2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hobby Box

Release Date: 2024-10-16

• 12 packs per box

• 12 cards per pack

• 12 boxes per case

2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey isn’t the first set of the year (that honor goes to 2024-25 MVP), but it kicks things off. So it’s fitting that its release coincides with the start of the NHL season.

As with last year, Upper Deck has gone with a more streamlined approach to packs and boxes for its flagship product. This means hobby boxes are smaller, containing only 12 packs. But each pack comes with at least three inserts.

Average Hobby Box Content:

• 3 A-Lines or Breaking News

• 8 Aimbots, City Satellites, or UD Portraits

• 1 Aimbots, City Satellites, or UD Portraits Speckle

• 1 Blue Dazzlers

• 6 Gaming Co-Op, FOV, PVP, or XP

• 1 Gaming Co-Op, FOV, PVP, or XP Speckle

• 4 UD Canvas

• 3 Young Guns Renewed

• 1 Outburst Silver

• 1 Clear Cut, UD Canvas Black and White, Dazzlers Pink, or Gaming Co-Op/FOV/PVP/XP Blue

• 6 Young Guns Rookie Cards

• 1 Additional Serial-Numbered Card, Short Print, or Printing Plate

Young Guns? Of course they’re here, falling six per hobby box—or about one in every two packs.

Upper Deck sticks closely to tradition for its biggest set of the year, especially with the base set. As has long been the case, Series 1 totals 250 cards, 50 of which are Young Guns. Collectors should expect some late debuts from the 2023-24 season given the release date. It’ll be too early to include rookies playing their first NHL games at the start of 2024-25 (though the usual redemption for the first overall pick is included).

This is the first of three planned releases for 2024-25 Upper Deck Hockey. Series 2 and Extended will each add 250 more cards, bringing the total to 750.

The 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey checklist has plenty of inserts. However, as has been the case for a while, autographs and memorabilia cards are not the main focus.

UD Canvas returns, once again adapting parts of the base set with a different stock and a smaller checklist. Veterans fall 1:4 packs while Young Guns are 1:24. Parallels include Black & White and Printing Plates. Series 1 has 120 cards, with more coming in Series 2 and Extended.

Upper Deck expands its base rookie cards with a new insert set, Young Guns Renewed. Falling 1:4 packs, these revisit some of the best Young Guns ever, giving them a colorful twist. Artist Luke the Cardist reimagined the backgrounds, making them vibrant and fresh. Exclusives (/100), High Gloss (/10), and Printing Plates (1/1) are also randomly inserted.

Dazzlers remain bright and colorful. Blue versions are hobby exclusives at 1:12 packs, while pink parallels are box hits. Each box also has a bonus pack with three cards in orange, red (bonus packs 1:4), or black (bonus packs 1:12). Green parallels are in blaster packs (1:4) and starter kits (1:6).

UD Portraits return with a new design and card stock. Series 1 features top veterans, while rookies will appear in Series 2.

Population Count is another returning insert. Inspired by graded cards and printed on acetate, they come in seven tiers, each with its own print run: 1000, 500, 100, 50, 25, 10, and 1. The first 30 cards are in Series 1, with another 30 in Series 2.

Gaming XP is video game–inspired. The 100-card checklist is divided into four sections: Co-Op, FOV, PVP, and XP. All cards have Speckle (1:48 packs), Blue (1:192 packs), Green (/199), and Gold (/25) parallels.

A-Lines spotlight each franchise’s top line (1:13 packs). Red (/99) and Printing Plates (1/1) are the only parallels. The same goes for Breaking News (1:6 packs), which highlights key moments from the 2023-24 season.

Other insert sets in 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey include Aimbot (1:6 packs), Checkpoint (1:6 packs), and City Satellites (1:8 packs). All three have Speckle, Black, Red (/99), and Gold (/10) parallels.

Holograms were a staple of 1990s Upper Deck. While rarely used today, they haven’t disappeared. Holotypes (1:504 packs) are proof. The first 30 cards arrive here, with Upper Deck planning to revisit the theme in future Series 1 releases with new cards but no repeat players.