Let's Have Some Fun - If the Licensees Have a Cap...

[RGM81]

OK here's your fun assignment for the weekend.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that each licensee--Upper Deck and Panini--are restricted to 12 sets each. In 2009-10, Upper Deck has 23 products to roll out through the course of the year. They are:

Artifacts
Be A Player
Black
Black Diamond
Champ's
Collector's Choice
Ice
McDonald's
MVP
OPC Premier
O-Pee-Chee
O-Pee-Chee Metal
Ovation
SP Authentic
SP Game Used
SPx
The Cup
Trilogy
Ultimate Collection
Ultra
Upper Deck 1
Upper Deck 2
Victory

Like it or not, UD has already announced that Victory will continue next year, so you get 11 choices. You can axe whichever sets you like, and you are allowed to fold subsets into the other releases. When done, you should have 11 sets plus Victory plus whatever subsets you want to still see around in other products.

Upper Deck has to do this as well, so who knows, maybe somebody's watching and will take our ideas into consideration.

Have fun!

[LALakers23]

Great Idea man, here are my picks.

1.Victory-I have to. mehh
2.Ultimate Collection
3.Sp Authentic
4.Cup
5.Upper Deck 1
6.Upper Deck 2
7.Black Diamond
8.SP Game Used
9.Artifacts
10.Ice
11.SPX
12.Be A Player

Not sure what I would combine from other sets, but I would definately want game night ticket, pride of nation and ice scripts

[HammerHawks]

Okay, here we go:

Low-End for kids:

Victory - Mix between Victory, Collector's Choice, and MVP. You'd get the parallels of Collector's Choice (non-numbered), 1 numbered parallel per box, and either a JSY or AU (MVP).

Mid-End:

Artifacts - mixed with Champs, mini cards included. Instead of the thousands of parallels from Artifacts, make them mini cards, possibly have different versions, but maybe like 2 or 3 max. Replace Autofacts with mini autos. Add the Museum Pieces as case hits
Be A Player - combine with SP Authentic, have the RCs be auto'd, ALL autos are hard-signed.
Black Diamond - raise the price a bit to add some stuff from UD Black (Black Game Night Tickets and Black Pride of Nation)
Ice - combine with Trilogy, add Ice Scripts and Frozen in Time, also add the EX inserts from Ultra
O-Pee-Chee - just add the metal cards as part of the set in the first place
SPx - same
Upper Deck 1 - combine with Ultra, one top RC per box
Upper Deck 2 - combine with Ultra, one top RC per box

High-End:

OPC Premier - same, but without Premier Stitchings
The Cup - combine with SPGU, add Letter Marks and Number Marks, all of which are actually game used
Ultimate Collection - same


Didn't spend too much time on this, but I think this would be pretty good...

[cnshockey]

1. Victory - by force. Victory sucks and no one buys it.
2. Ice - My favorite looking set every year. Most hate it cause the hits are usually weak but I keep it
3. Trilogy/SPGU - They both suck. Combine em to make a crap product, but only one of them
4. Artifacts/SPx - Nice product for a cheap price. I don't mind artifacts or SPx but combined would just be so much better.
5. Black Diamond - Always a decent product. No reason to scrap it
6. The Cup - It's not going anywhere and it's nice. Keep it.
7. OPCP/Ultimate - Again both suck so just combine the two.
8. Upper Deck 1 - UD staple and no way you get get rid of YGs. I feel the YG is the basic RC and love to have em
9. Upper Deck 2 - Same as above
10. Black - Decent high end product with some just awesome cards in it.
11. SP Authentic - One of the few products of UD that I really like. Love FW Autos. Great set.
12. Nothing. UD sucks. Viva la ITG!

Scrap that crap champs. Worst product made currently.

[RGM81]

OK, here's what I have:

Low-End for the kiddies:
1. Victory
2. O-Pee-Chee - push release back to November/December so as to include all the opening-night rookies in a single set. They can keep or drop Metal/Metal X.
3. MVP
4. McDonald's

The staple sets:
5. Upper Deck 1
6. Upper Deck 2
7. Black Diamond
**borrowed from Artifacts: Treasured Diamond Jerseys - parallels, patches, tags
8. SP Authentic Game Used
** Increased game-used content
** Tiered hard-signed auto jersey RCs
** Incorporates much of the GU'd content from SPGU & SPx
9. Ice
** From Trilogy: Frozen in Time, Ice Scripts, and Tundra Tandems/Trios

High-End Sets
10. Black
** From SPGU: Letter/Team/Nickname Marks
11. Ultimate Collection
12. The Cup

I did a minor flip-flop while writing this up, as I originally had BAP pencilled in and no McDonald's (given the recent rumours and all) on my roster. But then I got to thinking about the mishap this year and it makes me wonder if the NHLPA may want to reconsider who they let handle the distribution of what is their set. So BAP goes to Panini and McDonald's still happens.

[bidds55]

Keep:

Victory
MVP
McDonald's
O-Pee-Chee
SP Authentic
The Cup
Upper Deck 1
Upper Deck 2
Black Diamond
Ultimate Collection
SPx


Cut:

Artifacts
Be A Player
Black
Champ's
Collector's Choice
Ice
OPC Premier
O-Pee-Chee Metal
Ovation
SP Game Used
Trilogy
Ultra


I have to admit, I had trouble coming up with 12 worth keeping. If the Ultimate Auto RC Shield 1/1's got moved to The Cup, I could do without Ultimate, and if I could certainly do without either Victory or MVP, but realistically this would shift UD away from the mainstream, and I don't see either on getting cut.

My dream line-up, which falls outside of the parameters of this particular excercise, would be:

UD1
UD2
McD(with the SSSSSP jerseys & autos)
The Cup(including Ultimate Auto Shield 1/1's)

with all the good inserts spread throughout UD 1&2, McD pretty much as it was in 2007-08, and The Cup having all the higher end inserts that are worth keeping.

[zunato]

First I think you would have to consider UD 1 & UD 2 and OPC/Metal as one set, as they are continuations of each other


KEEP
Be A Player
Black Diamond
Ice
MVP
OPC Premier
O-Pee-Chee / metal
SP Authentic
The Cup
Ultimate Collection
Ultra
Upper Deck 1 & 2
Victory


Some sets you just can't get rid of because they have been around so long (ie; Ultra, BAP,OPC,Ice).

[Pata93]

I would Keep:

Black Diamond
Ice
McDonald's
MVP
O-Pee-Chee
SP Authentic
SP Game Used
The Cup
UD Black
Ultimate
Upper Deck 1
Victory

[Bostonfan46]

KEEP
-----
SPX
SPA
SP game used
Victory
Be a Player
UD1
UD2
OPC
The Cup
Ultimate Collection
Ice
Artifacts

[game8]

Victory(but add the super script and Gold script parallels as well as GU and Auto) nothing said we couls not add to victory
OPC(dump the Metal X and later to get the best RC's)
Black Diamond
Ultra
Sp authentic
Upper Deck 1
Upper Deck 2
SPX
The Cup
Ultimate Collection(Make RC's JSY as well as auto)
UD Black
Artifacts
BAP

There are certain Subsets i would try to fit in by dumping things from mentioned sets. I would like to see the Ice Scripts, Letter Marks, Team Marks ETC.