2016 Topps Apex MLS Major League Soccer Cards

Product Review

2016 Topps Apex MLS Product Review

Reviewed by Trey Treutel

Good: New on-card autographs, good price point, vivid colors and bold designs.

Bad: Base design not as appealing, on-card autographs very rare, mostly plain jumbo relics.

The Bottom Line: The sophomore effort from Apex sees some positives and negatives. While the budget-friendly pricing remains and on-card autographs enter the mix, the primary design does not work as well as last year and there are still mostly low-value sticker autographs to pull.

Card Design: 3.75/5.0

Where 2015 had a more complete look of splashing water and a darkened background, 2016 Topps Apex MLS feels a little more disjointed with a broken-glass effect and an odd mix of colors. It’s not terrible but it just does not work as well, in my opinion. This extends to the main autographs as they use the same design with a sticker signature.

On the other hand, while the design is still a little busy for me, the hard-signed All-Star autographs look great. The only disappointing thing is how rare they ended up being at only 35 copies.

Just like in 2015, the Crest Jumbo Relics are again a bit of a letdown since the relics are either not that large or are half obscured by the card. It might also be initially misleading to collectors as it appears to be a relic of note only to find out it is a plain jersey with a die-cut design over the top third. To be fair, the low-numbered parallels fill the whole spot with a quality relic swatch.

Among the basic inserts, I do find the Golazo cards to be quite interesting. They are crazy and colorful in a good way and the goal celebration images add a fun element.

Checklist: 4.0/5.0

Like most MLS sets, the checklist is more indicative of the league as a whole so this is an instance where the league is more to blame than the set. There are a few top-end names, some players who fall more in the middle and then a lot of lower-end talent among the signers. I do appreciate that the on-card set went specifically with All-Stars, including many of the biggest names in the league.

With Pirlo, Kaka, Drogba, Giovinco, Lampard and Villa all included with autographs in the release, the international talent is largely represented. This really boosts the product and is further enhanced because most of these offer on-card versions as well.

Value: 4.25/5.0

On the one hand, many of the MLS signers are worth very little. Despite this, a box that contains two autographs and a relic for around $40 makes that much more manageable. Few products offer this kind of value and when you add in the fact that there are limited hard-signed autographs for top names, it looks even more appealing.

The Fun Factor: 4.0/5.0

The main issue I had with Apex in 2016 was that the base design was not my favorite. Other than that, I liked the changes. On-card autographs are always a winner and I appreciate that Topps elected to completely switch up the insert line with a fresh group of offerings. It is not the most glamorous product, but I like what it offers for the price.

2016 Topps Apex MLS Hit Gallery

The box used for this review was provided by Topps.

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