I hated Topps Magic in 2008, mainly due to the fact that it was a complete sticker dump. Aside from being all college jerseys, the cards themselves featured weird painted artwork, and it looked like it was just another retro product for retro product’s sake. Obviously, a set composed of college jerseys isnt possible this year, but that doesnt mean Topps doesnt have a ace or two up their sleeve.

Topps tweeted a picture of the Joe Namath Mini from the set, and although it looks oddly familiar to 1997 Upper Deck Legends, it looks pretty good. I love game shots on cards, especially in place of stock backgrounds from Photoshop, and this appears to have that element in check. Hopefully this set will be everything that Mayo has never been, and maybe even show that Topps doesnt need a wake up call when it comes to producing retro sets not named Ginter.

Here is what we have so far, ill update as they tweet more pics.

UPDATE: I dont mind this dual auto, despite the fact that it looks like it will be stickers. Because of the style of the card, the borders on the stickers dont look horrible, and the painted style is very sleek. But, think of how cool it would be if the black part wasnt there and the green and orange continued on to the side with a hard signed auto? That would make this card that much more awesome.

The reason I think this will be cool is because the cards look to all be painted. Its almost like a retro Topps and Topps Chrome mixed together, and that isnt a bad idea. Even the bordered sticker doesnt bother me as much as it usually does. Low end Topps is where its at.

Here is another base card, the Namath is the mini version. Interesting what Magic is turning into.

Ahhh, here is the Topps we know and hate. Not Triple Threads bad, but I am convinced that Topps is incapable of producing a triple auto worth buying.

There are others up on the Topps facebook page now, but these are the meat. Im looking forward to seeing the final product now, but Im still not holding my breath on a retro set with sticker autos. Hmmm, I guess we will see.