Buzz Break: 2018 Topps High Tek baseball cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2018 Topps High Tek (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 40
Cards in this box: 10
Base set (any pattern): 24 of 112 (21 percent)
Duplicate players (any pattern): 3

Notables on base cards – Randy Johnson, Jeff Bagwell, Alex Rodriguez, Anthony Rizzo, Jose Canseco, Cal Ripken Jr., Jim Thome, Manny Machado, Will Clark, Nolan Ryan

Rookie Cards (any pattern) (7) – Scott Kingery (2), Alex Verdugo (2), Walker Buehler, Miguel Andujar, Brandon Woodruff

Insert/short-print cards: 11 (all cards from box in gallery below)
Blue Rainbow (1) – Giancarlo Stanton (/150)
Black Rainbow (1) – Jim Thome (/50)
Green Magma Diffractor (1) – Aaron Judge (/99)
Orange Magma Diffractor (1) – Chipper Jones (/25)
Rookie TEK (1) – Amed Rosario (/99)
Magma Diffractor (3) – Carlos Correa, Will Clark, Noah Syndergaard
Orbit Diffractor (2) – J.D. Davis, Corey Seager
Galactic Diffractor (1) – J.D. Davis

Autographs/Memorabilia: 2
Autographs (1) – Jordan Montgomery
Orange Orbit Diffractor Autographs (1) – Jim Thome (/25)

What's Buzz-worthy: Simply put, this is a fun and challenging product -- and that's the end of the simple. Just like last year, what you'll find inside these boxes is a massive brick of holofoil-stamped acetate cards with a number of patterns, colors, un-numbered inserts and, of course, autographs. If you really need to decipher what you have and what you need -- or if you dare try a master set -- that's the challenge. Meanwhile, if you don't sweat those things and just want a bunch of cards and some hits when ripping, this isn't a bad one to dig into. This box was a little flat on the rookie front but it delivered big on the insert and autograph front with a number of stars and a rare auto of a Hall of Famer who hasn't signed that much in the past compared to others. This is a brand and a box that could deliver well in the immediate ripping stage if you land a big name on a rare card, but it also could be one that pays off over time as those who do opt to go for the overall master project pay well for what they find when they can find it -- and it may not be easy once stuff starts to dry up. My personal tastes are far away from worrying about the complicated set-up here -- you'll need the sellsheet at the link above to help decipher what comes in your box for starters -- but I can say that I didn't hate seeing what was in this one. (I just didn't like sorting it all out.) Throw in a strong rookie class and these boxes are worth a definite look as that makes this a relatively stacked release.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: B (it's complicated)

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