Box Break: 2018 Topps Update Series (Part One)

A few years ago...I started a tradition of getting a Hobby box of Update every year, as it's such a fun set to rip, and breaking it by Halloween. This tradition lasted for two years, and was pre-empted last year, where Topps put out an Update set that wasn't really updating anything other than Topps' own recklessness.

However...this is an Update set that actually has traded players from the deadline. So...that means I have to have some.

So...over the next...I dunno, week or so, we're gonna break this sucker. 36 packs of 10, so we're gonna do 9 packs per post. Oh, and this post is gonna have one extra pack, because Dave & Adams...threw in a freebie:

 Yep: a special Hobby Exclusive pack of shiny 83s. 4 cards in here, and all four are cool:

 Three fantastic shiny 83s here: two retired heroes, David Ortiz and Mike Piazza, and one Pittsburgh hero in Starling Marte.

This was an extra special treat though- a blue-border, numbered to 150, of Barry Larkin, the Cincinnati legend. This also looks really cool in person, and the blue contrast actually compliments this card. I dig it.

Now, onto the box:

 Pack 1-
Playoffs Performers: 5/10
Rookie Cards That Aren't: 1/10
Inexplicably Shiny Cards: 1/10

 As you can see, the photography, while still kind standard, works a bit more quirkily than in flagship, especially in Max Stassi's card. Moran was one I'd wanted since April, as with Mikolas'. Note: Topps calls him a rookie, even though he was a rookie in 2014, before he left for Japan. Not a rookie. At all. And note that we're gonna see Mikolas a lot this box.

 A pair of cool catches. Canha should have gotten a card in flagship, and Escobar's appearance in a D-Backs uniform is even more welcome since they locked him up for a few more years.

Alex Bregman on the left is a shiny parallel. Not numbered. Just...shiny. Sure.
And Freeman and Harper are HRD subset cards, which...sort of work with this design?? Topps certainly tries.

 Pack 2-
Rays rookies: 2/10
People Who Were Injured for Most of the Year: 2/10

 A bit blurry, but these are Mitch Haniger and Jesus Aguilar's ASG cards. Nothing special about the photography here.

 And here's new Padres closer Kirby Yates along with a RD subset of Willy Adames. You'll notice there are a lot of Rays in this set. Mostly because most of the Rays' positive progress came late in the year.

 Sean Doolittle should have had a card in flagship, but...here he is, along with a 'Starlin Castro in Miami' card, and a 'Game Changers' insert of Austin Meadows. People need to stop using the term 'Game Changers'. It reeks of a shitty Survivor season.

Zack Cozart's Angels card isn't as big a deal as it was in April, but it's still cool. And a Juan Soto RD subset card isn't bad either.

 Pack 3-
People Who Have Already Retired: 1/10
2018 World Series: 2/10
People Whose Name Change is Reflected on This Card: 1/10

 That Engel card? BEAUTIFUL. That Ziegler final tribute? Awesome. That Vazquez celebration. Joyous. Again, there's a step up in photography now that they have more to pick from.

Dozier and Gausman are the important update pulls, but Springer's ASG card is awesome, and Kemp's 83T insert is pretty smooth.

 Pack 4-
2018 World Series: 1/10
People Who Started the Year on the Rays: 3/10

 Nice to see Kiner-Falefa in a Topps card, a great shot of Edwin Diaz dealing in the ASG, and a really cool PNC Park shot of Chris Archer's arrival in Pittsburgh, which was honestly the peak of his time as a Pirate.

 Jonathan Villar's year improved AFTER joining the Orioles, which is...different. And Christian Arroyo didn't get a ton of playing time this year, but knowing the Rays, he'll be starting very, very soon.

Matt Duffy didn't have a base card in flagship for some reason, so here he is, alongside another cool Chris Sale card, and an 83T insert of Lourdes Gurriel. Definitely not the Jays rookie I thought I'd be seeing on inserts at the top of the year.

 Pack 5-
Guys Who Snuck out of the AL East: 2/10
2018 World Series: 1/10

 Mengden isn't a rookie either, Topps. He debuted 2 years ago. Still, good to see Happ as a Yankee, Machado's last stand as an Oriole, and Scooter Gennett's deserved ASG gig.

 Hosmer's first card as a Padre is pretty impressive. Matt Adams' first, and subsequently last, card as a Nat is pretty graceful, unlike his St. Louis numbers.

This Buxton is a Don't Blink insert, showcasing base stealers. It's...alright, I guess.

 Pack 6-
Future HOFers: 1/10
Diamondbacks: 2/10

 Joe Jimenez was the Tigers' only ASG nod this year. Hard to believe. Also, Jorge Alfaro, while not at 100% yet, is still a sharp enough catcher.

 Two unsung heroes of the year- the Cubs' fifth starter, and the D-Backs' infielder wunderkind.

 Two ASG-cards, though the Suarez is a little more dynamic.

I honestly like this Storybook Endings set. It's a bit more of a well-designed version of an insert set from about 5 years ago, and it has a better checklist, featuring more out there subjects. Papi, of course, is still welcome. Brantley's ASG card is also pretty satisfying, considering the amount of injury-prone seasons he had to get through to enjoy it.

 Pack 7-
Current Yankees: 1/10
A's: 2/10
Rays: 2/10

 Some good 2018 pieces- Daniel Robertson was a great infield bat in Tampa, Jonathan Lucroy was an upgrade from Bruce Maxwell in Oakland, and Matt Chapman is the centerpiece the A's needed.

CUTCH! I know, he's not a Yankee here, but he's still awesome. And that Carlos Gomez horizontal shot is pretty sharp.

 Pack 8-
2018 World Series: 2/10
2018 Playoffs: 7/10

 I LOVE that Bradley card, and I love how happy Altuve and Bregman look. Trivino's is a nice find too.

 The combo cards in this set are a ton of fun, like the Betts & Martinez one. And this Culberson photo is one of the best ones of the year.

Jansen's is a Gold #'d to 2018, which is my second gold Jansen out of Update in 2 years. Williams' Storybook Endings is also obvious, but still cool. And Mike Fiers looks awesome in an A's jersey.

 Pack 9-
BIG ROOKIE STARS: 1/10
Contact Eaters: 3/10
Possible 2018 MVPs: 2/10
2018 World Series: 2/10

 Joey Bats as a Met. Outdated, but where I'd prefer him to stay.
Matt Kemp looking happy, before his numbers dropped off.

 Jason Vargas...HAD a card in flagship. He doesn't really need this one. But whatever. Lucchesi's 83T insert is fine, though.

 Some cool ASG cards- Betts' looks the most dramatic.

Here we have Yelich, the NL MVP favorite, looking great in a Brewers uniform, and a RD card of Shohei Ohtani, because Topps is just cranking out Ohtani's this set.

That's part one of the box. Expect Part 2 tomorrow or Thursday.