SPA is complete trash now

[theboxbreaker96]

Ive been in the hobby since 08/09. SPA was my favorite product I used to open a lot of boxes almost every year. I havent touched a box since opening a case in 16/17. These Retro FWAs are GARBAGE. The product stinks now and its 2.5x the price for only 2 autos and youre not even guaranteed a regular FWA /999. I used to open products regularly now almost every single product is untouchable and simply not enjoyable at the price. I havent opened a single box of any product in 4+ years. Its really curbed my enthusiasm for the hobby. What UD did to SPA is a crime IMO

[cjb]

Yea I've heard the same complaints across the board. Mass production baby.

Looks like OPC is the last great unopened product. Oh wait, my local hobby store has presales going at 20 Dollars higher than last year. Thanks for ruining the last great product you had left upper deck

[discomike]

Yea I've heard the same complaints across the board. Mass production baby.

Looks like OPC is the last great unopened product. Oh wait, my local hobby store has presales going at 20 Dollars higher than last year. Thanks for ruining the last great product you had left upper deck

Given the prices Upper Deck are asking for their mostly crappy products this year, I'll probably be giving everything a miss this year. No value for the cost this year.

[odjickfan]

Yea I've heard the same complaints across the board. Mass production baby.

Looks like OPC is the last great unopened product. Oh wait, my local hobby store has presales going at 20 Dollars higher than last year. Thanks for ruining the last great product you had left upper deck

OPC Hobby is my favorite release now. 1 box of OPC per year for the fun of it.

Personnally, I like the design of the retros this year in SPA (tribute to 02-03), but I'll stay away from the boxes. SPA was a decent product at about 150CAD per box with more hits, but with the price and the odds of the actual product, it's an easy pass fo me now. I'll be patient and go for a very few select singles, there are some beautiful cards in the product.

[doniceage]

Boxes are definitely too expensive but that why the box breaking game is alive and well for folks out there. You can gamble on a small dollar amount for your team or random and possibly hit the goal mind without breaking the bank. Those who collect the really crappy teams can usually get a good deal as it hard to sell those teams.

So my question is where are you spending your dollars now???
DON

[cjb]

Boxes are definitely too expensive but that why the box breaking game is alive and well for folks out there. You can gamble on a small dollar amount for your team or random and possibly hit the goal mind without breaking the bank. Those who collect the really crappy teams can usually get a good deal as it hard to sell those teams.

So my question is where are you spending your dollars now???
DON

Naa, group breaks are worse. I've participated in 2 random team group breaks and have gotten obliterated. At least wit an unopened box I'm guaranteed a small handful of decent cards. Maybe selected team breaks are a bit better, but those usually cost more money than random teams breaks if you're competing with multiple buyers..

[RGM81]

I've got some quibbles with SPA myself - I'm not happy that they've added the non-autographed parallels to the Future Watch rookies. It just waters it down a lot...very reminiscent of what they did with 21-22 Ice, during which I thought for a moment I'd hit the big one with a Caufield /99....but it was the /799. Still cool, still happy....but dang, man, that's a very large value gap, and all because they wanted to add green & red variants. But yes now instead of just the /999 FWA and /100 FWAP we have also: Red, Blue, Green, Gold, and Black parallels. One of the big things that hockey collectors never took to with Panini was that everything had too many parallels, and it looks like UD is determined to follow that unpopular path.

That's my nickel's worth.

[theboxbreaker96]

I've got some quibbles with SPA myself - I'm not happy that they've added the non-autographed parallels to the Future Watch rookies. It just waters it down a lot...very reminiscent of what they did with 21-22 Ice, during which I thought for a moment I'd hit the big one with a Caufield /99....but it was the /799. Still cool, still happy....but dang, man, that's a very large value gap, and all because they wanted to add green & red variants. But yes now instead of just the /999 FWA and /100 FWAP we have also: Red, Blue, Green, Gold, and Black parallels. One of the big things that hockey collectors never took to with Panini was that everything had too many parallels, and it looks like UD is determined to follow that unpopular path.

That's my nickel's worth.

That too UD is going down the panini way (death as i call it) with parallels no doubt. But focusing on SPA theyve demolished a great popular product and turned it into garbage thats unaffordable and a terrible break. Youre not even guaranteed a regular FWA /999 anymore there's a gazillion garbage retros. Not to mention it used to be a 50 card FWA checklist now its close to 100 filled with scrubs. Theres literally no point into opening the product.

[theboxbreaker96]

Boxes are definitely too expensive but that why the box breaking game is alive and well for folks out there. You can gamble on a small dollar amount for your team or random and possibly hit the goal mind without breaking the bank. Those who collect the really crappy teams can usually get a good deal as it hard to sell those teams.

So my question is where are you spending your dollars now???
DON

I enjoy opening productsats part of the hobby for me. I havent spent much havent traded much and havent bought much cards in the past 5 years. Ive been buying Game used memorabilia I have multiple signed game used Crosby sticks, Game used Crosby Gloves and Skates, A Lemieux Game Used Signed Stick. I do a lot of sports betting now. If I do engage in the hobby Ill buy a high end Crosby/Ovechkin Rookie or HOF Patch Auto or a Lemieix Auto. I do a lot on EPAck now since trading is easy and free. But my interest in this hobby is wayyyyyy down

[theboxbreaker96]

Naa, group breaks are worse. I've participated in 2 random team group breaks and have gotten obliterated. At least wit an unopened box I'm guaranteed a small handful of decent cards. Maybe selected team breaks are a bit better, but those usually cost more money than random teams breaks if you're competing with multiple buyers..

agreed GBs are trash and have ruined the hobby. I also want to open the product myself tahts part of the hobby/thrill