2021 NRL Elite review

Brendan_B

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Well OZCT members, the NRL is nearly down to eight teams, the officiating is still all over the place and Canberra are back to their inconsistent best, how can you not love the NRL! Back by popular demand is the 2021 Elite review. It is so popular I have heard that one member (I won't name him but his favourite number is 18 and he has a pet rabbit) likes to read the review in his birthday suit, take from that what you will..

2021 has again been a unique year, in particular for my friends south of the border. There have been tough times all round and I don't see the COVID cloud lifting anytime soon, certainly not when society is full of selfish twits who don't care about anything except themselves. I guess these tough times help you appreciate the little things such as living in this wonderful country, family and just general freedoms. The hobby has again seen significant growth this year, no doubt the pandemic is a strong contributor but many of the 'COVID boredom busters' have stuck around. This has seen a continued increase in card prices which is a double-edged sword depending on who you support / collect. My favourite aspect of the hobby has been and always will be breaking boxes and trading to complete sets. There are so many very generous members and it is really heartening to be a part of.

There is a detailed summary at the end but in short, this is a very good release despite the significant cost increase.

As usual, please add your two cents and try to be objective!


OVERVIEW

As we have become accustomed to, Elite is a 24-packet box, ten box per case release. At $10 per packet it is very expensive in comparison to previous releases and NRL cards in general. I know American sports cards collectors are used to these significant prices but the two are just not comparable. The big question this year is relating to the price rise. Is a $2 per packet, $50 per box increase justified based on the product? Has this significant cost increase pushed some collectors out of the hobby?

Elite was always meant to be the higher end hobby release. To that end I have no issues with there not being 'newsagent stock'. I enjoyed heading to the newsagent and grabbing a handful of packets as much as anyone however the product is still very accessible online as packets, boxes and breaks.

The packets and boxes are a nice clean design and unlike 2020, the collation for the most part is very good, I am yet to see or hear of a box with less than two hits. The quality control seems to be quite good this year, some of the effort players put into their signatures is questionable but TLA can't be blamed for a player having a lack of pride in their mark.

FOLDERS

Same same but different, the design never changes, and I really think that TLA could offer a far better quality of folder for their high-end release. At $35, there must be a folder card included. I understand that TLA really cut back the quantity this year (1500 in total I was told) and that has driven the price up but really, a change in design like Select do would be well received. At the very least, if folders are going to be reduced could they be numbered on the inside cover? I am certain some collectors would love to have a particular numbered folder.

BASE SET

I was really excited after last year showed some effort to include the background. Unfortunately, not this year which is a shame. I am sure there is a licensing reason behind this but the best commons from the Scanlen's and Dynamic era. I do not really chase IP’s, but I am sure these base cards would come up a treat with the lighter coloured background and matte finish. 144 is a good number, with nine per page however I would still like to see the club logo be the 'middle card'' of each team set and instead of a checklist contain some info about premierships etc as opposed to being a checklist. Some very high-profile players missed out, but they weren't playing the early rounds when the images are taken from, what can you do.

SILVER SPECIAL

These are not a terrible set. They are not my favourites and I only ever put together a Raiders set for the PC. I worked out that the silver special set is the second or third rarest set of the low ends (550 per card or thereabouts) so they should really be worth a bit more. With the hobby being mostly team collectors now, I can't imagine there ends up being any more than 200 complete sets of silver specials. I am a big fan of the use of different images to the base and the only way this set could improve would be to foil number the parallels to value add for the low-end packet buyer. I liked how this was done in Glory and I believe the AFL do it in their series 2 release. I think this would certainly help justify the price increase.

ENFORCERS

This is perfect example of a low-end Elite set. Great theme, good player selections, WNRL component and a nice-looking cards. This is a far better inclusion then last year’s low end sets. I also think the matte finish on these lower cards really works well.

ALL STARS

I understand how important this game is to the Indigenous and Maori players in the NRL but in terms of a collectible set, it is just not that popular. The cards themselves are actually well designed and don't look to bad, certainly better than previous years but I would much rather see a 9-card team set added to the base.

DALLY M

I was happy to see this set continue. This year’s design is very nice (how can you not love a card in landscape...) and I really like how the set expands to cover other awards aside from the Team of the Year. The lighter background works better than last years (they were nice cards also though) and I think these would have been an outstanding priority card. Great example of how a low-end Elite set should be. The errors in this set were pretty bad though, from the wrong team info on the back of one card to the numbering issue with Harry Grant, which was even on the checklist, not the best QC here.

YOUNG GUNS

Back from a one per box to a two per box hit this year. Nice enough cards, I did prefer last years though. The WNRL is a good inclusion, player selection is generally okay, and they seem quite popular with some cards still hitting more than $10 each. As there are no standard YG's in priority there are only about 333 per card. Not super limited but a challenging enough set to put together requiring nearly two cases (assuming you don't get doubles). The design reminds me a little bit of the Rookie Standouts from 2012 Champions.

MASTERS SERIES / MASTER SERIES SIGNATURES

Back again from last year and I really like this subset. The big issue this year is the player selection being Darius Boyd. There is no doubting he was a wonderful, elite level player, 2 premierships with different clubs, 300+ first grade games, an integral part of the greatest origin run in history, Kangaroo / world cup winner, CCM, his accolades go on. I guess most people remember how his career finished, in a struggling Brisbane side where he certainly didn't go out on top of his game. That and the fact that last year’s Master Series was Slater who is a future immortal and another level from Boyd makes this set a little less desirable. The cards themselves are still well presented, clean designs, signature cards are magnificent in hand. I really hope the set continues for each release, hopefully we get back on track in terms of 'masters'. Given Boyd won a premiership with the Dragons I think the club card should have had at least two images on it.

CAPTAINS

They're back (insert gremlin emoji here), and how!! A year off for this subset was the best thing ever as it allowed a few new players to have cards. I know that the Roosters Captains retired as did Morgan and Hodgson stepped down, but these players selections would have been current as at round 4. These are excellent looking cards and like the Dally M last year I think the standard version looks better than the priority parallel version.

YOUNG GUNS BLACK SIGNATURE

It is good to see these back and to be honest, if TLA were any chance of justifying the huge price increase they needed another level of signature card. Numbered to /110 per card makes the set quite collectible and achievable for punters to get their team. The first WNRL cards are cool, not my thing but good to see some acknowledgement. The design is a parallel of the standard YG white but works well, the issue I have is the thin strip for the player to sign in. At the very least the signature ‘box’ should have been the same size as the LS allowing for a quality signature, many of the player signatures for this are quite small. The player selection is a bit of a mixed bag, as a raiders fan I am happy with Hudson Young (even happier that he is just playing footy now and not being a grub), Hynes and Koloamatangi are standouts also. Overall, pretty good effort on these.

LEAGUE SENSATIONS SIGNATURE

I really like these. They have a very basic, ‘clean’ design, plenty of room to sign and at /80 are a nice card in hand. From what I have seen, the signature quality is pretty good, player selection is also not terrible. G Willy for Canberra I am happy with, he would have been well locked in before things went sour and didn’t Canberra miss him. I am happy with his card; he played some excellent football for Canberra. A few repeats in the set tarnishes it a bit, Bromwich had an LS a few years back, Hiku was the warriors LS in 2019 Elite. Dufty, I don’t think it was expected he would leave the Dragons, Gagai in a Souths jumper, not a bad get before he leaves. Overall good set and the LS is really the cornerstone of Elite.

LSB

I really like this variant and the gold foiling and team logo really standout from the card due to the dark background. I really wish they would have had a black signature box and signed with gold pen; this would have put these cards over the top!

LST

I love the short print run of /20 but for a high-end card like this, there is no ‘pop. I managed to pull the Canberra version from a box and just assumed it was an LSB until I check the numbering. Last years version had the very colourful logo behind the player and really added something to the card.

GAME CHANGERS

A 1:5 box (2 per case hit), fresh theme and nice design, quality player selection and overall a good inclusion. Numbered to /45 makes the chase on these a challenge but not impossible. I am curious as to why the players height, weight and DOB is on the front, surely this should have been on the back. If they needed some info on the front, why not a stat that shows why they are game changer? Tries, tries assists etc. Perhaps I am being too critical, but I do like these cards. The bigger issue is how they are inserted. A two per case hit in the one packet. I thought this had to be a mistake but now, I am led to believe that it was deliberate to create a hot pack / box. Not a terrible idea and no issues if you break a case but if you are in a case share, not as good of an option. There are 120 of these in excess to the production run and again you will find all of these extra GC’s in priority cases / boxes.

RUBY / SAPPHIRE / EMERALD MOJOS

These have really grown on me. They look so much better in hand and the increase of rubies to /46 and sapphires to /23 has helped the overall collation and ensured that each box has at least two hits. The club logo versions for the ruby and sapphire variant don’t pop that well but are not terrible. I find it really hard to read the numbers this year, probably because my eyes are post 40 now! Overall, these have become another cornerstone of Elite. Being inserted a singles makes even a team set tough to complete but has certainly added value and encourages trade. Looks wise, the emeralds are by far and away the best.

BLACK DIAMOND MOJOS

These are a classy looking card with the gold foil on a black background and dual player image working perfectly for a high-end hit. The prices are crazy though, $200 to $500 per card, a near impossible set to complete for a team collector. Should these have been kept as team sets? Initially I thought so but now, after seeing how popular the chase is, I am not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I will likely retire before I complete this set! Again, I am sure the singular release of these was to ensure the price rise was justified. I do know that there are 720 of these in total which is an excess of 60 compared to the production run. All these extra 60 are going to be one per case in the Priority.

CASE CARDS

Yes, nailed it TLA. Finally, they have listened and come up with a case card theme that can be rolled out for many Elites to come. The Milestone theme is great as it will allow different players each release to get a case card and as I said, every club will have multiple ‘Milestone’ players per year to choose from. Low numbered at /42, really nice card in hand, perfect example of a case card, kudos TLA.

SPOTLIGHT JERSEY / JERSEY BOOKLET SIGNATURE

These were such a great concept when introduced in 2019 and we finally have the set completed. I understand that last year there were significant issues with getting game worn jerseys (damn you COVID). The player selection is not great for a high-end set, however. I will acknowledge that maybe only certain players will give they jersey but aside from Sivo and Kikau, I can’t imagine the other 4 are that well sought after. The booklet design is very innovative, and I am a big fan and I hope this year the best patches are for the low / jersey numbered cards. I wonder what themed jersey card will be rolled out in 2022 Elite.

BALL PATCH / BOOT PATCH

Another card I haven't held in hand but seem popular enough despite the use of the same player. I thought that the ball patch for Darius should have been the ‘gender reveal’ ball…The boot patch is innovative and being from his 300th game a great piece of memorabilia. The use of another player would have been a better option.

FUTERA GOLD 1/1

I am glad to see these back and the design is absolutely second to none. Clearly, the best patches have been saved for these cards and so they should. I have not seen one in hand, but the posted images really do such a rare and high-end card justice. I still don’t understand why there were no 1/1’s for the Canberra and Warriors version last year, some of the decisions are just strange.

MASTER SET GOLDEN TICKET

It is good to see these back. What a hit this would be and to that end I would hope that it is not ‘known’ which cases they are in and are just randomly inserted to allow your average a collector a shot at these. This really value adds to the release.

PRIORITY YOUNG GUNS

These are nothing on last years design, quite in comparison average if you ask me. As a two per box priority hit I am glad the number per card has reduced to allow some value to maintain, I think last years equivalent (Dally M Priority) were /67, far too high of a number for a priority card. I think that the Dally M’s would have been an amazing priority card, far better than the YG’s but this would put us back to the higher numbered priority card.


PRIORITY CAPTAIN

I can barely tell the difference between a standard captain and the priority version. It is lucky the captain’s cards are nice already, but I really seen no difference. /38 is getting a bit high in my opinion for the one per box priority but there are no other options. A Game Changer Priority would have been cool, but these would have been a very low number considering they are already /45.

SUMMARY

A good release that has improved on 2020 Elite in my opinion. The main reason for the improvement is the QC and collation are generally quite good and these are very important factors for me. The low-end aspect is much improved from last year, the inclusion of YGB signatures, Game Changers, increase in MR / MS numbers are all aspects which add value and help to justify the price increase. The player selection is good but not great, particularly for the Spotlight cards. The repetition of some players is bound to happen with how often players change clubs these days and the volume of signature cards being produced. Surely TLA could have done better than Hiku and J Brom.

So, the big question, is the significant cost increase justified? No, I don’t believe so. $9 per packet would have been acceptable but I think they are maybe a touch short of $10 per packet in value. Perhaps one more level of numbered insert, or a numbered box card. The album is also overpriced for what you are getting.

None the less, this is a good release, enjoyable to break, some great cards, well designed, fresh ideas and generally good collation. I have enjoyed breaking some product and hopefully can get back into some trades over the next few weeks.

Enjoy the read, happy collecting and good luck on your busts!


Elite 21 – 8/10
 
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Well OZCT members, the NRL is nearly down to eight teams, the officiating is still all over the place and Canberra are back to their inconsistent best, how can you not love the NRL! Back by popular demand is the 2021 Elite review. It is so popular I have heard that one member (I won't name him but his favourite number is 18 and he has a pet rabbit) likes to read the review in his birthday suit, take from that what you will..

2021 has again been a unique year, in particular for my friends south of the border. There have been tough times all round and I don't see the COVID cloud lifting anytime soon, certainly not when society is full of selfish twits who don't care about anything except themselves. I guess these tough times help you appreciate the little things such as living in this wonderful country, family and just general freedoms. The hobby has again seen significant growth this year, no doubt the pandemic is a strong contributor but many of the 'COVID boredom busters' have stuck around. This has seen a continued increase in card prices which is a double-edged sword depending on who you support / collect. My favourite aspect of the hobby has been and always will be breaking boxes and trading to complete sets. There are so many very generous members and it is really heartening to be a part of.

There is a detailed summary at the end but in short, this is a very good release despite the significant cost increase.

As usual, please add your two cents and try to be objective!


OVERVIEW

As we have become accustomed to, Elite is a 24-packet box, ten box per case release. At $10 per packet it is very expensive in comparison to previous releases and NRL cards in general. I know American sports cards collectors are used to these significant prices but the two are just not comparable. The big question this year is relating to the price rise. Is a $2 per packet, $50 per box increase justified based on the product? Has this significant cost increase pushed some collectors out of the hobby?

Elite was always meant to be the higher end hobby release. To that end I have no issues with there not being 'newsagent stock'. I enjoyed heading to the newsagent and grabbing a handful of packets as much as anyone however the product is still very accessible online as packets, boxes and breaks.

The packets and boxes are a nice clean design and unlike 2020, the collation for the most part is very good, I am yet to see or hear of a box with less than two hits. The quality control seems to be quite good this year, some of the effort players put into their signatures is questionable but TLA can't be blamed for a player having a lack of pride in their mark.

FOLDERS

Same same but different, the design never changes, and I really think that TLA could offer a far better quality of folder for their high-end release. At $35, there must be a folder card included. I understand that TLA really cut back the quantity this year (1500 in total I was told) and that has driven the price up but really, a change in design like Select do would be well received. At the very least, if folders are going to be reduced could they be numbered on the inside cover? I am certain some collectors would love to have a particular numbered folder.

BASE SET

I was really excited after last year showed some effort to include the background. Unfortunately, not this year which is a shame. I am sure there is a licensing reason behind this but the best commons from the Scanlen's and Dynamic era. I do not really chase IP’s, but I am sure these base cards would come up a treat with the lighter coloured background and matte finish. 144 is a good number, with nine per page however I would still like to see the club logo be the 'middle card'' of each team set and instead of a checklist contain some info about premierships etc as opposed to being a checklist. Some very high-profile players missed out, but they weren't playing the early rounds when the images are taken from, what can you do.

SILVER SPECIAL

These are not a terrible set. They are not my favourites and I only ever put together a Raiders set for the PC. I worked out that the silver special set is the second or third rarest set of the low ends (550 per card or thereabouts) so they should really be worth a bit more. With the hobby being mostly team collectors now, I can't imagine there ends up being any more than 200 complete sets of silver specials. I am a big fan of the use of different images to the base and the only way this set could improve would be to foil number the parallels to value add for the low-end packet buyer. I liked how this was done in Glory and I believe the AFL do it in their series 2 release. I think this would certainly help justify the price increase.

ENFORCERS

This is perfect example of a low-end Elite set. Great theme, good player selections, WNRL component and a nice-looking cards. This is a far better inclusion then last year’s low end sets. I also think the matte finish on these lower cards really works well.

ALL STARS

I understand how important this game is to the Indigenous and Maori players in the NRL but in terms of a collectible set, it is just not that popular. The cards themselves are actually well designed and don't look to bad, certainly better than previous years but I would much rather see a 9-card team set added to the base.

DALLY M

I was happy to see this set continue. This year’s design is very nice (how can you not love a card in landscape...) and I really like how the set expands to cover other awards aside from the Team of the Year. The lighter background works better than last years (they were nice cards also though) and I think these would have been an outstanding priority card. Great example of how a low-end Elite set should be. The errors in this set were pretty bad though, from the wrong team info on the back of one card to the numbering issue with Harry Grant, which was even on the checklist, not the best QC here.

YOUNG GUNS

Back from a one per box to a two per box hit this year. Nice enough cards, I did prefer last years though. The WNRL is a good inclusion, player selection is generally okay, and they seem quite popular with some cards still hitting more than $10 each. As there are no standard YG's in priority there are only about 333 per card. Not super limited but a challenging enough set to put together requiring nearly two cases (assuming you don't get doubles). The design reminds me a little bit of the Rookie Standouts from 2012 Champions.

MASTERS SERIES / MASTER SERIES SIGNATURES

Back again from last year and I really like this subset. The big issue this year is the player selection being Darius Boyd. There is no doubting he was a wonderful, elite level player, 2 premierships with different clubs, 300+ first grade games, an integral part of the greatest origin run in history, Kangaroo / world cup winner, CCM, his accolades go on. I guess most people remember how his career finished, in a struggling Brisbane side where he certainly didn't go out on top of his game. That and the fact that last year’s Master Series was Slater who is a future immortal and another level from Boyd makes this set a little less desirable. The cards themselves are still well presented, clean designs, signature cards are magnificent in hand. I really hope the set continues for each release, hopefully we get back on track in terms of 'masters'. Given Boyd won a premiership with the Dragons I think the club card should have had at least two images on it.

CAPTAINS

They're back (insert gremlin emoji here), and how!! A year off for this subset was the best thing ever as it allowed a few new players to have cards. I know that the Roosters Captains retired as did Morgan and Hodgson stepped down, but these players selections would have been current as at round 4. These are excellent looking cards and like the Dally M last year I think the standard version looks better than the priority parallel version.

YOUNG GUNS BLACK SIGNATURE

It is good to see these back and to be honest, if TLA were any chance of justifying the huge price increase they needed another level of signature card. Numbered to /110 per card makes the set quite collectible and achievable for punters to get their team. The first WNRL cards are cool, not my thing but good to see some acknowledgement. The design is a parallel of the standard YG white but works well, the issue I have is the thin strip for the player to sign in. At the very least the signature ‘box’ should have been the same size as the LS allowing for a quality signature, many of the player signatures for this are quite small. The player selection is a bit of a mixed bag, as a raiders fan I am happy with Hudson Young (even happier that he is just playing footy now and not being a grub), Hynes and Koloamatangi are standouts also. Overall, pretty good effort on these.

LEAGUE SENSATIONS SIGNATURE

I really like these. They have a very basic, ‘clean’ design, plenty of room to sign and at /80 are a nice card in hand. From what I have seen, the signature quality is pretty good, player selection is also not terrible. G Willy for Canberra I am happy with, he would have been well locked in before things went sour and didn’t Canberra miss him. I am happy with his card; he played some excellent football for Canberra. A few repeats in the set tarnishes it a bit, Bromwich had an LS a few years back, Hiku was the warriors LS in 2019 Elite. Dufty, I don’t think it was expected he would leave the Dragons, Gagai in a Souths jumper, not a bad get before he leaves. Overall good set and the LS is really the cornerstone of Elite.

LSB

I really like this variant and the gold foiling and team logo really standout from the card due to the dark background. I really wish they would have had a black signature box and signed with gold pen; this would have put these cards over the top!

LST

I love the short print run of /20 but for a high-end card like this, there is no ‘pop. I managed to pull the Canberra version from a box and just assumed it was an LSB until I check the numbering. Last years version had the very colourful logo behind the player and really added something to the card.

GAME CHANGERS

A 1:5 box (2 per case hit), fresh theme and nice design, quality player selection and overall a good inclusion. Numbered to /45 makes the chase on these a challenge but not impossible. I am curious as to why the players height, weight and DOB is on the front, surely this should have been on the back. If they needed some info on the front, why not a stat that shows why they are game changer? Tries, tries assists etc. Perhaps I am being too critical, but I do like these cards. The bigger issue is how they are inserted. A two per case hit in the one packet. I thought this had to be a mistake but now, I am led to believe that it was deliberate to create a hot pack / box. Not a terrible idea and no issues if you break a case but if you are in a case share, not as good of an option. There are 120 of these in excess to the production run and again you will find all of these extra GC’s in priority cases / boxes.

RUBY / SAPPHIRE / EMERALD MOJOS

These have really grown on me. They look so much better in hand and the increase of rubies to /46 and sapphires to /23 has helped the overall collation and ensured that each box has at least two hits. The club logo versions for the ruby and sapphire variant don’t pop that well but are not terrible. I find it really hard to read the numbers this year, probably because my eyes are post 40 now! Overall, these have become another cornerstone of Elite. Being inserted a singles makes even a team set tough to complete but has certainly added value and encourages trade. Looks wise, the emeralds are by far and away the best.

BLACK DIAMOND MOJOS

These are a classy looking card with the gold foil on a black background and dual player image working perfectly for a high-end hit. The prices are crazy though, $200 to $500 per card, a near impossible set to complete for a team collector. Should these have been kept as team sets? Initially I thought so but now, after seeing how popular the chase is, I am not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I will likely retire before I complete this set! Again, I am sure the singular release of these was to ensure the price rise was justified. I do know that there are 720 of these in total which is an excess of 60 compared to the production run. All these extra 60 are going to be one per case in the Priority.

CASE CARDS

Yes, nailed it TLA. Finally, they have listened and come up with a case card theme that can be rolled out for many Elites to come. The Milestone theme is great as it will allow different players each release to get a case card and as I said, every club will have multiple ‘Milestone’ players per year to choose from. Low numbered at /42, really nice card in hand, perfect example of a case card, kudos TLA.

SPOTLIGHT JERSEY / JERSEY BOOKLET SIGNATURE

These were such a great concept when introduced in 2019 and we finally have the set completed. I understand that last year there were significant issues with getting game worn jerseys (damn you COVID). The player selection is not great for a high-end set, however. I will acknowledge that maybe only certain players will give they jersey but aside from Sivo and Kikau, I can’t imagine the other 4 are that well sought after. The booklet design is very innovative, and I am a big fan and I hope this year the best patches are for the low / jersey numbered cards. I wonder what themed jersey card will be rolled out in 2022 Elite.

BALL PATCH / BOOT PATCH

Another card I haven't held in hand but seem popular enough despite the use of the same player. I thought that the ball patch for Darius should have been the ‘gender reveal’ ball…The boot patch is innovative and being from his 300th game a great piece of memorabilia. The use of another player would have been a better option.

FUTERA GOLD 1/1

I am glad to see these back and the design is absolutely second to none. Clearly, the best patches have been saved for these cards and so they should. I have not seen one in hand, but the posted images really do such a rare and high-end card justice. I still don’t understand why there were no 1/1’s for the Canberra and Warriors version last year, some of the decisions are just strange.

MASTER SET GOLDEN TICKET

It is good to see these back. What a hit this would be and to that end I would hope that it is not ‘known’ which cases they are in and are just randomly inserted to allow your average a collector a shot at these. This really value adds to the release.

PRIORITY YOUNG GUNS

These are nothing on last years design, quite in comparison average if you ask me. As a two per box priority hit I am glad the number per card has reduced to allow some value to maintain, I think last years equivalent (Dally M Priority) were /67, far too high of a number for a priority card. I think that the Dally M’s would have been an amazing priority card, far better than the YG’s but this would put us back to the higher numbered priority card.


PRIORITY CAPTAIN

I can barely tell the difference between a standard captain and the priority version. It is lucky the captain’s cards are nice already, but I really seen no difference. /38 is getting a bit high in my opinion for the one per box priority but there are no other options. A Game Changer Priority would have been cool, but these would have been a very low number considering they are already /45.

SUMMARY

A good release that has improved on 2020 Elite in my opinion. The main reason for the improvement is the QC and collation are generally quite good and these are very important factors for me. The low-end aspect is much improved from last year, the inclusion of YGB signatures, Game Changers, increase in MR / MS numbers are all aspects which add value and help to justify the price increase. The player selection is good but not great, particularly for the Spotlight cards. The repetition of some players is bound to happen with how often players change clubs these days and the volume of signature cards being produced. Surely TLA could have done better than Hiku and J Brom.

So, the big question, is the significant cost increase justified? No, I don’t believe so. $9 per packet would have been acceptable but I think they are maybe a touch short of $10 per packet in value. Perhaps one more level of numbered insert, or a numbered box card. The album is also overpriced for what you are getting.

None the less, this is a good release, enjoyable to break, some great cards, well designed, fresh ideas and generally good collation. I have enjoyed breaking some product and hopefully can get back into some trades over the next few weeks.

Enjoy the read, happy collecting and good luck on your busts!


Elite 21 – 8/10
I bought 4 boxes and got 1 black diamond, 2 game changers and one was a number 1 and the other was player jersey number and got a number 1 redemption young gun and a LS sig numbered 3 so think I did OK this time - rarely happens!
 
Great overview - this is one of my favourite release and for the first time you few like you can “hit big” every time you open a box.
 
I’ve just finished sorting the case of commons. Stunning cards. Needs more commons per team at that quality.

I understand the chase levels etc but one thing elite could do is

12 commons
2/3 enforcer or speedster type cards.
1 captain
2 young guns
League sensation.
All different players so would give you an all round squad of 17/18 players in set.

Then the ruby sapphire emerald etc could be 9 of those players.

Still, I like the cards very much. I actually went off cards for a bit collecting out of habit but the 4 sets this year have been fun.

Great review too @Brendan_B . Thank u.
 
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