I've decided to pick another Score insert set for my "Insert Ideas" post today. This set I think will fair better in terms of overall score compared to the last. Today, we are going to discuss the "First Goal" insert set.
Let's take a look at the front of the card:
NAME: First Goal
YEAR: 2011-12
I picked up this insert card from Kyle in a trade a week back. The entire premise behind the insert set is to show a past rookies first goal. For example, Linus Omark's rookie season was in 2010-11 so this card shows the exact moment when Omark scored his first NHL goal from the season before.
I'm sure this insert set has been done before although no specific sets come to my mind. But I really like the idea of the insert set and the fact that I can't remember any other particular sets that were similar help to boost its mark for idea.
As for the pictures they use, this is where it gets tricky. The only pictures they can use is of the players celebration after their first goal. Therefore, if the celebration was crappy, you get a crappy picture. But sometimes you'll get the odd shot of a player smiling or in shock that makes the picture stand out. The Omark card is kind of boring though... The
Taylor Hall is my favourite picture from the set.
This card is what makes me appreciate the pictures in this set even more. I love the look of relief on Subban's face and even more his two teammates holding their arms up beside them. The picture is framed really well.
The design on the front of the card is simple and 90's like. The "First Goal" lettering on the top reminds me of something that would come out of a Pro Set subset or something. It looks classic and flows well from left to right. The picture takes up most of the card and is not cluttered which I appreciate. The basic name and team sits on the bottom, but most importantly is the date of the goal that sits on the right side.
The back is where the design loses marks. The reuse of the picture in this case is acceptable, it's more the left two thirds of the card that worries me. First is the GIGANTIC logo right in the middle. The point of this card is not team based, instead it is player based so why did they have to throw a HUMUNGOUS logo randomly in the mix? The name and position on the top along with stars is a huge waste of space. I would re-design it so that you have the logo, name, position and date of goal in the bar above. Leaving that white patch in the middle for a write-up. The paragraph mentions the date, game and final score of the game. I think they could even add how they scored. For example, "Subban scored on the PP when he got a pass from _____ to rip a slapshot home to make the game 1-0". Get it? So you could have more info on what happened and less about simply what team he plays for.
Player selection can't get too out of hand considering their isn't a huge list of players to chose from. That being said though, nobody wants to get a card of a player they don't know, so by keeping the player selection among those young guys that are better known is a plus.
There are 15 cards in the set and with guys like Hall, Subban, Omark, Hodgson, Tatar, Skinner, Condra, Fowler etc. I'm liking the variety.
RATING:
Idea: 4/5
Pictures: 3.5/5
Design: 3/5
Player Selection: 5/5
TOTAL - 15.5/20
Overall I really like the insert set and might even think of pursuing it, especially since one of my PC guys is in it.
What do you think of the insert set? What do you rate it?
GO NUCKS GO!
