Let's See Some S1 (and Archives)

 

Finally, a hanger pack of 2025 cards!

And my first 2025 card of 2025 is this! I'd normally find this pretty interesting, with it providing a nice look at an alternate uniform. And then I got to the 1990 insert.

Yikes. Definitely the same game, definitely the same photographer, extremely likely it is the same at bat, and probably also from the same swing. What laziness. Did they flip a coin decide which photo goes where?

My first Jays card of the year? Someone who got suspended 1 game into his MLB career for PEDs. YAY!

My "If you can't say anything nice" card in the pack - I really like how this one uses the break through the borders design element.

Of course, Stars of MLB returns to provide the blandest name for an insert set this year. I know I dislike the pun names, but at least there's some level of creativity there. 

So, my first 2025 pack didn't put me in the best of moods. How would an Archives pack help?

Here's the pack. I've never really been a "let's look for the best card visible in a retail pack" type. But here, you'd swear I did. Since the first card out is...

2/14er Nolan Schanuel! I'm glad I didn't look at the pack for visible cards, so I could enjoy the surprise of having this card come out. It's my 19th card so far of his. 

The rest of the 1961s. Of course, you're really not expecting anything spectacular in terms of photo choices. Still, the Matos is nice, and would have been even nicer if not so tightly-cropped.

Mets content! WOO-HOO! Modern Fernando cards are a little more depressing after his passing, but they're still so much fun to come across.

The yellow parallels actually appear to be yellow. That's always a good thing.  And the inserts of today salute inserts of the past. I guess that really isn't possible with Heritage for the next many years.

A good pack for legendary Dodgers pitchers.

Different photos on the be back as well! They're all on the left side here, so that's a slight difference from the original. 

But on the whole, at least based on these packs, Archives > Flagship, but hitting a PC card as the opener definitely increased my opinion of the product.

There you have it!