The 2018-19 NHL season kicked off with a bang on October 3rd, when the puck dropped in Toronto, as the Maple Leafs faced off against the Montreal Canadiens.

Since then the season has raged on and fans have been pleasantly surprised by the action that has unfolded, however, there has been a segment of the NHL fan base who have been waiting for another “season” to start. One that is played on cardboard, rather than ice.

We of course are alluding to what many collectors consider the true start of the 2018-19 hockey card collecting season, the release of Upper Decks Series 1 set.

The Upper Deck Series 1 set is considered the main staple of the hockey card hobby world, and for good reason, it features the most highly collected series to be released within any given year, the “Young Guns” series.

Upper Deck Series 1 2018-19 Set Size

The answer to “how big is the Upper Deck Series 1 set?”, depends on who you are asking, or what you yourself consider a true complete set.

Some are completionist, who can settle for nothing less than having every card, every variant that exist, others, are happy to collect the base set and nothing more.

No matter what kind of collector you are, the Upper Deck Series 1 2018-19 set has you covered.

The main set, which many collectors must complete every year consists of 200 base cards, with an additional 50 cards from the Young Gun’s series, making for a total of 250 cards.

Of course, for those who simply have to have it all, Upper Decks flagship set has a massive amount of parallels to keep you “busting” packs for months to come, although many consider these to be not mandatory.

It’s All About the Young Guns

Like many other Hockey Card products on the market these days, Upper Deck’s Series 1 set comes in two print runs, one of which is called the “hobby” product and the other of which is known as “retail”.

For this series, Upper Deck has always taken a different approach from many other sets, and has made the odds of obtaining the most sought after cards, the Young Guns, the same no matter if you crack open a hobby, or retail product.

So collectors, no matter their budget, the chance of getting your feet wet and experiencing the joy of hockey card collecting is unmatched with Series 1. This allows the hobby to grow and continue to thrive.

Fortunately, this also means that collectors who are un-interested in chasing after all the parallels and variants, are able to buy a product that simply gives them what they want, while still having the chance of scoring some massive hits.

Upper Deck Series 1 Retail Products

This product line releases on November 21st, however pre-orders are already being filled for those who are eagerly awaiting its release.

For those who are interested, there are four options in which you can fulfill your card busting needs, and Zephyr Epic has them all;

• 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Blaster Box
• 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Tin
• 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Retail Box
• 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Starter Kit

Each one of these products fills a different need and offers a different point of entry for the would be collector.

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Blaster Box

The Blaster Box comes with 12 packs per box, each containing a total of 5 cards, with the odds of scoring a Young Gun being 1:6.

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Tin

The Upper Deck Series 1 Tin on the other hand, contains 12 packs per tin, but with each pack having a total of 8 cards per pack. In addition to this, each Tin has one oversize 3.5″ x 5″ Winter Classic card.

Because of the increased pack size, Tins have an increased odd of scoring a Young Gun hit, being 1:4.

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Starter Kit

The perfect choice for those new to collecting or wanting to complete the base set, the 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Starter kit  holds 252 cards, perfect for the 250-card base set! Plus, you get 5 packs of 2017-18 Series 1 cards to start your collection with!

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Retail box

Lastly, we have the staple item in the Upper Deck 2018-19 Retail product series, which is the Retail Box.

The Retail Box fills the needs of those who want to complete their sets as fast as possible, containing a total of 24, eight card packs and of which have a 1:4 chance of hitting a Young Gun.

Conclusion

For anyone waiting anxiously for the chance to obtain the Upper Decks 2018-19 Series 1 set, for the most cost efficient price and best chance at completing their base sets, then the wait is nearly over, with November 21st rapidly approaching.

The cardboard hockey season is officially here and we hope that you are lacing up your skates and stretching those fingers, getting ready to watch some games and bust some packs.

The Young Guns this season are fantastic and it is these cards specifically that will be the focus of our next article, as with zoom in and highlight the top rookies of the 2018-19 season! Are you ready?