If you havent been following along in Huddle since the end of the year, I think you are missing out on a time that you should check out. The offseason may not be as active as it was during the season (naturally), but there are many reasons to come and spend some time every day.

REASON #1 – Card Design

Although I think all the design teams for the four apps are doing a great job, the Huddle team is definitely at the top of the mountain. Because they have no license to use as a way to sell cards, the team has to be more creative than the other apps.

Since the end of the season, we have seen some top notch work all around. Each new set is a fun and cool way to feature the head shots they are forced to use, and I have been nothing but thoroughly impressed with the direction they have chosen to go.

As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, I think the designs used over the last few weeks have almost been a better use of the app than during the season.

REASON #2 – Trading

Its no secret that many users leave for the offseason once the Super Bowl is over, what is left behind is a group of users who are dedicated to the app year round, and usually have a lot to give and a lot to trade. If you need a card that you couldnt get your hands on during the year, this is the time to try to get a copy.

Trading has slowed down overall, but with boosts not meaning anything any longer, your team collection holes can be filled for a significantly cheaper price. As long as you find someone that has a copy to spare, deals can be had left and right.

REASON #3 – Community

Similar to trading, the people who have stuck around during the offseason are the ones that are committed to the cause. Not saying that those who left arent as committed, but this is a time to ask your questions, make some friends, and talk with the gang. If you can get to know people during this time in the game, you will have a much easier time finding your place come Huddle 2015.

REASON #4 – New Ideas

I have already talked numerous times about how much I feel like the Huddle team and TOPPSMARC made lemonade out of lemons last year. Having to go through what they went through would put a lot of people through hell, but they found a way to endure the storm.

Now that there is a little room to test some new ideas, I have really enjoyed seeing what they have come up with. The current set right now employs three different pack types, with three different awards, that all come together to form a Voltron super award for collecting everything. Its never something that would be available during the year, but it works during this time in spades.

Being able to try all of these new things gives an opportunity to the users to speak out on what they like and dont like just by buying a pack or not. Spending the coins really gives a lot of feedback in ways you might not imagine, and with fewer people around, your voice means that much more.

REASON #5 – Prep for Next Year

Through the other four reasons in this article, you can give yourself quite the foundation when next year starts. Even though your collection may not be what you would like it to be, this is the time to build up your ammo for the next year’s worth of stuff.

Make extra trades, buy some extra packs, and get all those inserts that are ending up very rare right now. Team and player collectors will likely come back in 2015 and see what they missed, and having a lot of those cards to trade will give you access to cards you wouldnt normally have access to.

Learn the trade economy, learn about subtleties of the community, and gain your reputation when the pond is smaller. When all the big fish come back to feed, you dont want to be scrambling to do all the things you could have done during a time when fewer fish were eating.

I expect 2015 to be as big a year for Huddle as ever. The base design for Topps Football is almost pure built for the game, and if they can get a license, look out. Might as well find your identity before things get a bit more crazy. Again, the offseason is a great time, even though it may not look like it. As it is with everything, this experience is going to be what you make of it.