Digital Card Central

We all know why Topps and their digital brands have had so much success. Not only do they have top licenses and top leagues supporting their apps, but they have built a community in all four games that is literally unrivaled.

In my opinion, one of the things that drives the community to continue improving is competition, user vs app and user vs user. This exists not only in the gameplay elements of the apps themselves, but among each other’s collections. Much like cars or homes, there are certain status symbols within each universe, all of which are different app to app. These cards on your sheet can give instant credibility and instant admiration, and that can be a driving factor in one’s reputation.

Bunt – Signature Series Variants

Unlike Huddle or Kick, Bunt is as much about the collection as it is about the game. This shifted even further in 2015, mainly due to gameplay issues that were evident in the scoring mechanism.

Because collecting premium inserts is such a big deal, Bunt can literally push out cards on a regular basis with 1:200+ pack odds, and people will stop at nothing to get them. No card embodies this more than the Sigature Series, and of course the ultra rare variants that are almost impossible to get.

Looking back on the different cards, sig variants like Trout can sell for hundreds of dollars, if not only because there is a ton of demand and not much supply. Many of the sig variants are under 50 count, and that means that they are some of the most sought after cards by hundreds of people.

Owning multiple signature series variants is something that many users would trade their entire collections for, and many have done so just to get them. Its the best indication of a seasoned Bunt veteran.

Star Wars Card Trader – The Hoard

Oddly enough, Star Wars has become less about Vintage Han and Widevision Obi Wan in recent months. If you remember back to May and June, around the time the Android version of SWCT launched, Han and Obi were the best cards around. Technically, they still are, and many would still like to own a copy of each. They just have an aura around them.

That being said, with the first marathons completed, the REASON to own the cards has gone away, replaced by something that no one really expected. If you can believe it, white base cards might be the best way to build a rep in Star Wars, and Im not kidding.

Your hoard is as much a representation of your stature in the app than your collection of marathons or anything of the sort. Sure, a big collection low numbered inserts and variants can show you have a lot of money to throw around, but nothing speaks volumes like a multi thousand count hoard of a white base card. You can even buy a hoard 9 cards at a time if you so desire.

Systemically, the app has only recognized these hoards in a few specific ways, but they would be smart to engage the community more to showcase the one thing that makes users the happiest. Monument cards are a final representation of the hoard, and the pink variants are similar, as both required massive collections to acquire. In the end, seeing that giant number next to a single white base is more important than anything these days.

Huddle – 1/1 Cards in General

An arguement can be made that Gold Legends or the other cards from the legends box carry more of a stature, but nothing speaks volumes like a 1/1 in your collection. So much so that people have started going back through previous years of huddle to acquire cheaper ones when they dont have the firepower to get a new one.

Because of the extreme limited nature of the cards themselves, its almost moot explaining why they look like a Ferrari in your driveway. Although collecting isnt as big of a deal in Huddle, the 1/1 is something that drives people to do some crazy, crazy things.

The worst part about the 1/1 being the currency in which Huddle clout is traded, most of the cards are practically impossible to get. Not only are they usually offered one at a time, but the odds are in the tens of thousands to one. If someone pulls a 1/1 and you want to trade for it? Good luck. You will INSTANTLY be competing with 10-15 people all offering cash, arms, legs and first born children.

Additionally, many of the 1/1s are on lockdown, so in some cases, you cant even see who owns them to even start the framework of a deal. I take it back, these arent Ferraris, they are unicorns. I say that, because for 99% of the Huddle user base, they exist only in fantasy collections.

Importance

Regardless of how attainable some of these cards are, you dont NEED to own them to have fun. I want to stress that here, because of how many people seem to lose sight of the true object of these apps. Its not your collection score, trader rating or even your finish in the final standings. Those are all ends. The means is entertainment. You can have a blast and not own a single one of the cards mentioned above.

If you have the time to dedicate, and you have the potential to chase down a dragon, more power to you. I know its a rush, personally, when I can snag a white whale.

In the end, its finding what you like and what you enjoy. Hopefully you have the means to make that happen.

Before you start reading, please understand that most of this post is me sitting in front of a computer and spitballing ideas. Its hard to consider cost of implementation or the ripple effects it would have on certain parts of the game. This is meant to be the start of the discussion, nothing more. Please keep that in mind.

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One of the things I would like to see improved in the app more than anything is the way trading is viewed. Not necessarily the interface or the technical side of putting cards in the little window (although there are ways that can be improved too), but the way the apps views trading and how it actually takes place.

There are four specific parts of this equation, all of which are equally important in the improvement of a user’s experience within the app. The first is solicitation, which includes stuff like articles and the feed, how people actually look and initiate trades. The second is identifying users, or functionality based around profiles and stuff like that. Third is communication, both user to user and app to user. The fourth is feedback, or the way trades can memorialized in some fashion based on user experience.

I think its time to discuss all of these things, and how much impact they have on a regular basis.

Part 1 – Solicitation

Right now, the fan feed is still as much the wild west as anything. So many people do all of their trading through the feed, that they feel the need to spend the majority of their time posting requests and looking for deals. Dont get me wrong, the feed can be fun at times, but other times its about as frustrating as anything in any of the apps.

The main issue is that the feed renders users faceless in a lot of ways, instead letting their post speak for who they are. Because the refresh is moment to moment, people post over and over and over again, knowing that their request wont be seen unless they continually offer it 10 times a minute.

Not only does this likely put a lot of stress on the servers, but it probably adds a considerable barrier to entry for a new user. Unless you truly understand how to use the feed, you really dont have the same advantage as someone who does. Similarly, screwing up and doing it wrong can get you a lot of nasty feedback.

The worst part about the feed is that it is all text and no functionality. That means that users WRITE what they want instead of using a system to indicate wants vs haves. Im curious if switching the feed to a running “Who is Online” forum where people can go and see a list of people who are online at the moment, and let users set their outgoing message as a profile element, rather than a text post that is uploaded with each available refresh.

Similarly, being able to see which cards up front people WANT to get rid of, and what they are looking for, might help new users to onboard, while at the same time give existing users a lot of ease of use in making offers. Want to find out who owns the new Vintage or Sig, and what they want? Profiles should show who is online and who has what to offer.

Blind trading is even more complicated, mainly because you dont know what the users have in their collection other than a collection score and trader rating displayed in the populated list. If needs and wants were more visible, a blind trade menu could easily indicate who has the card, who is offering the card as a have, and who is willing to accept blind offers. Hopefully this would again cut down on that guessing game people have to play.

Part 2 – Identifying Users

Finding a trade partner right now is beyond difficult, mainly because of how users are represented through the solicitation part of the process. No one, and I mean NO ONE understands collection score or force score. Although they know that higher is better, not knowing what contributes to it makes it a significantly less valuable as an indicator. We do know it is a live indication of your collection versus that of the rest of the app, but it is more confusing than it is helpful for 99.9% of users who visit the apps. New users even more so.

At some point, the apps need to find a way that better indicates collection strength in a more accessible format. Instead of a scoring mechanism that no one gets, a more transparent indicator of someone’s app career should be better. Here are some bottom line indicators that we should probably consider on a weighted scale:

• Time in the app (based on join date)
• Amount of daily check ins
• Number of cards in collection
• Average card count of cards in collection
• Quality of cards in collection
• Number of completed trades
• Trader rating given by other users
• Gameplay results (if available)

This might sound like a lot of different indicators, but it will be more valuable to a trading experience to seek out those that rank high versus those that rank low. It might also be able to showcase in blind trades what the likelihood the person will respond.

At the very least, it is worth mentioning that competition drives a lot of the people in the app to do what they do. Whether its competing over the best collection, the best score in a contest, or completing a set, its the driving characteristic in a lot of ways. If the numbers are transparent and visible, this should help to increase a user’s engagement.

Part 3 – Communication

Ill start with user to user, as it is the one part of the apps that is why many people are as invested as they are. Without user to user communication, these apps would be 1/4th as successful, if that.

Because of this situation, Topps needs to invest resources to make their communication system as robust as possible. Its going to be time consuming, but entirely worth it to ensure that each user feels a part of the community. Community breeds competition, which, as mentioned above is the main derivative of the app.

Lets start with the basics. Because no messaging interface exists, users have built workarounds to communicate with each other privately, and that needs to change. There needs to be a direct way to message individual users, either on a live basis, or through a private message system. Sending a trade for the same card with a message is both clunky and weird, especially because there is no available notification system. Ill get to the “app to user” communications in a second, but forcing users to go this direction may have worked fine in 2013, but there needs to be a better system in the future.

In terms of the way the app communicates with us, notifications are only present for new cards, accepted trades and new packs. Obviously this is important, but adding options to let users customize their notifications are essential. If someone sends a counter offer to my trade, I would like to be able to potentially receive an alert. If someone sends me a message, same thing.

Here are my suggestions to customized notifications, that users can toggle on and off:

• Incoming Trades
• Counter offers
• New Message
• Message replies
• Declined trades
• Refunds

I cant count the number of times that I have missed out on a trade or missed a message because I just didnt check my inbox. That should never happen if the user actually wants the notifications to come through. If they dont, they can turn them off.

Lastly, I would make some improvements to the friend list that shows when a friend’s trade or message is received. Right now, friends lists dont give preferential treatment in the inbox, and I would like that to change.

Part 4 – Feedback

As it stands, trader feedback on all apps is not a good representation of the quality of the trader themselves. Because of the way the app is set up, a person can pretty much game this system, if not only because they know how to exploit the way they interact with other users.

Because millions of trades happen every year in the apps, storing that much text feedback would be insane. I get that. That being said, there has to be a better way of separating the starred ratings to ensure that the counts actually mean something. The suggestions below are put together under the auspices that these will be used correctly and not for bullying or abuse. Of course, that is in the hands of moderators, so maybe that should be part of this as well.

A way to do this would to only count ratings on accepted offers, ensuring that people who sit back and field offers from the feed without risk dont get the advantage of not sending their own offers.

Another way would be to allow users to add comments that are sent to the user on low rated trades. Instead of completely anonymous trader ratings, make that anonymity optional. As long as this doesnt get abusive, it can help users to understand why something went the way it did as a learning experience. If a user doesnt want to send a comment, they dont have to.

Lastly, flagging scammers needs to be a very big part of any improvement to the system. There needs to be a way to better avoid scammers in a public way, especially if you already have them on ignore. Its become too common for people to take advantage of others without punitive penalty if found to be doing something against TOS. Like many of the other suggestions in this section, moderators will need to be a big part of this, as investigations will be in scope.

Overall, I just want to see more of a world class trading system that mirrors the advanced functionality of the rest of the app. Over the 5 years these apps have been around, the one part of the game that has only had minor changes is trading, and I would like to see more of an investment in improving the most important and fun aspect of the games.

As I have mentioned a few times in the past, hoarding has become a user created substitute for gameplay in Star Wars. Up until the release of Series 3, hoarding has been something that I havent really taken too much of an interest in. Now that there is a time to start from scratch, I thought that it was time to jump in.

What is Hoarding?

For those of you who are unfamiliar, hoarding is a broad term and can apply to many different aspect of the game. To put it simply, hoarding is the practice of acquiring as many copies of a certain card or cards, with the idea of having the most complete collection that exists for that specific item.

Some people choose to hoard white base of a certain character or characters, knowing that at some point in the future there will be potential to shred them for monument cards. Others choose to try to get at least one of each of the cards released for a certain character, with the feeling of completion being the only satisfaction needed. There are also users who just want as many TK-001s as they can get, cornering the market.

Why Hoard?

For most, its about passing the time. With SWCT already in the arena of a time killer for most, hoarding helps to add an element of fun and accomplishment without much cost. Its a way to interact with the community in a fun way, and in some cases, your hoard can be infamous among the other users.

In the past, monument cards were created to reward users for building a massive hoard, but that isnt the reason that many do what they do. Getting your username on a card is a big deal, but for some, the effort far outweighs the shredding for a single card.

In the end, like with much of SWCT, hoarding is as much about pride in your collection as anything. If you have a big hoard, and are recognized by hoarders as someone who is worth taking a look at, that’s reward in itself. That feeling of competition and completion is alluring to say the least.

Choosing Your Target

Believe it or not, this is actually one of the most important parts of the process, as it can mean months of easy going fun or a long existence of grinding the fan feed. If you choose a character that few people want, your hoard will be that much easier to build. On the other hand, if you decide that Rey is going to be your target, good luck.

Some people love a challenge, and choose popular characters solely for that reason. Others just want to be the biggest collector of Nexu, because…well.. they want to.

When it comes down to it, I would choose two characters. One that is your primary and maybe a bit easier to obtain, and one that is a secondary and maybe a bit harder. Because there is little cost in choosing multiple targets, why not try? Its not like you are penalized if you give up.

Navigating the Fan Feed 

Everyone on SWCT opens packs, and that means that for the base card hoarders out there, the counts are plentiful on many of the cards. Some of the Series 3 are already above 50k in count, but that is low by many standards when looking at Series 1. At the moment, hoarding Series 3 is a onesie twosie type of situation, as the giant counts of base that exist for the previous series just dont exist yet. They will in the future, but right now, its a grind.

What made hoarding so much easier with the first few series was that there were a number of users who literally had hundreds of copies of each card. If you found a partner, you could unload their hoard in trade for yours. It was an easier way to obtain cards en masse.

With the launch of Series 3, a fraction of the cards exist, which means that the general population only has a very limited number of copies. Many are building hoards as we see on the feed, but they are doing it one card at a time instead of one hundred cards at a time.

Look for the people that list their hoard target in their fan feed post, and get what you can. Similarly, your fan feed post should be what you are hoarding and your ratio of what you are willing to give up. The best traders will do 1:1 trades hoard for hoard of the same color, but if you have a super popular character, that might not work.

If you want to trade whites for blues, blues for reds, etc, I have seen exchange rates as low as 3:1, but 5:1 isnt horrible either.

Will the App Embrace the Hoards?

I have predicted that SWCT’s team would be stupid to leave hoarding as an under appreciated gameplay situation, and its in their best interest to add some structure. Not necessarily OUR best interest, but definitely theirs. Any systemic support for the hoards out there will add value to the cards, and with more value comes more users getting involved. With more users comes more revenue, which is exactly why I believe things have already changed significantly as it is.

Hopefully at some point in the future there will be some sort of reward system for hoarding milestones, maybe similar to a VIP program we have seen in other apps. At the same time, I expect base variants to continue to be offered on a direct purchase basis. That is too lucrative to walk away from. I would also hope that there will be monuments for Series 3, as there were for the first two series, but again there has been little communication on that.

Smuggler’s Den is definitely NOT going away any time soon, and I would love to see them use it more often to reward hoarders for the lively trading environment that is created by this organic scenario.

Lastly, I would love for their to be more display options and filters to help address the THOUSANDS of trades that are likely going to occur for each hoarder. Whether its identifying targets at the top of the trade interface, or even finding ways to make blind trades better, anything would be appreciated. How awesome would it be to pull up a character you have and see who is hoarding them? Instead of choosing a faction, why not let people choose their hoard target if they want?

I would also love to see a hoarding leaderboard at some point, as it will only add fuel to the fire. We want to know who is the best, so lets make it happen!

Regardless if you want to participate or not, hoarding is something that is worth trying. As I have more experience with Series 3, ill fill everyone in, but if you have Maul or BB-8, Im your man!

This is a unique time for Huddle, if not only because for the next few weeks, large portions of the active NFL player population will narrowed down as teams are eliminated from the playoffs. This means that sizable portions of the boost checklist will have scored their last point in Huddle. The question I get a lot from people in game and on Twitter centers around the value of these eliminated players, and the value they maintain after the season is done for their team.

Background

In case you werent aware, the likelihood that any 2015 Huddle cards will score next year is so small it isnt worth discussing. For all intents and purposes, when a player’s team is eliminated, the points for that card will forever be done as well.

Although Huddle has a lot of collection worthy cards, especially as of late, points have always been a huge part of a card’s popularity. That means that people will complain when Huddle releases cards of eliminated players, or assign boosts to players who dont have the ability to score any further. In the end, it really doesnt matter, as the season will be over in February for two lucky teams, and everyone else may be done in a matter of days.

Points Arent Everything

When you consider the trade economy and the landscape of Huddle users, there are a high level of points players. Similarly, there are a lot of people who play for points, but also collect something very specific. Whether its a team, a player, or a type of card, many will collect on top of playing for points. Then there are people that are straight collectors, and they value the quality of the card over any sort of boost from the get go.

This is why value of boosted cards, post elimination, is not zero. Card count will remain a prime determining factor in value determination, as is the design, theme and look of the card. There are a lot of reasons why eliminated players should remain part of the Huddle daily planning for releases, if not only to keep things interesting. Eventually, there will only be a few teams left, and that just isnt a lot of star power that remains.

If you have been on the fan feed, team and player collecting is a big part of what makes Huddle fun, and has been influenced significantly by the acquisition of the license for the NFL. Since the beginning of the year, teams and players have become much more a part of our existence on the app, if not only because we can appreciate the uniforms and logos.

Trading for Eliminated Players

Everyone wants to complete their playoff sets, even though there isnt a card or cards for doing so. This adds a level of value that extends past the player, team, and points collecting, as users always derive value from a coin based reward. At the very least, trading needs for haves is a great way to start, but keep in mind that just because a player is eliminated, doesnt mean they arent part of someone’s set.

Similarly, star power still has pull, especially in the higher parallels of the playoff cards and especially the playoff inserts. Trading Adrian Peterson for Matt Jones or Reggie Nelson is going to be a tough pill to swallow for most, mainly because of player status and fan preferences.

If both player cards involved in the trade are eliminated and not really the superstars of the team, rarity level for rarity level trades should work perfectly for most. Some may even pay for needs a bit more than they would if they have dupes.

It is safe to say that active offensive skill players will command the highest premiums, especially if they are top point cards. With the advent of fantasy style contests for the non-pay contests, QBs have all of a sudden become much more of a hot commodity. If you have one and want to complete some sets, you could walk away with quite the hoard of eliminated player cards.

Having Fun As Teams Are Eliminated

I dont like that people complain when cards are released from the 24 eliminated teams around the league. That is 75% of the available players out there, and many of them have some big names that could be valuable in the right setting. Considering only 200 people play in the premium contest, and there are plenty of cards available for the regular contest, its okay if Huddle wants to throw a bone to fans of the other teams.

There is no reason to complain, especially when you see just how many thousands of cards exist for a player on an active team. If you are really hurting for more, that’s why trading exists. Huddle can continue to deliver compelling content for playoff teams while still having a lot of nice stuff for everyone else as well. The two are NOT mutually exclusive.

In the end, it comes down to what you like, and buying only that. If you dont like what is being released, the loudest voice as a common user you have, is with your wallet, not with immature and wasteful complaining. Concurrently, if other people do want to buy, that’s up to them. Constructively delivered criticism has frequently been welcomed by the Huddle team, but its the “this stuff sucks because these people are eliminated” complaints that really get us no where.

Closing Out The Year

As we progress towards the Super Bowl, Ill have a ton more commentary on how to approach things, but I will say this. There are a hoard of cards coming per their app update text, and I can guarantee that many will be playoff related. If you are a fan of a team that didnt make the playoffs or was eliminated from the playoffs, this is your time to cash in. Dont sit back and let this time pass you by without getting some great trades done. If you arent playing for points, now is the right time to pounce.

Tomorrow is a very big day for SWCT, in that the new base cards should hit packs at some point en masse. Currently, there are ways to get them through limited distribution, but it has been costly, time consuming, or both. Hopefully this will be changing tomorrow with the planned retirement of Series 1 and 2. Although we know Jan 15th is the last time the old cards will be available, we dont know how the retirement is going to go down.

If you are like me, this is a day that breeds a lot of excitement, as it is the first time we have seen a mass change in the way the app has been set up. Since March, base series 1 and 2 have ruled the roost, and beginning tomorrow, that should no longer be the case.

The question on everyone’s mind is how this roll out is going to take place, and to tell you all the truth, I have no idea. I will say that the limited roll out we have seen since December has soured me on the prospects of a quick and painless execution of the new packs, so we will see if a slow play is still the method.

If I were in their position, I would be thinking the release of new base is something that isnt best served on a platter to the customers. Obviously the Wampa pack is a good indication they feel the same way, but it could go even further. Considering how much anticipation there is, I dont think I am putting out the Boba packs from day 1, with all new base cards in the mix.

If I am a user, I am waiting this out – at least until we see that all Series 1 and 2 is gone, and Series 3 is all that is available. I want to know that when I pull for Vintage or Widevision, that I am not going to see the old stuff. We know that base cards will be plentiful, and new hoards will be many – so the value will be huge with so many people looking to stock up. WAIT. Wait until things settle down, and you will see that it wont be the mob scene I expect it to be. You will get much more value to your saved bankroll, and that is all that matters.

Right now, the new base are trading insanely high, especially in the popular characters. Although the popularity of a character will always dictate higher value, trading your life away wont be something required once the market gets a bit more saturated. Remember, there is a possibility that it will be another year before these sell out. Its not like they are going to be in short supply.

For some, waiting around while other users have all the fun is an exercise in futility. If you decide to dive in, its best to take advantage of the market, especially if you pull the best of the best. Orange Rey and Orange Kylo, among the normal top guys from the original movies will be the best cards to pull. Ahsoka Tano is still going to be popular, as will Han, Leia, Luke and Vader. Dont hesitate to ask more for these guys, just dont go so far that you end up with nasty messages in your inbox.

Because some will be choosing new hoards, its best to discover yours too, if you havent already. You might even want to rip a bunch of packs just to see where you have the best head start.

Overall, this is going to be fun, something that has been apparent since the new series was announced. Finally we will get to see what the cards are going to do when they arent 500 in count. Be careful, be cautious, and try to keep your head on your shoulders as the packs are released. YOU DONT have to jump on the first release. If you wouldnt normally buy the pack for Series 1 or 2, why buy it for Series 3? Eventually the market will right itself and things will regulate. Keep that in mind.

As mentioned in previous posts, this is the time of year where Huddle REALLY comes alive. Not only do they really ramp up with the quality of their sets, but they usually work with as many cards as they can that are still alive in the bracket. I have had a blast so far, and though the contests do cost quite a bit to play in, the payoff has been huge. Here are some thoughts.

Playoff Structure

Back when I posted what I thought would be the best for everyone, I mentioned that Huddle going along the same lines with Bunt would be awesome. Not only would it open it up for everyone to play, but physical prizes are always awesome. Luckily for everyone, that is exactly what happened.

Now, the main sticking point with people is that the free contests are all a fantasy style, which has made people a bit angry that they dont get to play like they have all year. I completely understand the frustration, and support what people have said so far. From a user perspective, this is pretty much the opposite of what makes people happy, but is exactly what is needed for Huddle to make money. At 50k, each contest entry relatively costs 10 dollars, and for most, that is too much.

At the same time, you can still win some pretty sweet looking cards playing for free, as long as you have the firepower and can choose a good fantasy lineup. It has actually increased the value of QB boosts, as they are relatively worthless when playing in a contest where play structure is like what they have done.

As for the timing, this is where I can see how things can get nuts. The playoff contests were likely very difficult to set up in the way they all count towards a larger leaderboard, and all the 1000s of cards they are talking about releasing cant make this an easy time for the app team. Hopefully they continue to work as hard as they have, and can have a little bit of a buffer on getting the contests live and more people available to play along.

Playoff Prizes

I am a big fan of offering the gear for people who finish in the top 100. Its pretty awesome to think that for the first time, 100 people will win physical prizes in Huddle’s final stages of the year, even though they arent on the same level as Bunt. Keep in mind, MLB is notoriously more lax on stuff like this than the NFL ever would be, and I am guessing that there had to be some issue there.

Either way, the custom Champion’s ring and all the Topps swag is nice for an app that didnt have anything last year, and if you are playing because its fun, anything like this is just the cherry on top of the sundae. We can complain that no iPad and cash is available, but the lack of crazy electronics has not swayed me from participating AT ALL.

Contest Cards

Over the year, the contest cards have gone from extremely valuable to not so valuable, only because there is so many of them, and only so many team/player collectors to chase them down.

That being said these contest cards are FAAAAAAAAR from that type of release. Not only do they feature a clean and sleek design, but the premium contest cards have sigs that add a lot of value to them. I played like crazy last week to ensure I got my hands on the ones I wanted, and getting 2 for finishing top 25 and above is just the type of thing to make me want to play every single game.

Other Insert Releases

Let me say that last night’s Cam Newton Icons card might be the sickest card of the year. Although insanely expensive, as a premium card, it needs to be that way. If its in a 10k pack, everyone and their mother is going to pull for it, and the value would be dead on the open market.

This way, the value is maintained for the people that buy it, the huge boost is a bonus, and the look of the card is the equivalent of a Rolls Royce. I absolutely love the set, and cant wait to see what else they have up their sleeve in this tier of the app.

Other cards like the playoff sets have traded VERY well thanks to new coin awards and big boosts (as expected), and I would say that as things progress, these cards will continue to be some of the hottest playoff cards on the market.

Im a bit disappointed that the 25+ subject playoff sig set from last year didnt make a return, but at the same time, I know that the contest cards are almost a replacement that is much more interesting to try to obtain. That’s not saying that other insert sets havent been released with sigs attached, like we saw with Icons, but the actual playoff sigs would still have been a nice touch.

The addition of the Gametime set each day of each round is a perfect idea for contests built around massive boosts, and the player picks have been some of the marquee names. Not only are the cards valuable, but the hexagonal patterned design is slick as hell.

The continuation of the Super Bowl moments set have been some of my favorites, and that’s not even counting the quality of some of the stuff the cards are commemorating. I love the way Huddle built the theme of the set, as well as the way the cards look, and I am pumped to see how deep the legend roster goes on this. Can you imagine a Montana or Favre? Insane.

I dont expect that the lower end spender tier will continue to go without fun, either, as there are a lot of opportunities to do large sets with guaranteed pack pulls. If done right, like Strata was, the sets can be extremely popular AND extremely fun to collect.

Overall, like I said, the playoffs have been awesome for me. I really like what they have put out and its going to be interesting how they follow up a lot of the releases this coming weekend. Now that popular teams like the Patriots are in the mix, its going to get a lot more hairy in trying to trade for the awesome stuff. More people are going to want to buy and keep these cards, and that increases value considerably.

Good luck everyone, ill see you on the gridiron!

We have been waiting for a while to see what Huddle has planned for the playoffs, and we are starting to get a good idea of just how much content is going to be coming down the pipeline.

First, we have an app update that celebrates the beginning of the post season, including the use of logos for both the playoffs and Super Bowl 50. Personally, this is the type of thing that makes the NFL license so much more important, as it adds a level of authenticity to the whole release.

We also got a write up of all the different things in the works, many of which look to be some the most intriguing set chases in Huddle history. This is going to be a fun month and a half!

The playoff sets look like they are going to be quite large, including 5 levels of releases just like we saw in Bunt. The boost levels should be pretty high, considering we are already at 6x cards in the game.

The Huddle Bowl bracket format will also be changing to be much more open for the users in the app, something that I am ecstatic about. Im sure there will be much more information coming soon. The format will be new to Huddle and should be quite the chase.

We also see there will be a ton of new sets, two of which I have previews of below. Programs is back, this time with a playoff theme. There is also a historical set that has logos of all the different Super Bowls. Cannot wait for the MANY other sets yet to come.

Bottom line, this is going to be the best year of Huddle Playoffs ever, and I am beyond excited to get this underway tomorrow. Stay tuned for more information as it it is released!

When the app started, and even months into things, I never would have guessed that the Marathons wouldnt be some of the most important cards in the game. We clamored for them, but after a while, it was clear that the community had found a new love, one that was readily available, and was never subject to a release date. Base cards became the currency in which the SWCT has traded in for months, and the way people are attached to them show their importance. Marathons have come and gone, but the cheapest cards in the game are what drive the app these days.

Based on this situation, Im curious to see what happens with a new series of base, and the planned “retirement” of the existing series. This has the potential to open up a lot of doors for people who have taken to hoarding their favorite characters, now with a new quest to start all over. Although I dont support calling it “Series 3”, I am very excited to see what it brings.

The good side of a new base series is the chance to start with a set that might make more sense for the way the app has evolved. Better looking cards, more ways to incorporate variants, and hopefully a re-energized community looking to restock their hoards.

Of course, the task of starting from scratch may turn off some people from even trying to get going. I could see a split in the community of people trying to stick with the original cards and avoid moving on, just because of how much time, effort and money went into their original target. Considering that people will have character hoards that wont return in the new set, they might not be inclined to find someone new to chase.

Personally, I like that the team has decided to move on. As mentioned in a previous article, I was of the impression that this was still a few months off, but I have come to terms with waiting on the new build – if and when that comes. If this new series is the first part of SWCT 2016 that we will get, I think they are off to a good start.

When playing the Topps apps, spending real money is a very polarizing situation for some users. Either you are free to play (F2P), and you dont want to spend, you are a casual spender, or you spend frequently. If you are part of the first two groups, it can be tough to recognize when the best time drop some real coin on digital coins. Im going to try to outline where I see the most opportune times to buy in – if that is your sort of thing.

One thing to mention, this post is written by someone who spends enough to make a considerable dent. Not everyone spends and not everyone has to spend. I am writing this for educational purposes, if not only because so many people have asked. If you dont want to spend, that’s perfectly fine with me. If you do, here are some of my tips.

Background

First off, its important to understand that spending money through the coin store or through TapJoy, is the way Topps pays the massive bills for the staff and the app maintenance. Many digital apps can cost millions to build and as much to keep running, and spending is the only way that Topps can keep the lights on. Being that spending is what funds the apps, it should be obvious that they want to provide as much content to those people as possible.

If you have been playing any of the apps for any sort of length, you can see the collections that some users are able to accumulate. It usually isnt because they are some master trader. Most of the time, its because they spend real money to acquire coins or credits, and they can spend that much more on the cards that are released. This is exactly how it is designed, and for the most part, cannot be duplicated through trading. Some things you just have to spend for.

Over the last few years, spending real money has become a hotter topic than people might have expected. More purchase based programs have become a part of SWCT, Huddle, Bunt and Kick, in various ways, and it hasnt always been the most popular of scenarios. Rightfully so, as no one likes spending money when they dont have to.

When many of the apps started off, the coin economy was much looser. You could theoretically have tons of accounts whose sole purpose was to farm coins, and many did so. There were also many more sets that offered coin rewards instead of reward cards. Since the changes in 2014, Topps’ app protocol prevents this from being the case,  as one device is tied to one account. It hasnt fixed things 100%, but the economy is much tighter as a result.

Similarly, insert program structures have changed dramatically, with many sets not providing pack access to people that arent willing to spend. Of course, the change to offer more guaranteed inserts per packs has also become more common, so it hasnt been a total loss for F2P players.

When you think about why these changes have taken place, it shouldnt be surprising. It might not be something you are happy about, but it should not shock anyone.

Because businesses exist solely to make money, not friends, it has never been something I resent Topps for shifting towards. I spend a considerable amount of money, but it is because I enjoy the game. If I dont like something, I dont buy it. I dont get upset about Topps releasing the set, as it is clear that they have a responsibility to their stakeholders to produce. Others, as I completely understand, can feel considerably different.

This isnt meant to be an article discussing why spending happens, or why it is good or bad, so I digress.

Coin Exchanges

Let me start by saying its best to buy in bulk. Not only will you get more bang for your buck, but you can better approach certain targets knowing a set limit. There is a reason why some stores offer better deals when you buy a lot, and the same is true here.

Here is the cost per million when you break it down over each bundle’s price. When you see it like this, its easier to see why buying the bigger bundles is a much better idea. It does require a larger investment, which is why many people avoid them.

• $.99 (3000 coins) – $333 per million
• $4.99 (20,000 coins) –  $250 per million
• $9.99 (50,000 coins) – $200 per million
• $49.99 (300,000 coins) – $166 per million
• $74.99 (600,000 coins) – $125 per million
• $99.99 (900,000 coins) – $110 per million

By looking at these rates, you can see that you are paying almost double the cash for that impulse buy as you are if you had planned ahead. Similarly, if you go to the cheapest bundle, you are getting in at triple the cost. All I can say is that if you plan on spending periodically, its best to buy the larger bundles, even if you are buying in at 300k instead of 50k. Any increase up the scale and you get more for your money.

Taking Advantage of Coin Sales

Periodically, there are offers of bundles that heavily discount the cost per million. When you see these sales in progress, it is a good time to break down and buy.

Frequent Offers:

• $99.99 (1,000,000 coins) – Straight up $100 per million
• $99.99 (1,250,000 coins) – About $75 per million, best deal around
• $9.99 (90,000 coins) – $110 per million, great deal

These offers literally are the best that it gets, so if you see them pop up, and you are already going to be buying, this is where things swing a bit more in our favor.

Bundle Cards

In addition to getting everything at discounted prices, you can sometimes get cards for buying in at a top level, which includes the coins plus the card per bundle bought. At this point, the deal’s value becomes higher in game, as the cards will have significant trade value in addition to the actual coins you will still get in your account.

Taking Advantage of Pack Sales

In addition to discounting coin sales, they can sometimes discount pack prices as well, which is something that works out pretty even to a coin sale.

If a pack price is discounted by 50% it can cut the cost per million on the acquisition of that card as well. Although you will still pay full price for the coin bundle, the bundle will go further.

If you see pack prices discounted and you are looking to acquire the card in question, this is a good time to buy in as well.

Coin Card Purchases

Recently in Kick and Huddle, there are new bundles which will come with a pack of cards containing a certain amount of coins. Basically, you buy a bundle for X amount, and the pack is free in addition to the coins already associated with that bundle.

The top prize has been anywhere from 150k to 250k in coins, which makes these purchases almost a no-brainer if you are into that type of thing. I have bought in for a significant amount when these happen, as the cost per million is reduced by how much you pull. Its basically a pull of a slot machine, which is a bit odd in its own right, but the rewards are usually good enough that you can do quite well on less of a real investment.

Buying Cards Through Bundles

This is where things can get quite controversial. These purchases usually require a user to buy a bundle, receive little to no compensation in coins and recieve a card or chance at a card in return. SWCT has used this model for the base variants, numbered as low as 1, and Huddle has used this for boosts and other cards.

We have also seen Bunt offer this as an alternative for using coins on box purchases, usually at an even exchange rate, which makes sense. In addition, they have also done packs for purchase on sets like Inception.

These purchases are usually meant for mid to high spenders, and frequently require a large(r) purchase to complete the offer. If you are not someone with money to burn, these types of things probably arent for you. If you are looking for a specific card, eBay is probably a better option anyways, as the cards can frequently sell below the cost to acquire them through packs.

Some of the cheaper pack bundle purchases can be as little as .99 cents, but read the fine print next to the buy button. Spending 19.99 may get you a guarantee, but .99 cents might only get you a 1:10 shot.

NOTE: Sales on the bundle packs have been frequent, so try to avoid the “I MUST HAVE THIS NOW!” and read how long the bundle will be available. In some cases, it can be very much in your interest to wait until a sale happens before buying in. It is worth noting that sometimes the sales do not come, and you will be forced to employ other means to get the card.

TapJoy Sales

As recent as this past weekend, Topps has increased the payouts on TapJoy, which can be accessed through the “Earn Free Coins” button when you are looking to buy.

These deals can frequently offer tangible goods for sale, that also pay out coins upon purchase. This is basically Topps using affiliate marketing 3rd party vendors to generate revenue. Instead of paying $X dollars for digital goods, you can usually get digital goods and tangible goods as well. Its not a bad deal, and sometimes the cost per million can be very low.

When the deals are increased, this is even more incentive to use tapjoy, as long as the deal is profitable. Many times you will have to provide personal information that can lead to spam, so keep that in mind.

Using “Increase Daily Bonus” Sales

I like to look at this as an annuity option. You pay up front for a specific price, and your daily bonus will increase by X coins per day. This is something that can be very lucrative if the cost per million is low. Read through the bundle price, see the total you will receive, and do the math. If it comes out even to current prices, there is no incentive to purchase. If its discounted, it might be a deal worth buying in.

Based on the text in the bundle, you might even be able to stack these on top of each other, which can further accentuate the deal in question.

VIP Program

In Kick and Bunt, the VIP program exists to further incentivize spending within the apps, and that is a big reason why some people spend as much as they do.

To become a VIP, you must spend real money, and to reach the upper levels of VIP, you must spend A LOT of money.

My rule of thumb is that the VIP payout is likely 15-25% of the total amount spent, and it fluctuates month to month based on total app spending per capita. If you spend 100 bucks to get VIP in march, you might not get VIP for the same 100 bucks in April. This is especially true for offseason vs regular season time frames.

VIP payouts can be some of the best cards in the game, including top inserts and custom cards. Read the prizes thoroughly and decide if/how you would like to participate.

Buying vs F2P

Again, this is all strategic, as with any game. The freemium model is as profitable as it is, because impulse is a hell of a drug. So is instant gratification, for that matter.

You can have fun in the game as a F2P player, but you have to find the edges in which to exploit. Tapjoy is a part of that, as is the Fan Feed. At the same time, you are not a supporter of the app other than your game participation, so very little of the content will be readily accessible to you. That is the point of the sales model, and it is something you will have to come to terms with quickly.

It is worth mentioning that a little money can go a long way if you take the right approach, but also realize it is very addicting by nature. Again, the rush of ripping packs is there for a reason, as it is with physical cards as well.

Be mindful of the pricing and take advantage to stock up when the deals are good. You will see how much the game will change.

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New User Tips is a running series on Digital Card Central – If there are any other questions you have about the nuance of the game, please do not hesitate to tweet me @SCUncensored or through a same card trade with a message in the game. 

If you have ideas for future New User Tips – please let me know!

Right now, we know who all but 2 of the playoff teams are, and with that, we know some of the players that should absolutely be at or near the top of your target list. We also have a good idea of how to approach collecting leading up to the first weeks of the playoffs, and I wanted to share some of my strategy.

Setting Up Your Target List

Your success in the playoffs will ultimately be determined by how much you have stocked up on the correct teams. It also helps to know which players on those teams are best suited for contests where 10x as many people will be playing along.

Its also good to know that the boosts you get will likely pale in comparison to the playoff set cards that will score at above anything we have readily available in the game, thus tempering how much you should spend right now.

We also dont know whether or not things will be structured like the Huddle Bowl of 2014 (I hope not), or the Bunt Post Season Challenge (YES PLEASE!). If its one or the other, there will be very different approaches to take, especially considering the firepower anyone will be up against.

For right now, target boosts of 2.5x and above, focusing first on Wild Card RBs and WRs, and then move onto the likely first round bye teams, and so on. Stick to RBs and WRs, with the exception of Cam Newton and MAYBE Russell Wilson. The point system is set up to get better production out of these players than anyone else. Newton has huge potential to score on the ground as well as the air, so that’s why he is the exception.

Top Players (Wild Card)

1. Adrian Peterson – Yes, yes, I am a huge Vikings fan, but he is an integral part of the Vikings in a way that most other RBs are not. If the Vikings do things right, he will get 20-25 carries in the game, and could score a TD or two.
2. Deandre Hopkins – Although the Texans are a mess at the moment for their QB, Hopkins will be a big part of their offense. Pick him up.
3. AJ Green – The Bengals showed that AJ McCarron is not a bum, and that means Green will get a ton of looks. Defenses will stack up against the run regardless, and he should do very well.
4. Brandon Marshall – He is good for at least a TD a game, and if the Jets get in, they will be throwing his direction a ton. I like him a lot better than Chris Ivory, who is the other boosted player for the Jets. Decker isnt bad either, but he can be a ghost sometimes.
5. DeSean Jackson – Some how, the Redskins get to host a playoff game. Its going to be interesting to see how Cousins plays on the big stage, no doubt about it. Jackson is an all or nothing type of guy, but he is one that has had more long TDs than many of the other options on this list.
6. Russell Wilson – Right now, there are not many receivers on the Seahawks that I love. Wilson is good for 50 rushing yards a game, and that is a reason why I would pick him up. He also can be had cheap with the massive counts on the holiday gifts.
7. Travis Kelce – Unlike many of the other TEs out there, Kelce has been as consistent as they come. Smith loves short passes, and that makes him close to impossible to stop. Easily in line for a TD or two, plus some nice yardage.
8. Randall Cobb – Its safe to say that the Packers arent great right now. Their line is so beat up, that I would stay as far away from Lacy and Starks as you can. Cobb should get some good looks, and remains one of the only Packers boosts worth picking up.

Top Players (Divisional Round)

1. Larry Fitzgerald – Talk about a comeback! Fitz is a great player who has put up some SOLID numbers this year. Not much else to say, but you will get solid yardage out of him.
2. Emmanuel Sanders – I love Sanders as a huddle player because his average catch is like 20 yards. That means he will be a prime target to pick up, as you can bite off points in chunks.
3. Rob Gronkowski – You play Gronk because, like Sanders, he chews up yardage on each of his catches. The Pats will have issues with their line, which means lots of shorter type plays. Gronk is a beast.
4. Greg Olsen – Like Gronk, Olsen is one of the better Huddle players there is. Huge potential for nice yardage in chunks, and great potential for Touchdowns. Newton loves throwing his way, and that helps in the playoffs. It will also be warm weather, which shouldnt limit his production like it might in a cold game.

Playoff Cards

There will be LOTS of high boosted playoff cards on the way. There will be a playoff series of cards that will serve as the flagship set, and if I had to guess, it will be a limited roster of top points players for each team. Unlike Bunt, Huddle doesnt need to put out 100s of new cards for the purposes of racking up points. They had 4 series of base, plus a number of series of boosts. I dont think they will go that direction.

They will have lots of sigs, commemorative cards, legends and a whole new series of cards likely boosted above 5x. Hopefully we wont get to the 20x situation we were in last year, but the boost levels will definitely be going up.

If you havent started already, its time to save your coins. If you are looking to play along, your best bet will be the packs that contain the playoff series cards, or at least the playoff series cards that have the best chance at landing a big boost. Its possible they may do a guaranteed boost per pack, but I would guess that 5x and above wont be easy to come by.

Right now, there are some 5x cards on the market already, whether its the Peterson parallax sig, the Finest variants, or others, its time to start chasing down dupes. Its worth noting that all 2015 cards who are not in the playoffs will no longer be worth keeping for their boosts, as the cards will almost 100% not be playable next year. Keep that in mind as you are trading, as playoff golds, and all the other stuff that has boost for the upcoming games is now far more valuable than anything else.

Getting a Head Start

Right now, most of the users are still stuck in their weekly grind, and that gives you a huge advantage for getting your playoff collection off to an early(ish) start. You can still get great trades on playoff blues and golds, and if you focus on the right guys, you can be set come two weeks from now.

Keep in mind what is coming, so dont go nuts with overpaying for boosted cards. If you can pick them up cheap, its worth your time. If you can pick them up in even trades, its worth your time. If you find a guy who knows the value of his playoff cards, maybe wait.

Contest Structure

This is my favorite Huddle time of the year. Unlike Bunt and Kick, this app is a shorter regular season, which means that the playoffs are a bit more intense. Huddle is more about gameplay than Bunt, so there will be huge competition.

If I had to guess, there will be a free and premium contest for each of the games on the slate. Each will also have game only boosts to chase, which might be more essential than any previous contest. With so many people coming back and paying attention to these games, its going to be harder to finish high. Last year, I was top 10 all season long, but in the playoffs, it was tough to finish top 25. That’s how much things change.

Its in your best interest to play in as many contests as possible, including the premium ones. I would guess the prizes will be very different than they are now, which will make the contest more attractive to more people.

Most important in all of this is just have fun. This is a great experience, and a fun time in the app. There will be issues, there will be drama, but just enjoy yourself. You wont regret it.