The hockey card collecting community is buzzing with excitement as the 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey set makes its anticipated debut. This enthralling addition completes the year’s triumvirate of Upper Deck’s flagship hockey card releases, offering enthusiasts a tantalizing array of updates, inserts, and rookie cards. Whether you’re a fanatical hockey aficionado or a dedicated card collector, this set promises to enthrall and captivate you with its generous offerings.
The arrival of this Extended Series doesn’t merely add to Series 1 and Series 2—it boldly expands Upper Deck’s 2024-25 Hockey lineup to an impressive 750 cards. Hobby boxes are packed with a smorgasbord of inserts and parallels, ensuring a dynamism that keeps collectors on their toes with almost every pack they crack open.
**Exploring an Intrepid Checklist**
Adding a lush 250 new cards to the collection, this Extended Series doesn’t just settle for adding quantity—it ups the quality and intrigue. The first 200 cards celebrate veteran players, showcasing them in updated jerseys or with their new teams, bringing fresh visuals and stories for fans to savor. The concluding 50 cards are a delight for rookie card enthusiasts, focusing on the much-coveted Young Guns and 1st Round Rookies subsets. These short-printed cards appear approximately every other pack, fueling excitement for collectors aiming to secure these nascent stars.
**The Thrill of Parallel Cards**
For those who love a good chase, the parallel cards included in this series are a treat. They range in rarity and offer unique collecting opportunities:
– Outburst – Encountered in 1 out of every 30 hobby packs and 1 out of 90 blaster packs.
– Clear Cut – Popping up in approximately 1 out of 96 packs, these cards offer customization at its best.
– Deluxe – Numbered to a concise 250, adding a premium quality to collections.
– Exclusives – A more limited find, numbered to 100, spurring the thrill of the hunt.
– Outburst Red – Even more elusive, with just 25 in existence.
– High Gloss – Rarer still, with only 10 available, adding a pristine shine.
– Outburst Gold – The solo unicorn in the field, a 1/1 card that promises supreme bragging rights.
These parallels augment the richness of collectors’ assortments, providing those lucky enough to find them with a sense of reward and triumph.
**Inserts That Spark Joy**
Familiar friends make triumphant returns as well. UD Canvas, a fan favorite, is generously featured with four cards per hobby box, encompassing subsets like Young Guns, Legends, and NHL All-Stars. Collectors will relish the challenge presented by Black and White parallels and exclusive Printing Plates.
Dazzlers inserts are also back, and they’re more dazzling than ever. Collectors will find Blue Dazzlers in one of every 12 packs, with the rarer Pink versions appearing in one of every 72 packs. Blaster boxes present an added treat: exclusive Green Dazzlers, tempting collectors with a 1 in 4 pack chance.
**The Enigmatic Oracles**
A mystical newcomer, the Oracles inserts bring an enchanting and otherworldly element to the series. Their tarot card inspiration adds a captivating dimension to the collection, ranging from SP cards (1:30 packs) to even more elusive SSP versions (1:45 packs), and a next-to-impossible rarity (1:180 packs). For seasoned collectors, the quest to complete this challenging subset is sure to be an engrossing adventure.
**Nostalgic Alumni Make a Comeback**
Some cherished classics from Upper Deck’s past also grace the Extended Series, each bringing fond memories and a dash of warmth:
– Pros and Prospects at a rate of 1 in every 4 packs.
– The Beehive and UD3, which similarly occur in one out of every 5 packs, with the UD3 Gold parallel numbered to 333 igniting the chase.
– Upper Deck Encore continues the bounty of nostalgia at this same ratio.
– Trilogy Rookie Premiere makes a splash, complete with Common (/999), Uncommon (/499), and Rare (/99) options.
– Triple Dimensions Reflections feature frequently at 1:6 packs, accompanied by graded parallels of Ruby (/500), Amethyst (/300), Emerald (/100), Gold (/50), and Sapphire (/10), offering a luxurious touch.
– Silver Skates shimmer back into the scene, with base versions found in 1:4 packs and glistening Gold parallels limited to a slender 250.
**The Configuration Bonanza**
Kenneling into the tangible details, the hobby boxes of the 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series offer collectors a bounty of treasures:
– Each box contains 12 cards per pack, with an identical number of packs per box for both hobby and blaster configurations. Hobby collectors enjoy 12 boxes per case, while blasters boast 20.
– The complete set of 250 cards awaits those eager to collect them all.
– Officially launching on May 29, 2025, these boxes contain an array of vintage favorites, including Beehive, Pros and Prospects, Upper Deck Encore (8 total, the perfect number for nostalgia aficionados).
– Blue Dazzlers at 1 per box and Oracles at 2 per box tantalize seekers.
– Rookie Reflections, Silver Skates, or UD3 total up to 8, providing repeated delights.
– Triple Dimensions Reflections at 2 per box and UD Canvas at 4 ensure no shortage of eye-catching highlights.
– A single Outburst Parallel and 6 coveted Young Guns or 1st Round Rookies cards promise exclusive thrills.
– Each box offers collectors a Special Find, be it Clear Cut, UD Canvas Black and White, or Rare/SSP Oracles.
With its meandering mix of inserts, limited parallels, and cherished rookie cards, the 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey set remains an irresistible allure for collectors. Bridging nostalgia with innovation, it entices both the casual hobbyist and the connoisseur alike, ensuring every pack burst is a new adventure.
