2017: An Epic Year in Review

Every year, we write a year in review piece in which we discuss some of this years most exciting developments in the world of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Hockey Cards, and Zephyr Epic itself. But this year’s year was the most exciting yet.

 

The Vault

For starters, at the end of this year, we unlocked the doors to our vault: a collection of top Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Upper Deck products from years past. It was one of the most anticipated, and popular events of the year; giving many collectors the chance to pick up valuable cards no longer available. Some of the awesome products in the vault included:

  • Pokemon Team Magma and Aqua Theme Decks
  • 2005-2006 MVP Hockey Blaster Boxes
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelest Pack Zane Truesdale Unlimited Edition 2-Pack Blisters
  • And more.

If you missed your chance to pick up products from the vault last year, you’re out of luck. It closed at the end of the year. Get notified in the future if we do anything like this again by following us on Facebook and subscribing to our newsletter.

Giveaways

Just ike 2016, this was also a year filled with epic giveaways. Most recently, we did a giveaway in collaboration with Prokotaco, giving away 20 Team Triples Series 1 Blaster Boxes. But over the course of the entire year, we did several giveaways containing products, memorabilia and even gift cards worth hundreds.

Luckily, we have no plans to stop doing giveaways, so by simply following our social media and keeping an eye on this blog you’ll be able to get a chance at some epic prizes next year!

2017s Top Releases/Products

2017 was a great year for cards collectors and TCG players. Several unique cards were introduced for each franchise, and there were some real stand out releases this year. Let’s start with hockey:

As always, Series 1 signals the start of the hockey card season for many collectors and this year was no different. 2017-188 Upper Deck Series 1 is no slouch, and while there’s no cards quite as valuable as YG Matthews, there are still some nice cards in the set. In our opinion though, the best part about this set is the photos. Many are taken in unconventional settings and some of the candids are quite funny, even downright unflattering for the players at times.

It’s a fun set to open for sure, but not the only hockey product to take the spotlight. The 2017 Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial Tin was actually our top hockey product of the year, and with good reason. It featured autographs and relics from great players like Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Darryl Sittler & current Maple Leafs Players!

Pokemon TCG fans were treated to several releases (especially towards the end of the year) which are changing up the meta in standard rotation. (click here to learn about the meaning of meta as well as more info on standard rotation.) But, those new releases didn’t decrease the popularity of some older sets as much as you’d think.

In fact, our most popular Booster Box this year was actually XY Evolutions. Still, items such as the Pokemon Shining Legends Super-Premium Collection offered a terrific deal to collectors and players alike helping make them some of the most popular Pokemon Products as well.

What was your favorite part of the year?

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite part of 2017 was. Maybe it was one of our giveaways, a specific release, or an exciting card that you pulled. We’re eager to see your answers!