The 2016-17 collecting year opens this week with the release of Upper Deck MVP Hockey. The low end product is back for another year, and is still as affordable as ever. Like last season’s effort MVP will also release as an e-pack product, something that could give the often maligned product a boost. While premium hits such as autographs and memorabilia are a rare thing in this product, they do happen. MVPs main focus however is parallels and inserts. Normally I’d complain about such a product, but it reminds me of my early collecting days, where I just bought whatever was cheapest and didn’t really care what I pulled out of the pack, as long as it included some Montreal cards.
Upper Deck MVP Base
Normal Base Card
Upper Deck MVP boasts an impressive “base” set, although it is more reasonable to refer to it as a main set as it includes several short prints and inserts. The first 200 cards on the checklist are true base cards, while #201-300 consider high series short prints. These fall 1 per pack in hobby and e-packs, and 1:2 in retail packs. The popular NHL Territory cards return for #301-330. These feature a city skyline and will have a memorabilia variety later on. Collectors can expect this base version to fall at 1:10 packs for hobby and e-pack, and 1:20 for retail. The last 30 cards (331-360) are the Leading Lights set, which highlight key players such as Carey Price and Joe Sakic. Expect these at 1:20 for hobby/e-pack and 1:40 retail.
Upper Deck MVP Script Cards
As is usually the case with Upper Deck MVP, there are quite a few different parallel variations to accompany this main set. This is where things will get a bit confusing so get ready. The parallels are all “script” versions, meaning they have a foil facsimile autograph on them. These script cards are only available for cards #1-300, meaning the NHL Territory and Leading Lights cards are not affected.
Exclusive to e-pack is the Green Script, which to date has no numbering system. Gold Script are available across the various pack types and are numbered /165 for the base and /135 for the high series SPs. Silver Script cards are available in hobby and e-packs at pack odds of 1:2.5, and in retail at 1:5. Super Script are exclusive to hobby and e-packs and are numbered /25. Each card also has the traditional 4 printing plates. E-pack collectors will be able to receive special exclusive cards for set completion. Green Script completion warrants and Auston Matthews card, and Silver Script a Draft Pick card that has yet to be determined.
Upper Deck MVP Inserts
As a low end product Upper Deck MVP is known best for its variety of insert sets. First up is the fun, yet confusing Colours and Contours Parallel/Insert. Acting officially as a parallel to the base 300, this set has taken on life as an insert and was particularly popular in last year’s e-pack product. These cards are exclusive to hobby and e-packs and vary in odds according to colour and level. Some, such as Level 1 Teal are as low as 1:13 packs, whereas the rarest, Level 3 Purple are limited to a handful of players, such as Connor McDavid, and fall 1:200 packs.
Also available as a parallel/insert to the base set are Puzzle Back cards. These make use of the 200 regular base cards and have an alternate back that when combined with select other Puzzle Back will for a larger player image. Each larger image is made up of 9 regular cards and feature players such as Carey Price, Alex Ovechkin, and Sidney Crosby. These cards are not available on e-pack and fall 1:2 packs for hobby and 1:4 for retail. This sounds like a fun set as collectors seek to build up the larger images, and reminds me of older ITG products such as Between the Pipes, which had similar puzzle cards.
E-packers have a shot an a 10 card set of All-Star Variations, which fall 1:200. Sets such as this are inserted in order to encourage e-pack sales. The same is true of the Rinkleaders set, which is also exclusive to e-pack, falling at 1:5 packs. This 50 card set is composed of a variety of players such as McDavid, Lundqvist, and Mackinnon. Collectors who accumulate all 50 cards will be rewarded with a Wayne Gretzky version.
Upper Deck MVP Redemptions
It wouldn’t be an Upper Deck product without redemption cards, but thankfully MVP is quick on these, listing only 5 in the product. The first 4, considered case hits, are divided into the Atlantic, Central, Metropolitan, and Pacific divisions and each will each net you an 8 card set of key rookies, arranged according to their divisions. There is also a #1 Draft Pick Redemption (Auston Matthews) that gives out a SP of the top overall pick. The #1 Draft Pick redemption falls at 1:1250 for hobby and e-pack and 1:12,500 for retail. Hobby and e-pack have a slim shot at an autographed version, with odds of 1:12,500 each. Regular redemptions fall 1:400 for hobby/e-pack and 1:4000 for retail.
Upper Deck MVP Hockey Premium Hits
While MVP has always, and continues to be a low-end insert focused product, a number of premium hits are available. The Leading Lights base have a 10 card brother known as the Leading Lights Gold Autographs set. This set is hobby/e-pack exclusive and has overall odds of 1:1600, with Group A cards of Corey Perry and John Klingberg being rarest at 1:39,936 packs. Other names include Johnny Gaudreau and Morgan Reilly. These are a tough pull and collectors shouldn’t get their hopes up.
The Leading Lights set also comes with a 15 card Gold Jerseys set. Again these are hobby/e-pack exclusive and fall 1:1400, slightly better odds than the autos. Here Group A players include Jonathan Toews and Carey Price, and fall 1:7350 packs. Tavares, Malkin, and Hanifin are also among players making an appearance.
Fans of the NHL Territory Set will be happy to know that once again it exist in both autographed and memorabilia version, as well as the base. Autographed cards are hobby/e-pack exclusive hits and have an overall odd ratio of 1:1600 packs. Group A players are limited to Marc-Andre Fleury and P.K. Subban, these fall at 1:33,900 packs.
The NHL Territory Jersey cards are available in all pack configurations. With hobby/e-pack falling 1:144 and retail 1:1440. Group A odds are 1:2664 and include both Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. While officially no longer considered rookies, both of these players continue to be considered big hits, especially since MVP is too early to include this year’s class. Other avaliable names include Aleksander Barkov, Patrick Kane, and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Upper Deck MVP Mega Autos
The last of the premium hits for Upper Deck MVP is the Pro Sign Autographs set. This is the must have set for autograph seekers in MVP, with names such as McDavid and Gretzky both have autos in it. Those two are by far the rarest hit with Group A odds of 1:146,952. Overall odds are 1:370 for hobby-e-packs and 1:2325 for retail.
Thoughts
As I said previously I actually enjoy the Upper Deck MVP series. It is a very affordable product, with a hobby box running about $45usd, meaning that it works for single packers or the odd cheapie break. This is a fantastic entry level product that seeks to get kids into collecting, as it did with me. Hobby boxers can expect 20 packs per box, with 8 cards in each pack. In a 20 box case it is expected that collectors will get 1 rookie redemption, 2 autos, and 3 mem cards. All in all Upper Deck MVP is still, in my opinion, a fun product to open on the side.
Looking For a Full Breakdown of the Odds? Checkout Subterfuge’s Article! http://www.checklistcenter.com/16-17-upper-deck-mvp-hockey-card-odds/
Want the Full Checklist Broken into Teams? Breakninja Has It and so Much More! https://www.breakninja.com/16-17-UD-Upper-Deck-MVP-Hockey-Checklist.html
Scroll Right for More Amazon Hockey Deals –>