Overwatch League debuts trading cards
The Upper Deck cards feature players from the league along with their positions on the team and stats from last season.
It's just what sports fans need - something else to collect! But it's also another sign E-sports are going mainstream: the introduction of collectable trading cards.
The Overwatch League is one of the biggest organizations in professional E-sports, with each franchise valued at up to $100 million. Now the league is following in the steps of other traditional sports leagues, offering their fans a time-honored tradition. The cards, made by Upper Deck, have features similar to other sports cards. They show action and profile shots of each player, along with their position on the team and stats from last season. If you can't tear yourself away from your X-Box for long enough to go to the store, the cards can also be purchased in "E-Pack" version from the Overwatch League website, allowing collectors to trade across the world after opening a virtual pack. But they can also have the physical card sent to them if they prefer.
It's still not clear what the market will be like for Overwatch League collectables, but early cards to watch include San Francisco Shock's Sinatraa, who is possibly the highest-salaried player in the league. Another hot card could be the Dallas Fuel's Seagull, who retired after the inaugural season to stream games full time. With Seagull now officially out of the league, his one and only official Overwatch card could become a rare collector's item.
The full set for the first season is made up of 125 "base" cards, as well as multiple insert sets that celebrate key player and team moments throughout the season, including season 1 highlights, league leaders, team leaders, and unique holo F/X cards.
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