Since I assume there will be a lot of new people to Huddle this year, I want to make sure I take some time to discuss some of the main elements of the game in depth. Today will mark the first ever NFL licensed insert release, which will likely be a few different sets that should make their debut. You will need to rip a lot of packs to pull the nicer cards, which means you should end up with a lot of base. Here are some tips.

Pack Structure

There are two types of packs, ones that are permanently available, and special packs created for insert sets and card releases. Each pack has a different structure, and its worth looking at which will be best to open at any given time.

Before opening any new pack, you have to look at a few different things:

• Cost – Most packs cost about 5k coins. Anything below that will have reduced content, and anything above that should cost more for a reason.
• Odds – When it comes to pulling the top cards, each comes with an article explaining how tough they are to pull. There are also percentages listed with each pack that detail the base card mix that is contained in each. Not every pack has access to Gold or Blue base, so make sure you are studying the percentages before diving in.
• Content – Some packs will have guaranteed pulls, and may cost more. Others may have only a certain type of card, or a cards from a certain set. Just about every pack will have base content included, but it could vary based on the cost of the pack.

Overall, the most important thing to do with each new pack is to read the accompanying article. The article details everything one can expect, and it will give a lot of clues as to whether or not the pack is worth you spending coins on. Some inserts are extremely popular, which means that pack could disappear incredibly fast. You have to stay on your toes or you will miss out. Make sure you have push notifications turned on, and stay tuned to Twitter for announcements.

Insert Pack Releases

As mentioned above, each insert or insert set will have its own special packs. Some inserts like Signature Series or Limited Series will be insanely rare, so those packs will be mostly base.

My main words of advice focus on not getting frustrated if you dont pull inserts in every pack. Unless stated, many set pieces will be hard pulls, and may take a ton of packs before you even can track down one. There have been times where a sig hits the store, I rip through hundreds of thousands of coins, and come up empty. Its the way things go, and one of the main reasons why the cards are as valuable as they are.

If you are not planning on spending money in the game, or spending very little money, make sure you spend your coins as wisely as you can. Ripping sig packs on 10k per day is a good way to burn through your coins with not much return. Stick to building your collection through trades and opening the standard packs, which give you much more bang for your buck. Jump on those insert packs that have low odds and a higher chance to pull the nicer cards. There will be sets that guarantee an insert per pack, or maybe every other pack. That is your time to shine.

Base Packs

There are packs currently in the store that will likely be there all season long. For 5000 coins, you can get the Touchdown pack, which has all levels of base, and may eventually include some inserts.

As a point of awesomeness, the golds and blues are more readily available than they are in Star Wars or Bunt, as these 5k packs have a good mix – at least for now. These packs are great if you are looking to get some nice trade bait.

At 1% the Golds are VERY tough to get, maybe one every 10-15 packs. The blues are not much easier, but come out maybe one every 3-5 packs from my experience. Both of these cards are coveted at the moment because of lack of boosted cards in packs, which makes them a hot item if you pull a nice player.

For now, the Whites and Greens are pretty common, with Reds still commanding a nice premium of lower tier cards as an exchange rate. Not many packs have been opened yet, but as more inserts are released, and more packs are opened, everything but the golds and blues should drop significantly in value. Keep that in mind if you are paying premium prices.

Upcoming Releases

I can pretty much guarantee that a JJ Watt sig will hit packs today, as will a few other new inserts that will likely be associated with the beginning of the NFL season. When these cards are released, no 2015/16 card will have enough value to be traded for them. They will be the hottest thing available, and it could take 9 sigs from 2013 and 2014 to get anywhere close to trade value on the top inserts. Just be prepared to pay through the nose.

Keep an eye on which cards have a card count limit and which ones do not. If a card does not have a card count limit, the value at release will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher than days in the future. I would be shocked if they didnt release some sort of unlimited count Kickoff insert set, which is in your best interest to chase and trade. This might be a great opportunity to stock up on some extremely rare 2014 cards, which could be traded for better 2015/16 cards as they are released. Do not sit on any unlimited set if you are hurting for rare stuff from previous years. Trust me.

If you are a pay to play user, these first few days should be a time where you take the lock off your credit card, and start spending. You will be able to curtail as the game moves on, but these week 1 cards will be valuable for the entirety of the year, especially if other games are any indication. User attrition will take its course, and its possible that the cards pulled by people who leave will sit in dead accounts for eternity. This reduces card counts in an unseen fashion, and makes things even more rare than they will likely already be.

Overall, I dont think I have ever been as excited about a season as I am about this one, and I cannot wait to see what goes down before Sunday. Once gameday rolls back around, look out! This is Huddle’s time to shine, and their design team is among the best there is. They will be releasing some of the coolest cards in the history of Topps Digital, and you will not want to miss out.