Buzz Break: 2024 Mattel UNO Elite NFL (Starter Pack)

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: 2024 Mattel UNO Elite football cards (Starter Pack)
Where to buy: Retail for now ... BlowoutCards.com when available + other NFL here

Keep reading to see a breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Cards in this box: 172 -- 112 Red/Blue UNO game cards, 56 player cards, four player foil cards in a sealed pack (right)
Base set completion: 
I'm not fully sorting this one this time, but there are 192 players in the basic set each with four base colors -- Blue, Green, Red, Yellow -- and then foils. That's 768 base cards -- but that's not all that's found in this one.

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Notables on base cards in this box – Trevor Lawerence, Puka Nacua, Justin Herbert, Cooper Kupp, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Love, Trevon Diggs, Bijan Robinson, Alvin Kamara, George Kittle, Mike Evans, Justin Jefferson, Travis Kelce, Christian McCaffrey ... and plenty more.

Rookie Cards – N/A ... gaming releases aren't Rookie Cards by the standard definition, though there are likely some rookies and first appearances in this release given the depth of the set as it includes a lot of defensive players, linemen and even kickers ... not your typical finds in a typical basic set.

-- A VISUAL RUNDOWN --

Interactive Checklist: Click here

Note: Atop the four base color versions per player, there are also base color foil, dual color foil and wild foil. Here's the rundown of Patrick Mahomes' cards via the Mattel site. That should mean more than 2,100 total cards in a master set, unless some things are tweaked for some players. (Buzz admittedly did not check every card.)

Also: There are Draft Packs for this release that include 56 random player cards and then a pack of four foils every time ... so if you only want the foils buy those. They're a third of the price of this format. Those are far better bargain breaks and you'll see Buzz Breaks of those here, too, in the coming weeks.

Insert cards: 4 (all player cards from this box in the gallery below)
Blue foil (1) – Tyjae Spears
Red foil (1) – Michael Pittman Jr.
Yellow foil (1) – Budda Baker
Dual color foil (1) – Justin Tucker

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: Need something to rip on the cheap out in the retail wild? These boxes are $15 but more-importantly the Draft Packs are only $5 and there's an interesting mix of stars and then others who you would have to work to find. If you land stars in rarer spots here? Probably a win. If you land a player without a lot of stuff who's popular? Probably a win, too. The breakdown above shows you the potential and you can rough out odds on finding players and approximate the foils with some math (assuming the duals and wilds are not short-prints). Had I realized this big box was ultimately one of the booster packs (Draft Pack) with the only other inclusions being for gaming, I would have just done the packs ... but this one also includes a reference booklet and description of what's what and how to play. (Not my thing .. I'm just looking at this as a collector, not a gamer.) I like what's in here and it's a somewhat dry A to me as a release overall -- this box was a little underwhelming, though, for its particular names -- but there's potential I think as a lot of traditional fans (or ones looking at value ceilings) won't rip and will instead just buy singles. That's a potential win for those who can find some Draft Packs of these and clear a shelf for, say, $50 and then have some luck with what they find. If there are no short-print shenanigans for foils, for example, then your odds of finding any one card there is one in 336 packs. Even if they made a lot, that's still going to make some players -- stars or commons -- not the easiest finds and then there will be a volume of the run that gets played. Lay on grading potential atop this, I think this one is a winner with big potential for the price ... hit the gaming aisle for a look after you check out the typical card stuff next time you're out and about.

Product Grade: A 
Box Grade: B
Fun Grade: B (buy the Draft Packs for a better chase for the price)

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