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- Opening Marvel Trading Cards From Upper Deck - Would I Recommend?
Opening Marvel Trading Cards From Upper Deck - Would I Recommend?
I checked out some Marvel cards from Upper Deck
Card collecting used to be a major part of my life, especially as a child and teenager. My hockey obsession led me to spending all the money I had at convenience and sports apparel stores where cards were sold in hopes of pulling some of my favorite players. As a result, my bedroom was filled with binders, bags, and boxes of cards. While I’ve occasionally purchased hockey (and baseball) cards later in my life, I hadn’t really took the plunge into collecting as the current market — which reached insane heights during the pandemic — scared me off a bit. Plus, as a comic collector, I didn’t want to have another costly collection hitting a dent in my income.
However, one day, I was scrolling on Twitter and noticed an advertisement for Upper Deck highlighting their Marvel Flair Set. I totally missed the boat on collecting Marvel cards growing up and even now, I barely had any besides ones I’d find at my local comic book store Strange Adventures, or were given to me by friends. But, upon seeing the art, I decided to contact Upper Deck and learn more. I met with Dylan Davidson, who works on the Entertainment Product side of the trading card company, and we had a good chat about comics, art, and what Upper Deck has been doing in the space with Marvel Cards. They ended up sending me a few boxes of all different products, and asked for my thoughts on them.
Marvel Annual 2023 - Around $125 CAD (16 packs/5 cards per)

For me, Marvel Annual 2023 is not only the best bang for your buck among Upper Deck’s Marvel offerings, but is a great way to getting into the comic book side of cards in general. The hobby box features a solid base set with stats and attributes on the back as well as some cool wide variety of inserts. As someone who likes specific characters, I was happily surprised to pull names like Uranos the Undying, Sentry, and Mother Righteous. While the big names are all available in this product, Marvel Annual really feels like a comic book product. Even if you’re pack doesn’t have a numbered card or a big insert, each offers something that should have fans excited.
Favorite Pulls:


What I’d improve: There’s a lot to like here, but I’d make sure all cards featured the artists who drew the images on the front on the back. The comic cover inserts do feature writer and artist’s names, but it feels like an easy addition that gives artists proper credit — even if Upper Deck is getting the pictures directly from Marvel.
Would I recommend? Yes. This is a great entry level product.
2024 Marvel Flair - $299.99 USD (AVG PRICE) (12 Packs/4 Cards Per)

This is a very premium product and the price reflects that. But, after opening a hobby box, I can safely say you get what you pay for. This set is the best high-end box for Marvel cards right now.
Marvel Flair offers all-new original art while spotlighting several artists, including Todd Nauck, Ty Rosma, and Joel Holtzman. Additionally, most cards mention artists who work on specific runs mentioned while crediting the original art on the back. There’s some MASSIVE cards to hunt in this product — and let me tell you, I was nervous to open something so pricey. I was a big fan of the inserts in this set, specifically the Solar Flair-retro-looking foil cards, as there’s plenty of variety here with some serious high-end potential. But, pulling some of my favorite Eternals and a Jon Wayshak autographed card (seen below) made this quite a fun opening.
Favorite Pull:

What I’d Improve: I’d make the 90-card base set smaller — maybe in the 60-card range. The product is pricey and for those who want to complete the base set outright, it’s not the easier thing to do without going to eBay and buying cards from those chasing bigger cards.
Would I recommend? Yes, but with the caveat it’s not cheap. If you can afford it and want to see some amazing art and an extremely well-made product, Marvel Flair 2024 is right for you.
Ultimately, opening up these cards made me feel incredibly nostalgic. I’m going to keep my eyes open on upcoming Upper Deck products related to Marvel (and possibly other IPs) and will continue to offer my thoughts on them. I was impressed with these cards.
Upper Deck products can be found at authorized card shops and online retailers.