Buzz Break: 2019 Topps Major League Soccer (hobby box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Topps Major League Soccer cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 184
Base set completion: 
160 of 200 (80 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Insert cards: 21 (all in gallery below with some base)
Image variation (1) – Carlos Vela
Orange parallels (1) – Jesus Medina (/25)
Gold parallels (2) – Columbus Crew SC, Andrew Farrell (/50)
Blue parallels (3) – New York City FC, Nick Hagglund, Ethan Finlay (/99)
Young Phenoms (4) – Josef Marinez, Luciano Acosta, Jesus Medina, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi
Throwback Topps (4) – Wayne Rooney, Diego Rossi, Andre Blake, Sean Johnson
All-Stars (6) – Laurent Ciman, Graham Zusi, Francisco Calvo, Josef Martinez, Miguel Almidón, Alex Ring

Autographs/Memorabilia: 3
Jumbo Relics (2) – Brad Guzan, Alex Ring (/220)
Orange Dual Relics (1) – Ignacio Piatti (/25)

What's Buzz-worthy: There are no autographs to be found in this release -- that's the biggie -- but instead you get a traditional approach with a meaty base set with just two subsets -- 22 Under 22 and team cards in there. Then you get a number of numbered parallels that offer some scarcity while also flowing pretty well, some 1980s-inspired throwback sets and a few players with base card photo variations. It's a simple lineup that's capped by Relics of a few types and parallels of everything. This box delivered a photo variation (one in two boxes) as well as a rarer Relic parallel that's found one in 160 packs. The base set here has a bit of a Stadium Club feel in its framing but with a few more design touches that take it a step further. It's not super-colorful but it's comfortable. If you're a soccer fan who regularly rips into releases, this one is quite do-able just without the bigger chase and cost that comes with ink. That could mean more affordable finds and rips as time goes on, though the print run here might not be as large as in the past, too. (My guess is that order volume might have been a tad lower without ink, meaning fewer boxes made overall.) The overall feel here is comfortable, though -- it's one for beginners to dig into hard, but also one with enough features that collectors can rip into it, too.

Product Grade: B
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: B

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