Blaster boxes still retail for $19.99 and contain 10 seven card packs plus one SummerSlam 2012 Mat Relic or event-used relic card. I love the base design this year, but the inserts (at least in retail) are really lame. I don't care for this whole Triple Threat insert theme. More on that later.
Like with past releases, the checklist includes both current WWE Superstars as well as Hall of Fame Superstars. I was surprised that this new loser, Fandango was already included in the set.
The design is nicely done, even for Topps. It does take up a lot of room and therefore reduces the size of the picture, but it works for me. Like in past years the cards feature both RAW and SmackDown brands so some cards have red trim while others have blue.
If you've been following the WWE then you'll recognize these guys collectively as the Shield...or WWE's version of the nWo.
The selection of the Hall of Famers is basically the same from this year's earlier set, Heritage and from last year's 2012 base set. That said I really like that they put the Bushwhackers on the same card instead of splitting them up. RIP Mr. Perfect.
Black parallels fall 1:6 packs. Instead of the grainy looking black parallels most of us are familiar with from the baseball products, these black parallels are a flat, slick black. I actually like the look of these a lot. I doubt I'll keep either of these nor will I seek out any particular black cards (well, maybe Layla's card). Gold parallels are inserted 1:710 and I have no idea what those look like. Silver parallels fall 1 per hobby box.
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| Level 3 |
Triple Threat is a term used frequently in wrestling, but these Triple Threat inserts are lame. The premise is there are three tiers - 1, 2 and 3. Odds for the cards work in the reverse order however with level 3 coming in at 1:2 packs, level 2 falls at 1:3 packs and level 1 comes in at 1:8 packs.
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| Level 2 |
There are 30 cards in the set, but each card # has 3 tiers. From what I've gathered from my handful of these cards, this set closely follows the stories and rivalries from both RAW and SmackDown. Outside of the idea of the set, I also don't care for the design.
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| Level 1 |
I doubt you can tell from the scan above, but the level 1 Triple Threat cards are foil cards. These things show major fingerprints so beware!
If anyone plans to build this set please let me know as all of these Triple Threat cards are available for trade!
I guess the only reason to buy a blaster is if you like these themed mat relic cards. I loved the Wrestlemania mat relics from this year's Heritage set. These SummerSlam 2012 relics aren't bad. I'm glad my blaster had the SummerSlam card over the generically listed 'event-used relic' card.
In wrapping this up this is another fun set, however I wish Topps would've come up with more, smaller insert sets instead of focusing on such a large multi-tiered set like Triple Threat. Base design is killer, the selection of wrestlers is pretty good. The Divas are represented, but since I didn't pull Layla's card I decided to snub the rest of the ladies!
If you're going to buy much of this however, stick with hobby. At least a hobby boxes are guaranteed to give you a little more bang for your buck with the relics and autos.
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