Goodbye Lockout And Hello Basketball!

The NBA lockout has ended after 149 days of talks!  This is good news for us Adrenalyn and Sports Card Fans as there will now be NBA Cards for the 2011/12 Season.  So what does all this good news mean?

Updated Adrenalyn Cards!

Watching the current Champions, The Dallas Mavericks 

The Big three in Miami attempt to come back to the finals

Blake Griffin Dunking over players

The Orlando Magic Winning the Championship!  

2011/12 UEFA Champions League Adrenalyn XL Seven Pack Break and Review

Well I just went down to my local newsagent to find they were selling the new Adrenalyn Cards.  I decided to grab a starter pack ($14.99 AUD) and two packs ($2.99 each).  I was excited for these as I had busted open two boxes from last season.  This set did not let me down as the design is better than last years explosion effect.  Some of the players stats have increased and new inserts have been added including Rising Stars, Masters and Top Master.  From the seven packs I received five inserts which is a good odd and four Arsenal Cards including Gervinho.  Now enough with the talk and on to the pulls!

Highlight Base

Inserts

Lucas Barrios and Giuseppe Rossi Star Players

Phil Jones Rising Star (Should have been Wilkshire!)

Christian Abbiati Goal Stopper

The Main Hit!  Edin Dzeko Master!  This is like a Champion card from last year.

Card Design

This years set has a nicer design which is different to any other set on the market.  The tear design on the Base, Star Players, Goal Stoppers, Fans' Favourites and Rising Stars match the theme well.  The Master card has a nice gold print which appears well on a scanner.

Are The Hits Good?

The Inserts from the set are great and have many players with higher stats.  The only down side is that the odds are much higher to obtain inserts.

Value For Money

The cards sell well but the packs are expensive in Australia.  Those in Europe have a better price which is easy to afford.

Would I Collect Them?

Yes I would, I love the new set design and I will have to look for better places t buy the cards.

Rating  

Five out of Five

My Attempt At Making My Own Adrenalyn Cards...

I've got to much free time in my hands so I decided to make my own and see how they turned out.  I guess they are okay but Panini does a way better job than I do!  I've made four Basketball based cards and one soccer one!  So here are my attempts...

Vince Carter as a Nets Player

An Ater Majok Rookie card.  Got to love Australian Basketball Players! 

Scott Skiles who is the current coach of the Bucks.

The one and only Michael Jordan.  Nuff Said...

Luke Wilkshire, an Australian soccer star.

Let me know what you guys think and I may consider attempting a few more...

Sports Card Radio Offering Free Cards!

Sports Card Radio which is one of the greatest websites based on cards is offering free NFL Series 2 Adrenalyn XL Cards.  SCR are the leading website for check-lists and mainly for their Podcast which is available on iTunes.  This comp work better for those in the USA as they are based in California (Sunshine State).  Remember to checkout the other great stuff on SCR and also have a look at the forum where you will find me!  Sorry for the long break in posts guys, I had just got MW3 and decided to have a go at it.  Also Attached is the box break of the new series.  Look out for the Rivers Ultimate (Best Ultimate because he is on San Diego...). Also thank these guys who have worked hard and helped out collectors including me. So thanks Ryan and Colin!

The Main Site:
http://www.sportscardradio.com/index.php/home

The Fan Forum (For those who like to talk):
http://www.sportscardradio.com/forum/

Here is the link for the free cards:
 http://www.sportscardradio.com/index.php/contests/136-free-sports-cards/1076-2011-panini-adrenalyn-football-free-codes-series-2-

And for those seeking a check-list:
http://www.sportscardradio.com/index.php/product-previews-a-reviews/1045-2011-panini-adrenalyn-nfl-football-checklist

Team Highlight: Orlando Magic

This is a new based post which focus's on different teams every so often.  At the bottom are the overall score for performance in the online game.  The Orlando Magic are one of the top teams in the Atlantic Conference which is full of fierce rivals such as Miami.  The Adrenalyn XL cards the team has are all packed with power and represent the team well.  Here is a highlight list of great Orlando Cards with facts and tips.

 Base

The base features many players and two rookies.  They also contain Adonal Foyle who is now retired.  Dwight has a strong defence which can draw with Kobe.

Specials

The series 2 specials have better stats which shows well with Jameer.  

Extras

Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis are the two extras.  Vince has a great attack but a terrible defence.  

Extra Signatures

Dwight is a defensive beast and will destroy the oppositions hope of scoring!  While Vince has a high offence and low defence again.  

Ultimates

Superman will again own the defence.  His series 1 Ultimate has a higher offence but he is mainly a defence player. Dwight has the highest defence in all of NBA Adrenalyn XL.

Rating

Offence - 3.5 out of 5

Defence - 5 out of 5

Star Ratings - 3.5 out of 5

Overall Rating - 4 out of 5 

Final Word

The Magic are a great defensive team to beat the opponent with.  Dwight should be used to block shots and stop others from scoring.