The Upper Deck Company has announced its plans for 2021-22 Synergy Hockey. This is Upper Deck’s fifth release of Synergy, known for its low production and low serial numbering. This year, Upper Deck has gone heavy on the parallels, trying to deliver as many low serial numbers per box as possible.
The brand, one of the most limited products of the year from Upper Deck, will feature three cards per pack, and eight packs per box. On average, a box break will net eight base set or red parallel cards; five Star of the Show, Roaring 20’s or Postseason Brilliance insert cards; four Exceptional Stars, Phenoms and/or Futures insert cards; three Synergy FX insert cards, and three Rookie Journey and/or Synergistic Duos insert cards.
Synergy Hockey will have a 125-card base set featuring veterans, rookies and legends. The 60 veterans and the legends are serial numbered to 12, while the rookies are numbered to 22. There is also or more easy to obtain red parallel set, and a purple parallel set that is numbered to 99 or less. There are also autographs on some of the purple cards. The Base Set Rookie SP cards will also have Portrait and Auto Portrait Variations. Many of the colors feature an autograph. There is a Gold 1 of 1 included among the parallels.
Exceptional Futures is a clear insert set printed on acetate stock. The Exceptional Futures set is divided into Star, Phenom (non-rookies who are 25 years old or younger), and Future (rookies) subsets. There are seven parallels, with four of them serial numbered. This set also includes a 1 of 1 Gold parallel.
Rookie Journey: Draft returns featuring three different chase cards – draft, home uniform and away uniform – of each rookie in the checklist. There are also two parallels, with Red cards numbered as low as 299 and Gold cards numbered as low as 99.
Cast for Greatness Signatures are low-numbered autographed cards printed on all-metal cards.
There are three new insert set in this season’s Synergy product.
They include Star of the Show (current superstars on patterned foil); Postseason Brilliance (standout players from the 2020-21 post-season printed on patterned foil); and Synergistic Duos. That insert set features either two stars from the same team, a star and a legend from the same team, or a star and a rookie from the same team. The Synergistic Duos cards are serial numbered, and there are Red and Gold parallels of the set.
The Upper Deck Bounty Program is also a part of Synergy Hockey. The “Mission” in the Bounty program is for collectors to complete the 125-card Base Set/Red Parallel Set. About half of the cards in the box contain a Bounty code.
Once all 125 cards are entered with their codes, collectors will earn a Cast for Greatness #36 Cole Caufield card. The five fastest collectors to complete the mission will also receive a purple variation of the Caufield Cast for Greatness card, and a 36-card Cast for Greatness Gold Parallel set. The sixth through tenth collectors to complete the mission will receive the 36-card Cast for Greatness Gold Parallel set.
Upper Deck Synergy Hockey is expected to release in early-to-mid February.
