08-09 UD Black Diamond blaster box

So I continually say that I'm going to stop buying blaster boxes. They usually aren't great value, and if you buy 3 or 4 of them, you might as well save up and buy a hobby box, which will have a lot more hits in it. But that doesn't allow me to rip packs open frequently, and so patience is kind of out of the window.

But ever since I miraculously pulled a Thornton patch out of 23 out of a blaster, I've been hooked. (Side note: it was damaged, and I recently asked Upper Deck if they have a replacement. They were overly courteous in their e-mail, told me their policy, and said they would send me things anyway. Maybe they ARE changing...... we'll see what they send anyway) Yes, for all the $24.99 (plus tax) blasters I've bought, I could be much farther ahead on my Doan collection. But the lure of pulling something great remains. And pulling a Doan from a pack is a LOT more satisfying.

I go back and forth on this as I buy them. Sometimes I pull something great and I'm glad I bought it. Other times?...... not so much. Nonetheless, I doubt I'll ever stop buying them. Upper Deck, for all their warts, are very creative marketers, and I'm as much as sucker as any collector.

On that note, I bought a 2008-09 Upper Deck Black Diamond blaster box today. 6 packs (listed as the normal 5 + 1 bonus....), and you can pull everything that you can pull in the hobby packs, which is unusual for a retail offering. There will be at least one Double Diamond in here, and at least one ot two other inserts. 1 in every two boxes will have a quad jersey or a Quad Diamond. Not bad odds, really. Well, here goes......

Pack 1 - Vrbata, Pominville, Derick Brassard Quad Diamond RC, Langkow, Markov
Well that's a good way to start. Brassard had an early end to his season, but this would be one of the better pulls of the box. eBay wise, it should pay for the blaster. Nice. I was looking for the Brunnstrom, but I'm not complaining.

Pack 2 - Kostitsyn, Horton Double Diamond, Vermette, Kaberle, Cleary
The Double Diamond of the box. Likely no Doan at this point.

Pack 3 - Malone, Leclaire, Getzlaf Premier Cuts (Single), Franzen, Carter
So I've beaten the 1:24 for a quad diamond, and now 1:12 on the die cut.

Pack 4 - Shanahan, Arnott Double Diamond, Bergeron, Theodoe, Little
Double Diamonds are 1:4, I have two in 4 packs. Now no Doan for sure.....

Pack 5 - Byfuglien, Bryzgalov, Green, Nylander, Williams
Nothing of note here, but it should be noted that I have yet to pull a damaged card, which is usually very odd with Black Diamond's heavily foiled black cards. Impressive.

Pack 6 - Kronwall, Ellis, Carcillo, Perry, Erik Ersberg Triple Diamond RC
The Triple Diamonds are 1:8, and Ersberg is a decent pull.

Wow. Now these are the blasters that keep me coming back. Either their odds are shorter than listed to make you feel like you got more than you did, or there's some dud boxes out there. I would say a bit of a) and a bit of b), in my experience. It's unusual to beat this many odds in one box. Yes, they are "average across the production run", but you normally beat one of the odds in the box, and that's your hit. I beat them in 4 of 6 packs. Not only that, I got two rookies of quality... neither of them will be selling you a TV at Best Buy anytime soon.

Often after opening a blaster I feel some remorse as I see the commons I've just overpaid for, and search eBay for a deal to make myself feel better, but then don't buy because I've already wasted my money. But then there's days like today, where I can sell a few of these and make some money back. So in the end........ still hooked. Oh well.