Digital Card Central

Each year, the release of the first signature series is a big deal. Not only because it is undoubtedly the most important marathon, but also because it is usually one of the first. Because Bunt launched so early this year, the marathons have had a bit of a “pre-heat” period while some previously launched programs get done.

The team was nice enough to send over a copy of one of the cards in the set, one they knew I would like a considerable amount. Of course, there is no guarantee that this will be the first one offered, so this might be a bit of a spoiler. Either way, as more information is released, ill be writing about this quite a bit. Although I dont have any odds, counts, or information on variants, I do know that this series should remain among the most coveted in the game.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, here is the 2016 Topps Bunt Signature Series design in all its glory!

Personally, I really like this design. its almost like the 2014 sig design and the 2015 VIP sig design combined to make a really sleek looking child. Seeing the reveal of many of the new cards and the designs of the Bunt exclusive sets show frequently how talented ToppsDan is. He does a great job every single time.

I especially like visual appeal of the white dominated look, as well as the tiled pattern in the background. Unlike the 2015 design, where the signature didnt always stand out against the stone overlay, this year will be very different in bringing attention to the player’s autograph. That is one of the main reasons I loved the 2015 VIP design as much as I did, and why I like this one as much as I do. The player pops, and that is always something that adds to the dynamic nature of the photo. Combining the two elements together, strong sig and big bold photo plays very well with me.

This should be coming soon, in some form, and I would urge all of you to take serious consideration about spending what you need to get the first one. Even if it is higher in count or not Trout, Correa, or even Sano, the first sig always has importance to the marathon. Not only that but it will have some serious trade value above and beyond what a normal sig of that count would have.

Stay tuned for more info on the Bunt marathons as they are released! Dont forget to follow me on Twitter (@SCUncensored) – I will have up to the minute info on all the new cards.

If you are looking to get going on the Bunt marathons this year, there is a new piece to the puzzle that has a lot of people talking this morning. We knew that changes were coming to the app with the new update, and this is one that kind of took us all by surprise. There are some major pros and cons to the situation, and I want to take some time to go through my thoughts.

Background

Basically, as far as we know, with each marathon insert released, there is a card exchange ticket that is pulled along side the card. When the insert is pulled, the ticket pack is then made available. To open more of the insert packs, you have to open the ticket first. For each time the insert is pulled, another ticket is made available.

When the set award pays out for each of the 3 legs of the marathon, users will shred the tickets to get access to the award card. For 10 tickets, the award is 100% guaranteed. For 5 tickets, the award is 50% odds of pulling the award in the pack.

Its also worth mentioning that the tickets are not a tradeable item, which means that you have to pull the cards to get a shot at the awards.

Obviously this promotes a few unique situations, and Im not sure people fully understand that this is a bit more to the picture than just tickets and cards.

The Case FOR the Ticket System

I get why people are reacting the way they are. Its a change and changes are always tough to digest. However, there are reasons why this is a very good thing. First, you dont have to pull every insert to get a shot at the award cards. If you decide halfway through that you want to start ripping packs for the individual cards, you are not out of the running for the award. This can also be a negative thing, which I will get to, but it works both ways.

Secondly, there is a potential that you can get 2 awards for collecting all 10 tickets for each leg. With a 50/50 shot each time, 25% of the people can shred 10 tickets on the non-guaranteed pack and end up with 2 of the awards. If its a valuable player, you have a 75% shot of getting at least 1 award, and only a 25% shot of getting none. Not bad.

There is also reason to save your tickets for a different award if you dont like the one that was chosen for each leg. First wave awards tend to be the highest count, as more people will be on board with the set from the beginning. The wave 2 and wave 3 awards are usually lower because of the people who stop collecting partway through. If the award isnt what you want, save for one you do want! Of course, there is no guarantee you will like the next one either, but you never know.

The Case AGAINST the Ticket System

I think the main issue that people are going to have is that you have to buy packs to get the award. You cant sit back, collect all the cards through buying on eBay or trading and still get the benefit any longer. Any time the app forces people to buy packs to reap the benefits of a program, the situation is not going to be popular. Although its OBVIOUS why this type of decision is made, its not going to be something that people publicly support.

It also curbs the eBay market on cards that cant stand on their own. A card that might have been worth 10-15 bucks in the past, now is worth less because the award cannot be obtained just by owning the card. We already see the Harper gallery lower than it should be, which shouldnt be surprising. With eBay sales garnering a lot of scam traffic, and many upset users, im not surprised that the team is trying to find ways around the system. Similarly, when eBay is allowing people to buy cards for cheaper than it is to pull them from packs, that is also an issue. I would not be shocked if there were more things Topps does eventually to keep sales from happening outside the app store.

Tickets also make the award open to people who didnt collect or pull all the cards from the set. Basically, if someone gets lucky on 5 of the cards, they have a shot at the award, if they so choose to try. This could lead to inflated award counts, even with the 50/50 odds on the award in the card exchange. The higher the count, the lower the value of the award.

Bottom line, there will always be a struggle between the app devising ways to keep users on their toes and keep spending, while the users resist any additional need to buy. We all need to come to terms with the fact that Topps is a business, and that most decisions are made to ensure that revenue continues to grow. There are a few wins as described above, and that doesnt always happen when changes are made.

Waiting for More Info

Right now, we dont know anything about the chases that are going to take place over the course of 2016. We know about one set and one set only. Although the Gallery set is a great looking example of the new designs, it is only one card. We should see the launch of another marathon today, and it will be interesting to see how tickets will be structured.

I would advise against freaking out until the entire slate is revealed, and that might not be for a few days into next week. Huddle launched marathons 2 and 3 weeks into the season, so its possible we could see a lot more action as Bunt gets older. With Gallery, despite being a cool set, its not a main marathon like Sigs, Limited and Relics. There is no guarantee that the ticket setup will be identical for each of the set. We could easily see that more or less tickets could be required for other sets, or even that the tickets are tradeable for sets like sigs and the like.

Right now, everything is a guess, so hang tight. Overreaction wont get you any closer to achieving your Bunt Nirvana, and its best to calm down and wait.

With the launch of the new 2016 Bunt Update, we saw that for the first time, there are 10 different parallels of cards, not just 5. With only half of the cards available in packs, there is a super premium placed on high level Bunt boosts, especially black and above. There are lingering questions of how this might change over the course of the season, especially with some users taking advantage of a glitch early on in the game.

Right now, anything above purple is insanely valuable. There are a few people who have been resourceful enough to get some of their cards to black, but it is unclear how that might have happened. Its likely a combination of spending and the since corrected glitch, although the equipment packs are cheap enough that it could just be a lot of trading.

So far, only one gold has been achieved, from what I can see on the checklist. This early on, it might not even be that helpful to have shredded that many cards to get there, especially with card counts on base so low. People need to shred two of the previous level to get to the upper boosts, and I would MUCH rather have the incremental cards right now than the high level boosts. There just arent enough cards out there to fill a lineup unless you have spent a considerable amount of coins.

At the same time, when the season progresses and people have hundreds of base they cant play, those gold and silver boosts down to black, should remain quite valuable. Although they arent going to continue being the best thing the collection side has to offer with Marathons launching, they will likely continue to be the best gameplay cards for a long time.

The main issue at THIS point in the game is the cost to get to those levels as mentioned above. I know that some of the points players have been ripping packs pretty steadily as part of their planning for the season, but even with the amount of packs ripped, there is still an enormous card cost of losing two silver boosts for a gold, or two blacks for a silver. I would even argue that two purples for a black is putting your lineup at a severe disadvantage without equal replacement cards all together.

Now, if you are just looking to get to your favorite player’s rainbow, and you dont care as much about points, this is where the card exchange for 2016 Topps Bunt will be your best friend. Its a game within the game almost, and if you must have every Boston Red Sox card, you are going to have to work harder than before. Even though that has some tenuous implications with some people who dont want the extra work, the side quest element to the process is something that will keep us going when things get slow.

Additionally, having extra copies to trade and diversify your collection is big right now. If you have 4 teal Kershaw cards, and you want to get to black with 2 purples, why not hold off and trade a few to get some other pitchers who are going to have similar value in gameplay? The lower level cards are valuable right now, and you might be able to get more bang for your buck trading for cards who’s count will be large as the season progresses. Having 4 Kershaws only helps you once every 5 days for one game. If you can turn that into a Felix, Trout and a handful of other guys, you will have a better shot at winning more frequently.

Its clear that a few days without the marathon launches has people a bit anxious, but that will pass within a few weeks. I will warn against going full on with any of the card exchanges, especially for players who are valuable for their dupes, as mentioned above. Diversification is the name of the game short term.

On a more longer term level, that might be far from the case, especially when more packs are opened and card counts get higher. If you are a spender, there will be a point when you have 25 Jake Arrietas white cards, and that is where the card exchange will come into play heavily. Just be careful running in fifth gear for the exchange when you know that we only know 25% of the functionality right now. Its hard to be patient, but its a necessary thing until the plans are revealed.

Now that the update is live, there are a lot of questions that now have answers. One of the main questions I had was about the changes that were coming to scoring, and how it might impact the trade economy. After reviewing the new matrix of points, I think I have a good understanding of what is going to go down when contests eventually start.

History

Over the last few years, Bunt has been a pitcher dominated scoring system. Because of the way the scoring was set up, it was much easier to put in pitchers and leave them in your lineup while hitters went unplayed. With “plays” limiting the amount of times a lineup change could be made in 2014, it was hard to justify using valuable resources to play someone who 70% of the time was going to be getting negative points.

In 2015, plays went away, and scoring lag made it much, much easier to play your favorite hitter. Although pitchers were still better for a “set it and forget it” type of contest, hitters found more of a spot because there was little penalty for taking people out of the lineup and momentarily switching them back in.

Can Scoring Lag Impact the New Situational Focus?

In my interviews with Topps Mike, he consistently referred to the new importance of situational gameplay within each contest. They want us to watch intently, and see the potential outcomes to any number of scenarios within the game.
Before I get into the merits of this new focus, all of it will depend on the scoring lag. If the lag remains long, none of this will make any difference for the people who have MLB.TV or follow every game on the scoreboard.

For the uninformed about scoring lag, Bunt has an API that funnels all sorts of stats into the app. These stats are processed and then applied to the cards in the game. If the card is in a user’s lineup, they get the points. Otherwise, it just accumulates on the card itself. In 2015, there were times where the period between the end of the scoring play and the entry of those stats in the app was enormous.

This lag allowed for users to prime their lineups to accumulate maximum points without risk of any negative accumulation. Basically, if someone hit a home run, users had plenty of time to switch in the cards before scoring hit the app. If that guy struck out instead, he could be taken out of the lineup quickly enough to prevent negative points from impacting the total score for the contest.

As you can see, situational baseball is insanely fun when there is risk, but lag takes that risk out of it.

Biggest Impacts from New Scoring Algorithm

Right now, there are two types of players who will benefit the most from the new scoring system, and one type of player who will be devalued even further than before. Even with lag, strikeout dominant pitchers will be a big draw for people. The Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaws of the world will continue to be sought after, maybe even more so than before. As shown in the table, they are now going to get a base point addition of 25 points per K, instead of the 15 last year.

The other group is speedy base stealers, who get a huge boost on successful steals. Although this isn’t going to happen per player more than 60 or so times a season, having a cache can get you HUGE points this year. More than a Triple!
As for devalued, high WHIP and low K/9 pitchers are even more worthless than before. Giving up hits, especially of the extra base variety, just got a whole lot more problematic, and that means they are that much more of a risk. I would make sure to play these guys in very short spurts, and keep an eye on their stats very carefully.

Overall, hitters are going to get a boost this year from better points for positive outcomes, as well as less of an impact from outs at the plate. It used to be that every out a hitter commits at the plate would be a negative total of 15 points on their card. That means 270 negative points you are playing 9 golds. If it’s a strikeout, its even more. Same with GIDP. Although some of that risk still exists, its not as big in 2015.

Building Your Collection

If you are looking to determine a plan for stocking your lineup, it shouldn’t be all that much different than before. Low WHIP, high K pitchers should be at the top of the list. Then guys like Correa and Trout who hit for average and power. Guys like Dee Gordon and Jose Altuve should start to enter into your consideration, as they are good at steals, but also are high average, high OBP hitters. This means they will be on more, and will have more opportunities to get you points.

The innings eaters with low ERA that used to be such a huge draw are now severely limited by how prone they are to giving up XBH, especially Home Runs. At a huge negative clip, home runs can literally ruin a pitcher’s night, and yours as well.

Here are my prototypical players to pick up:

Max Scherzer (2015) – Low WHIP, high K/9, low ERA
Josh Donaldson (2015) – High HR, Low K, 300 AVG, High OPS

There is no guarantee that these guys are going to continue to produce like they did last year, but the stats are what you should be looking for this year. Stats in baseball are known to fluctuate rapidly, and this year will be no different. Someone is going to have a break out year in the best BUNT categories, and picking them up early will be your saving grace for the contests.

Look at trends as frequently as you can, and keep an eye on having those players available in your deck in as high a boost as possible is really important. Remember, you will need multiples, so it is in your best interest to stock up as much as you can. In the beginning, having at least 9 whites of high scoring players could mean you end up with a huge advantage. Don’t poo poo the low boost cards, as it will be a frequent occurrence that you will play against people who don’t have what you have.

Having 9 whites is much more important than two teals at this point, so keep that in mind.

To close this out, dont forget that we are less than a few weeks into the new season. Dont overvalue cards just because you only have one, especially if you are getting great stuff in return. Try to think ahead, not just for now.

Last week, ToppsMike took some time to answer some open ended questions on the update for the 2016 season. Now that the update as launched, I wanted to go a bit deeper into the features with him. The app itself hasnt changed ALL that much aesthetically, but lots of different new elements will make this a very fun 2016 campaign.

Before we get started, I definitely want to talk about how excited I am for the new season. After talking with Mike it is ABSOLUTELY clear that they took a lot of the opportunities for growth last year and tried to find ways to make them better. Similarly, the user experience is a big focus for the Bunt team. I counted 5 or 6 times during the conversation when Mike mentioned it being a factor for decision on a feature or release. With how much I have talked with the app producers for all of the apps over the last few months, this was something I took notice of.

Even though he might be vilified in the article comments over some mistakes and things out of their control, I will assure you they are their own biggest critics. That is what drove a lot of the feature updates from 2015 to 2016, and I think everyone will be excited to see how they use them to keep the app fresh for the long baseball season. Hopefully after reading the last interview and reading some of the points here, you will be as excited as I am.

Now that the app is live, everything is fresh and everything looks great. I am beyond pumped to see what they have in store.

App Design

From 2014 to 2015, the app’s design and aesthetic changed a lot. The way things functioned in 2014 was vastly different year over year for 2015, and it led to some of the users dealing with errors or even just not understanding what was going on.

This year, the app’s look and feel only changed slightly to incorporate the new branding, but the overall design is relatively similar. Right now its more of a true update instead of a complete overhaul like last year.

The store looks similar to the recent changes from the last update a few weeks ago, and the card sheet is the same as well. Although there wont be a showcase to start off the year, I have now gotten confirmation from Neil and Mike that they are working on SOMETHING regarding that type of capability as the year goes on.

Adding the progress bar for levels on the home screen below your name is a great way to stay on top of your XP. The card exchange button was added to the top as well, but that actually doesnt look like the best way to get to the cards you need to shred. Its best to go from the all cards sheet, just like Star Wars.

Lastly, Carlos Correa is the spokesperson for the app this year, and that should come as no surprise. He is a great ambassador for baseball, and a true up and coming superstar. He should end up with a lot of content this year, which should make Astros fans pretty happy.

Buying Packs

Right now, there are a few packs in the store, all of which give some sort of mix of base, coupled with the new equipment cards Ill get to in a second. There is also a 15k base value pack you can get to by clicking on the pack button when you bring up a single card from your sheet.

Additionally, there is a 10 pack blaster available for 125k, which includes 1 teal boost as a reward, along with 10 equipment cards. I opened a few of them and got a lot of orange cards, and some good teals to use.

The equipment cards have their own pack as well, and you can get some of the better ones through the pack button as well. There is a 50k value pack that can pack a real punch, but you might want to hold off until you have the goods to shred for the top boosts.

Contests

Previously, Mike mentioned that there were going to be similarities between contests during last year’s postseason and this year’s setup. There will be a focus on making it easier to play certain card based on league affiliation, as well as some introduction of more contests for people to play fantasy style.

Bottom line, he said, they wanted to make sure there were more winners every day, and make it worthwhile to participate as much as you can. He also made sure to explain that the scoring issues from last year have been worked out as much as they can be, and that he doesnt foresee anything more than the occasional blip from the provider as the season goes on. Last year, as they mentioned in the app, the issues with scoring came from the provider’s decision to change the output format on short notice. He assured me that they adjusted everything to be positive it wont have the same issues as last year.

Seeding the contests by XP Level was also discussed in the interview and we went a bit more in depth this time around. Obviously someone like last year’s PS Champ, Card_Guru16, will be able to slaughter everyone likely from day one for a lot of reasons. Putting those type of players in a different contest bracket will make sure that the smaller fish have a shot at winning too.

There may be all inclusive contests as the season rolls on, but to start, the levels will be a great way to seed people against those they can actually have a shot at beating.

The prizes will also be changing, especially as the base levels change for 2016. There will be special cards offered through the contests like last year, but there will also be valuable packs of cards in what are being called “blaster” boxes. These boxes could mean winning a contest will net you many, many cards.

Scoring

This is where things are really going to get fun, as scoring is getting a bit of an adjustment this year, from what Mike’s description sounded like. In previous years, it was much more lucrative to roll with top pitchers, even though they may have a bad inning or give up a few runs. When they were considering adjustments for 2016, they wanted to make the pitcher’s scoring more authentic to a situational style.

The way he said they did this, was increasing the points for positive action on the hitters side, and increasing the impact of negative actions for the pitchers. So, if Kershaw pitches 7 lights out innings, but gets 2 guys on base in the 8th – you are going to want to sit him in favor of the hitters in that situation. If Trout lines a 2 RBI double to the gap, the points will be more reflective of the impact that hit had on the game. If Trout flies out to the RF, the negative impact wont be as high as it was on him last year.

This isnt saying that pitchers will be worthless against the hitters, but that its much more lucrative to play in the situation itself than it ever has been.

Here is a guide to all the changes:

Levels and XP

As a whole, Levels are going to change the face of Bunt. After hearing Mike’s extensive rundown on the planning that went into the different aspects of the feature, this is what excites me the most.

Basically, users now have a game within the game that feeds off both collecting and contests, as well as opening packs and staying engaged with the app. Not only will levels help you get further in the contests, as mentioned above, but there is potential for it to open new parts of app too.

The higher your level, the more you will be recognized for being a top user, including the potential to display it in articles and other parts of the game. Collection score wont be going away, but it could be less of an indicator of importance than it used to be.

XP is also gained from collecting inserts and sets, and the higher the quality of the set or insert, the bigger the XP boost will be. Pulling a sig variant will give a large boost, where a lesser insert may not give as big a total.

Users get XP for checking in as well, and a weekly bonus looks to be quite a big boost. If you dont already check in with Bunt every day, you will want to.

The rewards system for leveling up looks pretty lucrative as well, even with the glitch that happened last night. Leveling up will give cards and coins, I would guess, but right now it isnt working while they fix the issues that happened for some lucky users.

Base Cards

As of now, there will be 300 players involved with the base set, and more will be released as the year goes on. Each base will have 10 levels, with 5 in packs, and 5 available through direct purchase or card exchange (similar to the Den in SWCT).

Each card will go up in boost, and the five pack pulled variants are pretty much the same boost levels from 2015. The higher levels are more in line with the post season last year, topping out at 5x.

They want to make the 5 additional levels of base very special so that they arent easy to get, but also not impossible. Obviously, the nature of Bunt is quality and quantity in your base for scoring purposes, which means people wont want to shred a whole collection to get a higher level. He did stress that levels 8, 9 and 10 will take some work, but that with a lot of trading, even the F2P users can get there. Seeing what it will take to get the higher level cards, he was telling the truth. Although they are going to be tough to get right now, with some work, they will be within reach.

The main levels of base for 2016 are white, green, red, blue, and orange. The higher levels are teal (2.2x), purple (2.5x), black (3x), silver (4x), and gold (5x). You can see that with 1x jumps on the final 3 levels, its going to be cool to get those.

Card Exchange

Another cool new feature that Mike talked about at length was the Card Exchange. They are bringing it over from SWCT’s Smuggler’s Den, and its one thing that I think will be really awesome. They are likely going are using this as a way fund the higher base variants first, but I could definitely see them expanding this to other usages.

As we have already talked about, levels 6-10 will only be available outside of the normal base packs. Some of those levels will have random packs that are available through direct purchase, contest wins, or even VIP status.

The card exchange is player specific, so if you want a Carlos Correa Purple, you will have to shred Carlos Correa cards plus equipment to get it. The equipment have levels as well, and many of them can be pulled in the available special packs. Some of the equipment is universal, other pieces of equipment are batter or pitcher specific.

Helmet, Batting Glove and Bat are hitter specific, where rosin bag, hat, and ball are pitcher specific. Cleats and Gloves are universal. There are 7 levels of equipment – Blue, Orange, Teal, Purple, Black, Silver and Gold. They correspond with the card exchanges for those levels of base.

Equipment could end up being pretty valuable in the higher levels, so dont trade your dupes away – especially if you will eventually be able to shred them for other colors.

Monthly Boxes

This was definitely my favorite new thing of the offseason. I thought it was a fun way to get premium and less premium insert cards into the game, and that’s only the start of it. With the new build, Bunt will be partnering with the physical team to deliver some of the best cards Topps has to offer on a monthly basis.

In addition to the monthly boxes, Mike mentioned there may be other sets delivered in a similar type format, as mentioned with the Blasters for contests and other types of cards. Because there are so many options available, boxes are going to be offered as a way to keep things closely related to the physical side of the business.

Mike mentioned that Heritage and High Tek were both modeled as closely after the physical products as possible, including inserts in the box packs for Heritage. He talked about the growing strength of the team’s relationship with the physical team, and how closely they are going to be working together on the box concept for 2016.

He talked about how people experience sets like Stadium Club and Ginter, and that a 10 card set isnt the best way to represent the fun those products represent. The boxes are a TON of work, but they are a much better representation of the fun people get from opening those packs.

Overall, Bunt 2016 is looking sleek, fun and fresh. I love the way the cards look, and I cant wait to see the inserts that are definitely going to be coming. Look for further updates as we get more info!

If you remember back to 2015 Topps Series 2 Baseball, Bunt created a redemption program where you could pull a physical card from a pack, and redeem it for a rare and powerful boost in the game. It was continued in Series 1 for 2016, and was also tried in Kick as well. It was only a matter of time before it hit Star Wars, and with the release of Topps Star Wars Force Awakens Series 2, its live.

Let me start by saying I love everything about these types of programs. They are rare, they are valuable, they get digital people interested in physical, and sometimes vice-a-versa. This program features FA modeled classic art 2 cards, and they look very similar to the popular program in the app.

Here are two that have already been listed:

Topps Force Awakens Series 2 Classic Art Kylo Ren

Topps Force Awakens Series 2 Classic Art Poe Dameron

Topps Force Awakens Series 2 Classic Art Captain Phasma

There are 9 cards all numbered to 100 physical copies that are inserted across the entire product run, including retail. These cards will not only be insanely rare, but they will also be very tough to find in the game. Ill get into the reasoning of why that is the case in a second, but either way, these are going to be cards you want to get.

Its worth noting that there is a Rey card on the checklist, and I am eagerly awaiting what this will sell for. If I had to guess, its going to be multiple hundreds of dollars.

When considering why it is so tough for these cards to make it into the app, there are a few reasons that might happen, even more so with the cards also spread over the retail packs in places like Target or Wal Mart. There might be 100 of them, but I would be shocked if more than 10 of each ever get redeemed.

First, there is an expiration date on the cards of 9/1/16. This means that any of these that get redeemed have to be redeemed within the next 6 months. Considering the movie is popular, but the wave of support isnt what it was for Series 1, less of the packs might be opened. Retail packs are popular too, but they have higher odds to pull anything, and it can take longer for the allotment to be sold.

Secondly, the person who pulls the card has to be on the app, or understand the value of the card they just pulled. You might think that everyone has a good idea of what each card is worth, but what if that person is a 10 year old at a Wal Mart in some remote part of the country? That card might not make it past the front door of their house before it gets lost.

Similar things can be said about collectors who dont want to redeem the card because they want it for set collecting purposes. They might think its pretty awesome, and not want to redeem it.

Lastly, most of this product that will be opened will be opened during the first few weeks. Likely about 25-40% of the run if planning was done correctly. On the flip side, its a good guess that another 30-40% of FA2 will not be opened before the deadline happens. This means that only a few of the cards are going to be pulled before 9/1.

Overall, what I am trying to show is that these cards are not only awesome, but extremely rare. If you pull one from packs, consider yourself among the luckiest people in the SWCT universe. I absolutely love these programs, and wish there were more, but ill take what I can get.

I cant wait to see more of what is going to be coming as we progress towards the release of Rogue One and the release of more SW physical products.

Over the last few days, Bunt has released series of Spring Fever cards that will score in 2016. Outside of the prospects, which commemorate players that might not start in with the MLB team on opening day, these cards are the first that will score for major players.

Based on Series 1’s composition on the physical side, we are hopefully going to get a large batch of players when the new update launches tomorrow or Thursday. The question is, are these new Spring Fever cards valuable enough to chase?

Chasing the Cards

Right now, the batches are selling out at around 180 or below for the different divisions. So far, the players chosen are the better players on the teams, so it brings up two specific parts of the value. At below 200, the cards of valuable players should be worth picking up just for the low count. Im not sure if I would waste coins, but I would look at the cheaper bundles where you can get 3 for $9.99. Additionally, with contest decks likely taking on more of a Bunt postseason approach, it cant hurt to have some extra cards on hand while you stock up for the first few weeks.

To be completely clear, 1x cards are not going to be valuable for very long, unless they are low count and highly sought after inserts. These probably arent going to fall into those categories unless there is a team collector out there looking to chase down holes in their collection. At the same time, the 25k reward for putting together the division isnt bad if you have a shot at acquiring the cards cheaply through trades.

Some of the players wont have Series 1 base cards, and you can see which are going to be left out by looking at the physical checklist for the set on Topps.com. Those are the players that should be at the top of your list, because its likely they wont have cards until Series 2 or 3 hit. That might not be for months.

Saving for Launch

If the 2016 launch does happen tomorrow or Thursday – which is a big IF – then spending coins now at this point is a bad idea. You will want to save as much as you can for the launch, even if you are someone that will be spending regardless.

The best part about knowing the launch date ahead of time is that planning involves a lot fewer question marks. Sure, there is less time to save, but in the end, that makes little difference. It should also make the launch more of an EVENT, which means there could be a lot more stuff in play earlier on.

One disadvantage for the Spring Fever cards is that with more time to acquire 2016 cards, the benefit of having good players at 1x becomes greatly reduced. Before, with less than a day to get cards for your lineup, these type of things could be much better. Now, with weeks to set your sheet, there are a lot less reasons to acquire these cards for their point scoring potential.

They now become 2016 cards acquired more for collecting purposes, and history isnt on the side of sets like this.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the Topps Bunt launch, including more tips and tricks that will help you get going for the upcoming season. If you have any questions – shoot me a tweet @SCUncensored on twitter.

With the new launch coming soon, the team has already mentioned that they are going to pay extra attention to making the inserts look awesome. If they follow through as they have in the past, I doubt they are going to disappoint. With that being the case, here are the most important sets to look out for.

2016 Signature Series

Cost to Acquire: HIGH
Collectability: HIGH
Must Have: YES

For the last two years, maybe even three, there has been no more important set than the sigs. Bunt’s economy is driven primarily by these cards, and even previous year’s versions have clout. Its just crazy how much more people want these cards each year, and they have become a status symbol within the game. I would guess this year’s set will be pretty cool looking, as it always is, and you should expect that this will be the first insert of the game worth chasing down immediately. Unlike other inserts, its definitely possible that the first sig will be more valuable than any other in the game, so dont trade until you get a read.

2016 Limited Series

Cost to Acquire: EXTREME
Colllectability: EXTREME
Must Have: NO

I was shocked by how expensive some of these cards can get. Many of the sub 50 limited cards are almost impossible to trade for, and it should come as no surprise that Limited is one of the more popular sets among high end collectors. Although Sigs run the economy, they are far from the most valuable insert available. Limited can approach that level, especially for guys who have low number jerseys. Although we dont have confirmation that these will be back, im sure they will be. Its also worth saying that these are not must have because of the sheer cost. Only a few people can own these, and they are the Rolls Royce of marathons.

2016 Relic Series

Cost to Acquire: VERY GOOD
Collectability: VERY GOOD
Must Have: YES

These were a surprise mid way through last year, and they turned out to be pretty popular. Although they dont carry the same following as the sigs do, relics are definitely worth picking up if you have coins to burn. Im interested to see what this year’s design looks like, as I felt last year’s wasnt all that interesting – if not only because most of the relics werent that interesting. Hopefully they look pretty cool and set up the series for a long term run as a top marathon.

2016 Editor’s Choice

Cost to Acquire: GOOD
Collectability: GOOD
Must Have: NO

I loved last year’s design with the way the player popped off the white background, and Im sure this year’s card will be just as cool. The issue is that for Editor’s Choice, the checklist can get pretty out there, depending on how ToppsMike and ToppsHanford are feeling that week. Although there are some really fun names, people either love these cards or dont really care for them. I am definitely going to chase this set depending on the set up. These might be switched to Topps’ Choice, but you never know. No confirmation yet.

I literally cannot wait for the new build, as it is clear that they are ramping up for something big. When you see that there is a launch coming, the fans start to get going, and that’s when things get fun.

Yesterday, we got our first taste of the Red Gradient Base Variant, which will end up as the 9th base variant that has been released for Series 3. From what we have seen with series 1 and 2, we know that this is far from the last variant that will be released, and there is good reason why that is the case.

The main issue right now is the delivery of these variants, which has been an incendiary topic among the vocal parts of the community, and I wanted to get a word in edge wise. As much as people have invested in this game, its good to look at this topic from a bunch of perspectives.

Why Are There So Many Variants?

This is simple – people want them. You may hear a lot of people who spend all day on twitter being very critical of another variant being released, and yet, their collection still has quite a few. Regardless of how many people want to bash Topps for dropping these on a consistent basis, the cards are popular – especially among character collectors and hoarders.

For lack of a better explanation, base variants are the way Topps can monetize a program built for these type of collectors. Because so many people have a character they like and a character they hoard, this adds an item that the person must get to have a complete collection. This obligation is a powerful tool they use, and it should not be surprising that they want to make sure they get as much revenue as possible out of the variants.

Although we can fight with them about the constant sales or the odd packout structures, in the end, these cards are an easy way to continue to generate purchases. Remember, Topps is about one thing and one thing only, they are a business and they have to make money. As long as that is happening, all is well. This shouldnt be taken personally, and this shouldnt be seen as a negative. It is what it is, and its the reason why many businesses exist.

Customer Perception

This is where things get really interesting for me, because I havent really seen this in many of the apps. For the base variants, or direct purchase in general, you have a lot of collectors who REALLY want to buy, but dont feel like they can get value out of the way Topps wants them to do so. In many cases, it leads to them being sad rather than mad, as oddball price structuring tends to price people out rather than satisfy that obligation mentioned above. When you have a product that a lot of people want, but arent willing buy, something isnt working right.

A lot of it stems from the inherent value associated with the cards themselves. Because people expect low count variants to come eventually, the comparative value of paying 50 dollars for a 100 count silver just isnt there. Because of the precedent set with constant sales, the value of price reduction as the cards age doesnt work either. When most silvers can be had for 10-12 dollars on eBay, pricing them high to start isnt reflecting anywhere close to the way the public is understanding the variants.

We know that the silvers sell, but would they have sold MORE had they been priced appropriately from the beginning? I say appropriately because the average 100 count card sells for about 10-20 dollars as it is, save a few special inserts. Money is becoming more and more a factor in people’s perception of card VALUE, and that doesnt spell good things for a program like base variants.

If the buyer is being asked to pay to purchase another part of the rainbow for their character, they will have differing value of cards that generally offer nothing new. Rarity is the sole determining factor of value with base variants, and pricing needs to be more conscious of the way the secondary market performs. Otherwise this whole “sad vs mad” situation is going to continue to drive people into a free to play type of mindset. Moreover – “although I really want this card, the amount I would have to pay to get it doesnt equal the investment I would have to make. If the investment was equal I would purchase at most prices.”

Moving Past Sales

Right now, SWCT offers sales on many cards multiple times per day. Because I would guess that they analyze the data from the structures, I am curious about one specific thing. If the cards started lower, would they generate more revenue over time than starting high? Sure, when you have a 49.99 introductory price on a 100 count variant, you will get some bites. However, if the intro price was 19.99, would you sell more off the bat, and prevent the constant barrage of sales?

At this point its going to be very difficult to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Topps will go up against a number of vocal members of the online community that will undercut any pricing structure available unless some clear communication about the release structure is had up front. The mentality might be that they represent a small portion of the buying public, but when 1500 people all get the same message from these individuals, and they go out into the trading market, they can change the tide of the entire app pretty quickly. Its a mob rules setup and the mob is getting bigger by the day.

Here is the message being communicated, one that will have to be explained in every variant type release:

1. Dont buy now, sales are coming!
2. Sales are annoying, why do they harass us like this?
3. Even with the sales, its still not worth buying now, keep waiting!
4. This sale looks like rock bottom, im still not sure this is worth it.
5. Oh look at this sale, they are getting desperate!
6. I got my card, im out.

How does this change the way a variant is released? Here is the messaging I would use.

1. Here is the introductory price – early bird gets the worm!
2. If you buy X times now, we will add your user name to a drawing for X prizes on X date.
3. There will eventually be a price drop to X price on X date. You will not be eligible for the drawing. This price will not change, there will be no sales.
4. The first X people to shred X copies of a character’s variant will get a special prize card of that character limited to X copies
5. If all copies of the card are not sold out by X date, all versions will be sold out at current count.

What this type of structure requires is an introductory price set about 25% above the eventual final price. The final price must be in line with user perceptions of monetary value. It cant be exorbitant. The sale of the variant cant be more than a few weeks. People get their card and that’s it. Dont draw out the process. The longer a variant sits, the more people understand it to be devalued. Better to sell out before that, then make a few more sales after that point of no return. Maintaining user perspective of value and novelty is insanely important.

Also, its important to reward the people who buy early with some sort of offer. Whether it be a card, coins, or something else, give them something. Inspiring a fast start through a limited shred offer is going to get people flying if they want to get in on the game. Lastly, Topps needs to show people that they arent afraid of the cards selling out lower than expected. Because variants can really be created infinitely, just move on instead of letting a stale variant linger.

What Makes a Good Variant?

There are only a few things that determine value for a variant, and this is where the whole concept can be limited in how far it can be taken. Eventually, people will tire of switching colors, like they did with Series 1 and 2, and that’s where some creativity is needed.

Value is determined by:

1. Card count – first and foremost. Lower the count, more valuable it becomes.
2. Card’s look – A brown variant isnt going to sell as well as a Lightsaber red.
3. Packout structure – the harder it is to obtain, the more valuable it becomes

That means that there are only a few other things that can be changed:

• Character photo
• Base design
• Addition of signature
• Addition of relic
• Addition of a set reward

Once the colors get stale, changing these things could bring new life to a variant chase. For character collectors, these type of things are the way to get people back involved.

Rewarding the Rainbow!

Most importantly for all of the things mentioned above, there needs to be a systemic recognition of completing the rainbow for a specific character at the end of all of this. If a user can compile all the different copies of a variant, they should be rewarded somehow. Basically, adding a set to anything makes the individual components more valuable. Creating incremental value creates more purchases. More purchases means more revenue.

People are quite passionate about their rainbows. If anyone doesnt believe me, go check out the Reddit sub on Sundays. Its impressive to say the least. Being that so many people would love to have every last variant, adding some sort of chase will always add more pressure to get it done. That’s how Topps can capitalize on that original obligation I mentioned before, and we can get something out of it too.

In closing, the variant structure is what many people see as the face of the app, especially when the marathons have lost so much of their appeal. Hoarding and character collecting is now more popular than ever, and that means the variant chase can be quite profitable for both Topps and users if done correctly. Right now, I think its causing more problems than it is solving.

If we are still 9-10 months away from the release of Star Wars Rogue One, that leaves a lot of time to get this right.

Im sure there are a lot of people who have been curiously awaiting any sort of news regarding 2016 Bunt. We havent really seen much of what is coming with the 2016 build, and I had to see if there was a way I could get ToppsMike to spill the beans prior to opening day. He was happy to oblige, and provided an absolute ton of information for everyone to get a taste pf what Bunt has to offer. After reading his responses, I must say, this year is going to be insane. Cant wait to see what the cards look like and how the stuff below is executed.

Digital Card Central: When about do you think the 2016 update will be ready?

ToppsMike: We’re looking to release prior to Opening Day, with a little more room for fans to start collecting 2016 cards before the action gets underway on April 3rd. I can’t commit to a date just yet, but we’re planning on releasing earlier than last year.

DCC: I think that is going to be helpful, especially with getting lineups set. Now that we are closer to the season, what has you most excited in regards to the season and the update?

TM: Well, it’ll be great to have baseball back in general, but what I’m most excited about with regard to BUNT is our expansion on the 2015 base cards and how the 2016 base cards work alongside one of our new features, Card Exchange. We’ve expanded from five base parallels to 10. Between that and the new base template, we’re very excited about them. While five parallels will be available to all fans in select packs, something we’ve changed from the beginning of the 2015 season, you’ll have to earn your way up the ladder to earn a Gold card. There’s no paywall standing in your way, either. If you put the work in, you’ll be able to get a Gold card of your favorite players all on your own.

DCC: This is a bit of a game changer, especially in the way people chase different cards. Trading could really find a big bump in activity for sure. What are some of the other enhancements and changes that are coming that you feel will get US the most excited?

TM: In addition to what I mentioned above, BUNT fans will finally be able to chase something other than cards in 2016. With Levels, one of our other new features, fans will constantly be able to upgrade their status in the game by way of a number of in-game actions including logging in, opening packs, making exchanges, placing in Contests, and collecting cards and awards. Your level, which will be displayed on your fan profile, will allow you to access different packs, exchanges, and contests as the season goes on. Also, as a perk for our returning fans, those who have been around for a while will see an improved starting point over those who may sign up during the season.

DCC: Wow,  interesting way to get some parity in the way things are going to work for many different aspects of the game. Im intrigued to say the least. Will contests and scoring be changing?

TM: Yes they will. As I alluded to above, contests will be revamped for 2016. There will be both free and premium contests, similar to the 2015 Postseason, contests that take more of a daily fantasy format as well as a free-for-all, and some featuring AL-Only and NL-Only action. Fans will be able to compete with others that are near their current Level, so everyone won’t be worried about getting their butts whooped by a guy who’s a level 50, even if you’re just a level 7. Since you’ll gain Experience Points (or XP) for placing in levels, there will be some that are focused on that as well. Contest cards will return, and some semblance of Best of BUNT will be around I’m sure, but we’re still working out the exact details of all of it.

In addition to the format and framework of contests seeing a bit of an overhaul, scoring will also be altered in 2016 as well. Without getting too specific, expect batters to be rewarded more for positive actions, with less risk of losing points if they don’t come through. On the other hand, pitchers will see a similar value placed on successful plays as they did in 2015, but significantly higher penalties for allowing hits and runs.

DCC:  I like these changes a lot, we have been waiting to see how Bunt can continue to help hitters and other type cards become more playable. As for the collecting side, will our favorite insert sets be making a return?

TM: Ha, “our” is a highly-relative term, but absolutely. Signature Series will return for 2016, as will many of the 2015 marathon inserts that everyone (okay, most of you) loved so much. In fact, Hanford and I were a thorn in Dan’s side when he was creating the new Signature Series design. I bet he wanted to turn around and throw something heavy at us once or twice, but knowing how important that card in particular is to BUNT Nation, it was of paramount importance to get that one just right. We’re really, really excited to share the new design with the fans.

DCC: Trust me we are all waiting to see what you have up your sleeve in this department.

Last year, we had some amazing rookies with Bryant, Correa, and others. Who do you think will set themselves apart this year from the rookie class?

TM: 2015 is going to be hard to top from a rookie perspective. Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Joc Pederson, Noah Syndergaard, Miguel Sano, Jung Ho Kang and others have ushered in a new age of baseball. It seemed like for too long we were all lamenting the twilight of the Jeter-A-Rod-Nomar generation (okay, maybe it was just me) but this new crop of superstars couldn’t have come at a better time for the game. With that said, I’m crazy excited to see if guys like Aaron Judge, Aaron Nola, Lucas Giolito, Julio Urias, Trea Turner and a few others can not only make it to the big leagues, but stick and have that same impact on teams that may pack a surprise or two in the standings much like the Astros of 2015.

DCC: Yankee Aaron Judge tops your list, not a surprise, haha. Outside of your normal Yankees obsession, who is your must have Bunt player for 2016? Why?

TM: For me, it’s Carlos Correa. Hanford and I were looking back at his first pro season, and it’s pretty outstanding. We remarked that had he been called up earlier, he would’ve absolutely been included in the All-Star festivities in Cincinnati, and I fully expect him to be either the leading vote-getter or one of the manager’s first choices as a reserve in San Diego this season for the American League. Furthermore, I’m excited to see how far he can help carry the Astros. I have no worries about a sophomore slump for the reigning American League Rookie of the Year. But really, above all else, I’m going to stay on him about being a ringer for the Topps softball team this summer. I think it’s fair to say he’d be a pretty good player and fit into our team chemistry quite well. He can have the intern’s spot in the lineup.

DCC: Im surprised you would give the stage to someone who could potentially take away from your cinderella softball performance last year. He might steal some of that thunder.

With the launch of the Top Prospects set and Bowman Draft, Bunt has taken its first REAL foray into pre-rookie players. Do you guys have plans to do more with prospects this year?

TM: I think it’s something that we love to do, especially Hanford, and I think the fans really take to some of the prospect sets we put out as well. With that said, we do like to focus on goings-on in baseball when there are games being played, so I foresee prospects in general taking a bit of a backseat for a little while, but I see no reason why we couldn’t do some more featured content around the draft or Futures Game.

DCC: Over the course offseason, the team has gone deeper into lineups for the teams, and focused on delivering some content that isnt the normal Kershaw, Trout, Harper etc. Do you see that continuing for 2016?

TM: I think so, but the key is balance. To me it’s important to feature your stars, but also talk about the guys that help get teams to where they want to be. That isn’t always the guy grabbing all the headlines or the one with the biggest contract. Call it the Scott Hatteberg rule. We’ll try to do a little more of that in 2016.

DCC: Scott Hatteberg – PICKIN’ MACHINE! I love it. Thanks for all your help here, the excitement is palpable.

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Another big thank you to Mike and the Bunt team for all the juicy info on the upcoming update to Bunt! As we get closer to opening day, Ill have more coverage on the launch, including some more follow up with the Bunt team. Keep checking back and follow @Toppsmike, @Toppshanford, @ToppsBUNT and @ToppsDigital on Twitter to stay on top of the news.