When it comes to the realm of sports card collecting, hockey enthusiasts know that Upper Deck is like Gretzky on ice—consistently setting up excitement and skating circles around the competition. The year 2024-25 is no exception, as fans eagerly unwrap the final bow on this season’s releases with the arrival of the Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey set. Serving as the grand conclusion to a carefully planned triad of flagship releases, this collection is more than just a complementary piece; it’s a sprawling celebration of the sport, burgeoning with updated player portrayals, and adorned with an array of collectible delights including dazzling inserts and the ever-coveted Young Guns rookie cards.
For any serious collector, the phrase “Extended Series” has become synonymous with unearthing treasures, almost like finding a rare mint condition Honus Wagner if he had swapped bats for a hockey stick. This collection swells to a glorious 750-card finale, an aggregation of highs and higher highs following Series 1 and Series 2 earlier this year. It’s an expansive endeavor that extends its invitation to veterans and rookies alike, beckoning fans to dive into a pool of hockey grandeur and get their hands on something truly extraordinary.
Opening a box of the 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series feels akin to a backstage pass to all things hockey. With no less than 250 new cards achieving grand introductions, the first 200 offerings celebrate veteran players boasting refreshed jerseys and sometimes, surprise relocations, treating fanatic eyes to novel portraits and thrilling name-on-the-back, number-on-the-front updates. As for the remainder, the final 50 cards are where the magic truly lies—the platform for Young Guns and 1st Round Rookies to storm the collector’s stage. It’s akin to adding shooting stars to your collection with these short-printed marvels arriving approximately every other pack, igniting excitement in the chase for future NHL luminaries.
Parallel cards flap their proverbial wings high above this crowd of cards, dusted with stardust of rarity and collector allure. These parallels are not just shinier versions of existing cards, they’re distinguished by rarity ratios that escalate like a power play against a short-handed penalty kill:
– Outburst: Packing out at 1 in 30 hobby packs.
– Clear Cut, teasing with its see-through allure, at 1 in 96 packs.
– Deluxe, affixed with the gravitas of numbering to only 250.
– The Exciting Exclusives, teasing collectors by flaunting a finite 100.
– Striking Outburst Reds at a mere 25 prints apiece.
– High Gloss completes the pinnacle at 10.
– And the crown jewel, Outburst Gold, holds court as a unique one-of-one.
The chase is irresistible, each rare parallel card a gleaming feather in a collector’s cap.
Beyond the standard play, the hockey trade cards are enriched with inserts and special features, rekindling past favorites such as the much-loved UD Canvas cards—these familiar friends make four cameos per hobby box, gracing fans with Young Guns, Legends, and NHL All-Stars subcategories. Enthusiasts can further revel in the hunt for the extraordinary Black and White parallels and exclusive Printing Plates, exclusive additions that would make the Stanley Cup raise an eyebrow in envy.
Then there are the Dazzlers, an apt name if ever there was one. These eye-catching inserts return with a bang, sporting Blue versions at 1 in 12 packs, and upping the ante with the rare Pink dazzlers and Blaster box Green versions sprinkling mystique in every 4 packs.
Speaking of mystique, enter the Oracles, a brand new inclusion that combines mystery with a hint of tarot as if the hockey gods themselves were reading from mystical ice. Collectors will find these Oracles scattered like prophetic whispers in the series, with tiered rarity levels ranging from the challenging SP at 1:30 packs to the ultra-secretive SSP at 1:45 packs and the truly hard-to-decipher rarities showing up just 1:180 packs.
The Extended Series also plays the nostalgia card, reincarnating some classic Upper Deck favorites such as Pros and Prospects, Beehive, and UD3, each making iterative appearances across common and gold parallel formats. Trilogy Rookie Premiere beckons Owning the Ice aficionados, formatted from Common right through to a Rare numbered to intrigue.
The intrigue doesn’t end there; this generous set further welcomes collectors to rediscover Triple Dimensions Reflections and glide smoothly into collecting utopia with Silver Skates, both coming in various distinctive parallel forms.
So what does this entail within a hobby box? Expect twelve packs, each with twelve cards, and a mix of sought-after collectibles that include:
– A mélange of Young Guns or 1st Round Rookies to claim.
– A smattering of Beehive, Pros and Prospects, or Upper Deck Encore—eight cards in total.
– Blue Dazzlers sparkling with their predictable presence.
– Oracles ready to cast intrigue into your collection with a splash.
– Rookie Reflections, Silver Skates, or UD3, rounding out with another set of eight.
– The thrill of discovery with a single, special find be it a Clear Cut, a UD Canvas Black and White, or a Rare/SSP Oracle.
Whether you are a dedicated card collector, a hockey aficionado, or someone simply entranced by the allure of a well-composed card, the 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey set offers bountiful treasures. The realm of hockey cards has been enriched with this latest addition, promising an ice-bound adventure for every pack opened. Each card is a nexus of artistry and hockey passion, a bridge between the thrill of the game and the dedicated enthusiasm of its fans.
