A Nathan MacKinnon Case Hit from 4 Packs of 2013-14 Black Diamond

Okay, since I know I have some impending car repairs, which will no doubt set me back quite a bit of funds that would otherwise be used for cards, I had to settle for four packs of 2013-14 Upper Deck Black Diamond, instead of a full box. Still, despite having to trim down my budget, this experience proves that sometimes you don't have to break the bank to get one of the cards you really want.

Here's a pack-by-pack breakdown of the four:

Pack 1:Johan Franzen, Ryan Johansen, Jimmy Howard, Jacob Markstrom, Marc-Andre Fleury Double Diamond

Pack 2: Ryan Suter, Kris Versteeg, Brandon Saad, David Legwand, Ryan Smyth Double Diamond

Pack 3: Tyler Bozak, Lars Eller, Jake Muzzin, Nicklas Backstrom, Phil Kessel Double Diamond

Chris Kunitz, Jonathan Bernier, Jiri Tlusty, Nathan MacKinnon Lustrous Rookies

While each box of Black Diamond are guaranteed to contain two dual jersey cards, it's their inserts that are really the big draw for this product. Lustrous Rookies are inserted at a rate of 1:240 packs, or one per case, and I managed to pull the big one, with 2013 number one draft pick Nathan MacKinnon. What really makes these cards cool is the window on the left side of the card, which allows for the player's image to be seen from both the front...

and the back of the card.  This method is also used for their Lustrous Stars, Lustrous All-Time Greats, and Hardware Heroes insert sets, all of which can command high dollar on the secondary market if you pull the right player

Insert sets like these just go to show that you don't always have to pull the guaranteed hits to find something amazing.