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Thursday, December 12, 2013

Infinite "Lucky Guys" Official Collection Cards Vol. 1 Review

Infinite released their first official collection card set this past October, as well as an accompanying binder, which I reviewed here.  I was hesitant about buying these cards because they have nothing to do with Infinite's music, but I eventually caved in because this is an official Infinite product, after all!
This collection is called "Lucky Guys," which is displayed on the white sleeve.  This sleeve is perforated around the members and the balloons, so you can stand them up.  To preserve it, I think I'll just leave it as is. The sleeve is also covered with a reflective, holographic surface.  Also on all the sides of the sleeve and tin case, it shows Infinite's new symbol and says "INFINITE LUCKY GUYS."
The bottom of the sleeve has information printed in Korean, as well as the authentication seal.  You can also see a bit of the reflective pieces.
Inside the sleeve is the navy tin case.  It's about 6.25 inches by 5.25 inches by 1 inch.  The lid has Infinite's logo and name sticking up.  There are shades of dark blue and purple that make up a geometric pattern throughout the case. The bottom of this case has the same information as the bottom of the sleeve.
Inside this tin case is an instruction manual and the packs of cards.  This manual is made of high quality paper.
The instruction manual is a foldout, with four pages explaining the meaning of the 22 rare tarot cards in Korean and providing color images of each rare tarot card.
The backside shows all 135 cards in black and white with their corresponding numbers, which is a nice reference to know what you have and need to complete the collection.  The cards are also separated by the rare cards and normal cards, making it easier to know when you're trading cards with others.  Because these images are so small, I'm more thankful for also buying the accompanying binder, which includes black and white images of the cards in their actual size.
Underneath the tarot manual are the packs of cards.  There are a total of 10 packs, five on each side, which are placed on top of a navy card stock divider.  These packs have seven different designs, one for each member. Therefore, each set includes all seven different designs, as well as three duplicating designs. As I was looking at my packs from right to left, I was so scared I wasn't going to get L or Sungyeol!  But eventually they showed up as the last two packs.  On the right is the order I received my packs.  These designs are all metallic and follow the geometric pattern as the background, with an image of each member in their "Lucky Guys" outfits.
Here is a close up of L's pack, that displays him cutely gazing at the colorful balloons he's holding.  The backside has some information written in Korean.
And here is a close up of the reverse, if anyone cares to read it.
Each pack contains six random collection cards, divided up into five normal cards and one rare card.  I'm very anal when it comes to organization, so here's a photo recording which cards came in which back and in what order (cards from left to right indicate top to bottom for each pack).  When I first took out these cards and took this picture, I stupidly didn't know that some cards were reversed, so I thought I had fewer duplicates than I really did. My ultimate bias is L, yet I frustratingly only received two individual L cards, and they were the SAME card.  This calls for numerous trades until I get a decent collection of L.  From this one set, I received a total of 14 duplicates, which I also plan to trade.

Now I'll explain each type of card.  I don't know the official names of each type, so I'll just make them up as I see best fit.  On the bottom right side, each card lists its number from 1 to 135. The first 64 are rare cards, while the remaining 71 are normal cards.  Doing the math, that means you have to buy seven sets just to receive 70 rare cards, and that most definitely doesn't guarantee completing your collection card set. Woollim was very smart to design it this way!

1-22: Rare Tarot Cards

These cards have the same reflective sheen as the white pop-up sleeve.  There are three different cards for each member, with the exception of Sungjong who has four, for a total of 22 cards.  These images are reminiscent of tarot cards, with mythical graphics. Each card also has some English phrase Roman numerals from 0 to XXI (21).All of the backs have a dark gray radial symmetry with the Over The Top era symbol.

23-29: Rare Autographed Cards
Aside from the rare tarot cards and group cards, the listed card order is Sungyeol, Woohyun, Dongwoo, L, Hoya, Sungjong and Sunggyu.  These seven cards have each member's printed autographs in silver metallic, along with each member looking sharp in their classy suits against the light geometric background.  The backside has basic stats about the member along with the Over The Top symbol.

30-36: Rare Lenticular Cards
These seven cards are really cool!  They're lenticular, meaning when you change the angle from side to side, it creates a different image. Each member is holding some sort of sporty gear in the left background and the right is a close up.  The backside is like an optical illusion that incorporates a diagonal infinite symbol. These cards are a bit thicker than all the other cards.

37-43: Rare Hidden Message Cards
Each member has their own refreshing and cute close up, along with a colorful diamond pattern. On the bottom is a hidden message that each member (supposedly) created, and to reveal it, you scratch it off with a coin.  [Updated: I think there are three different messages per member, all Infinite song lyrics with two messages printed in handwritten in Korean, and one in English.] I don't want to damage the card, so I think I'll leave it as is. [Updated: I ended up scratching this card, and I bought another Sungyeol one with a different message...just to see his handwriting.] The backside is a zoomed out image of the front.

44-50: Rare Fabric Cards
These are honestly the coolest, most rarest cards ever!  They're so rare, they shouldn't even be listed as part of the collection because most people will have an incomplete collection because of this.  Each member wore a shirt that they signed, and then a square cut of that shirt was embedded into the card.  Because there can only be so many pieces cut from a shirt, there are only that many fabric cards made. These photos are from my binder.  Of course, not every card will look like these; each card is unique because it's from a different piece of the shirt.  I've only seen images of L's, Sungyeol's and Hoya's posted online.

51-57: Rare Holographic Cards
I received a lot of rare Sungyeol cards, if you haven't noticed from my photos.  Not that I'm complaining! These cards make the boys off to be cool arrogant (in a good way, like the lead man in a drama).  The entire card is holographic, giving that rainbow sheen.  The backside is a sketch of that member.

58-64: Rare Astrological Cards
These cards have a metallic and matte finish, yet some circles have a glossy finish.  The reverse has a zoomed out photo of the member, along with his birth date, astrological sign and corresponding constellation.

65-86: Normal Tarot Cards
There are 22 normal tarot cards, three for each member, and the 22nd card being a group photo.  Like the rare tarot cards, these have an English phrase and Roman numerals from 0 to XX (20).  I love this photoshoot because they all look so cute and adorable!  The backside has a bronze, intricate pattern.

87-93: Normal Year Cards
These seven cards are fresh and endearing, and the overall pastel color makes these that much more adorable!  The year of the member's birth date is listed at the top and birthday directly underneath, and the backside is a zoomed out, full color image with the member's stats.

94-100: Normal Member Cards
These cards are formatted like face cards from a playing deck, with a suit in the corners and the member's initials where the value of the card would go.  Also it includes the member's birth date and position within the group.  The card shows a full body shot of each member looking so adorable.  The backside is even sweeter, with a close up of the member gazing adorably at the camera.  This is my only card of L, of which I got a duplicate.

101-107: Normal Group Cards
These seven cards consist of three group photos.  The first card is a group shot of the oldest two and youngest two, while the second card is of the middle three (both cards not shown in the photo).  The next three cards is one continuous group photo, divided into three cards.  The backside also has alternate images of the members paired together.  The remaining two cards have the two oldest and two youngest on one side but split into two cards, while the backside has the other three members.  This sounds really confusing, so just refer to the photos posted above.  Ignore the Sungyeol card, it belongs in the next section.

108-114: Normal Sports Cards
When I first saw these photos, it seemed weird to me since sports has nothing to do with Infinite and I'm not buying sports cards.  But anyways, these cards show each member smiling adoringly while posing with sporting equipment.  The backside shows another pose with the prop.

115-121: Normal Generic Cards
I had no idea how to title these, but these cards are basically from the photoshoot of the pop-up sleeve and binder cover.  Infinite is once again looking cool and tough in their close up shots.  The backside is another cool pose in black and white.

122-128: Normal Generic 2 Cards
These cards are the exact images from the binder cover, showing the members as tough, cool and lost in their own world of thoughts.  The backside is a standing shot with a striped background.

129-135: Normal Group 2 Cards
The first four cards (not pictured) are of the pop-up sleeve photo, with the members smiling and holding the balloons.  The backside of each card is the entire image and highlights which section this card represents. The remaining three is from the same photoshoot, but with that tough and cool attitude again.  The reverse is another similar group shot.

Apparently there are also Polaroids of the individual members, which are super rare and therefore unlisted.

Overall, I love these collection cards!  Despite originally not wanting this item, it has really grown on me.  I think I'm becoming addicted, because I really want to buy another set just to get more L cards!  But I won't fall into this trap, because once I buy another one, I'll buy a third one, and then I'll just have too many duplicates to trade off.

7 comments:

  1. Hello, I was wondering if you wanted to trade any of your duplicate cards?

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    1. Hi! I have 68, 88 and 116 and I'm only looking for 121. I might also be willing to trade some of my rares...

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  2. I have 121 if you would like to trade. What rare duplicate cards do you have?

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    1. The rares I'm considering trading are 25, 51, 53, 54 but I only want tarots, lenticulars or scratch which I know sounds like an unfair trade lol. I'm tentative because I don't actually have rare duplicates. What rare duplicates do you have?

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  3. The only duplicate one I have is 37 but it looks like you have that one already. Would you want to trade my 121 for your 88?

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    1. I'm sorry we couldn't trade any rares! Sure, your 121 for my 88 sounds great! Why don't you email me then we can work out the details there: macedonia14@gmail.com

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  4. Oh no it's okay. I just sent you an email.

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