Buzz Break: 2021-22 Panini Illusions NBA cards (blaster)

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: 2021-22 Panini Illusions basketball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one ...

Cards per pack: 6
Packs per box: 6
Cards per box: 36
Set completion: 21 of 150 (14 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, LaMelo Ball, Vince Carter, Russell Westbrook, Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Jerry West

Inserts/short-prints: 15 (all in gallery below with some base)
Emerald parallel (3) – Jerry West, Tyler Herro, Pascal Siakam
Rookies (Nos. 151-200) (9) – J.T. Thor, Chris Duarte, Franz Wagner, Evan Mobley, Charles Bassey, Trenton Watford, Usman Garuba, Santi Aldama, Greg Brown III
Instant Impact (1) – Jonathan Kuminga
King Of Cards (1) – James Harden
King Of Cards Emerald (1) – Bradley Beal

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: Ultimately my lone rip previous rip of this one was some dabbling with an Asia Edition box for not much more than a blaster price-wise and that one delivered a lot more on all fronts except one. The Rookie Card volume in this format is almost the same with a touch of the other inserts and then a lot of base. The bigger box still probably wins but if you're looking mostly for RCs then it's a toss-up. The parallels here could easily blend in with the base -- I had to quadruple-check my stack to make sure I had what I had -- but really this one is about a rookie push with maybe some retro-player highlights. It's not my favorite year for this brand -- I like the blockier look of the Zion arrival more -- but I suspect this one has its fans otherwise it might not have lasted. ... I don't think this box delivered anything truly large enough to get it an A-grade out of me -- even as a bargain-bin box -- but it wasn't a bad rip. Had it had some kind of basic guaranteed hit (auto/mem) or numbered cards or even some small lot of gauranteed retail cards on something different stock-wise to offer up a different vibe, this would be an easy rip with potential every time and probably would have been a bit better. There are some serial-numbered insert sets here (/125) as well as rookie ink to chase ... but it just wasn't my time. Landing a key name in a key retail-only spot here could pay off well.

Product Grade: B+
Box Grade: B
Fun Grade: B- (needs more variety)

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