After watching about 20 case breaks online and scouring auctions with the coolest cards of the product, this is definitely turning into quite the release that Topps has going for it. Although I am still not a huge fan of the price for one card, as a case break product, it may mitigate some of the pricing issues that one person buying one box might have. Bottom line, many of these cards are insane, just insane. Here are some other thoughts.

The Good

I love the look and design of this product, it is clean, it looks high end, and the encased presentation definitely adds a lot to the whole set. Each card is more beautiful than the next, and that’s even before you start looking at patch content.

When it comes to the actual patches themselves, these are easily some of the most ridiculous ones we have seen in a baseball product in a very long time. Dynasty is littered with jumbo patches with huge pieces of logos, numbers, letters and tags, and I have yet to see a real one color piece anywhere. This is where I think many collectors will fall all over themselves to get a piece of their favorite player, as these are going to be the highest end cards for all those people who love the chase.

I also think the checklist is a win, even if it does have a few duds. Combing over auctions, player collectors are not JUST chasing their guys, which is a big deal in this hobby. Even the duds are cracking some nice prices, and that only speaks to how much people love the content. Although its not the best it could be, the addition of the throw in redemptions for the rookie and unproven players is a nice way to make up some of the issues.

Lastly, the main hits are all live. I have yet to see any major redemptions other than the ones that were added to the product as part of the help for rookie players. Even in those boxes, you are still getting a live auto patch, and that’s a very good thing to accompany a redemption in a box that costs 300+ per card.

The Bad

I was dead set against the price here, but when compared to a set like Flawless, you get considerably more for your money. With flawless, you get 2 nice cards, a good card, and 3-4 other junk cards. With Dynasty, the big hit of the case is going to be a HUGE hit, and the other cards are all going to be extremely nice too. Although I dont think this is something Im going to run out and buy, I have softened a bit on the cost per box.

That being said, I think there is a lot that can be added to make this more than a one card per box product. Adding in single autographed cards to accompany the big hits in every box is something I would definitely consider, even if it means extending the checklist out on the auto patch side of things. With one card, it gives the impression of this is IT, so it better be good, which is going to sour the people who get skunked on a one box break.

The lack of varied designs is a big of an issue too. Topps elected to change photos rather than the look of each card, and I would have liked more variety in they way each player’s allotted cards were laid out. Different photos cannot be the benchmark for a product like this. For reference, these white HOF type cards are the only variation that exists from the normal sepia run.

The Ugly

The one of one autograph pen quality is complete shit in some cases. There was an obvious need for running the pens longer before signing, and the stock seems to have sucked up the ink to the point that it is barely legible in some of the major cards. Considering these are the chase cards, there needs to be attention to detail when doing the signing itself.

I understand that the players likely didnt have this instruction, but it needs to happen. Many of the other cards turned out awesome, and its a shame the 1/1s did not.