double image on the Emerald and Black. Overall these are certainly a nice card but I am unsure on so many variants moving forward.
SUMMARY
Overall this is an excellent set and in my opinion the best Elite release yet. As always there are a few things that need tinkering but that is purely a subjective view. I like the current make up of 24 packets per box but would still like to see this release be split into hobby ($8 per packet and available from dealers only) and retail ($6 per packet from shops) with some of the really high end stuff only in the hobby cases. ESP always show lots of initiative and change things up, even the packets are in landscape this year! I am a big fan of the nostalgia aspect of Rugby League and would like to see a bit of heritage in the Elite. We have the Legends in Traders, maybe a club legend at !:5 boxes in the Elite, doesn't have to be signed, just a limited and numbered card voted on by the collectors.
A very solid release, enjoying collecting it, 8/10.
Please feel free to comment, agree, disagree. I feel that forums like this certainly provide ideas and impetus for change in the hobby.
