Since the last time I wrote about this subject, pack buying has almost changed 100%. Not only have the cards themselves changed, but the best approach for each collector has changed too. Personally, I hearkened this back to the way things changed around 2000 in real card collecting with more expansive options for each consumer to buy, and what that meant in the grand scheme.

It used to be that buying the high five pack for 5000 coins was a great way to stay on top of your collection, but Im not sure that is close to the best option you have these days. With all the specialty packs available, its almost counterproductive to buy the base pack, unless there is a specific reason for doing so.

If you are an insert collector, here is how I would rate the best packs to buy:

• How many different types inserts are available if I spend the coins for this pack?
• Does the pack cost justify the value of the insert?
• Is that insert so ridiculous that I should be buying this pack specifically for that insert – IE signature packs only have one possible insert you can pull, but its a doozy
• What are my chances at pulling super rare gold cards or silver cards if I dont get the insert they are offering?

Most of the time, the weekly inserts are very valuable during the course of the week, as everyone is rushing to complete their set. The cooler the insert looks, the more valuable those cards will be. Allen and Ginter was the most representative of what an elite insert can incite in a pack chase, and that’s no joke. Other inserts like Leather havent exactly been the same reaction.

Packs like the Twitter Follower Special (which you have to sign up for with a special form available on their Twitter home page – @toppsbunt) are really quite impressive considering that they offer elevated odds at the base cards, all weekly inserts minus the sets, and a bunch of other fun stuff. There are also black, grey and white packs that can spark an insert revolution, but when inserts are available to everyone with the click of a button, they usually lose quite a bit of value.

If am a points player, here is how I would rate the best packs to buy:

• How many cards am I getting in this pack?
• How high above 6% is the SR insert rate?
• How many people are opening this pack right now? (more = better)
• What series are in this pack? (series 1 is nice but very available for trading, but 2 and 3 are usually more pitcher heavy)
• How much below the 1000 coins per card rate is this pack?
• Can I also pull inserts to trade for more Golds?

Right now, my favorite pack to open is the Sunday Brunch pack, which is worth saving all your coins to open. I have seen it as low as 1500 and as high as 2500, but because the SR rate is more than double 6%, and a ton of people open it, you can get a gold per pack some times. Even better, its all later series cards, which means I dont have to pull commons from series one that I am swimming in. Packs like Instagram and Facebook also have enormous potential for Golds, but are higher priced. Happy hour packs which can be very cheap are also a great way to stock up on golds for a cheaper price.

All of the above situations really dont showcase a need to open the high five pack, but POTW and SNB cards can be worth the risk. Because the POTW cards score at 3x during the week they are released, it makes them quite the pull. SNB has some nicer names and have been shown to be a collection target for a lot of the users.

Other than that, unless you are going to spend a lot of money playing the game, its best to be strategic with the packs you are going to target for the week. If you are a gold VIP and a top points player you are likely clearing 85,000 coins per week (64500+9000+8500+4000), which means you have some discretionary funds if you want to waste some coins. Otherwise, you are likely going to be scrounging for coins and looking for some nice trades. Try not to be tempted by higher priced packs that dont return a lot of cards/golds.  You will need to ensure you make the most out of every pack. Hope this helps make that decision easier.