The world of hockey cards was forever transformed back in 1996 when SkyBox Metal Universe first made its audacious debut. It was a set that didn’t just exist in the realm of reality; it seemed to belong to a parallel universe where creativity knew no bounds. With bold artwork, metallic lustre, and comic-book-style backgrounds, it stood out like a neon sign in a world of pastels. Nearly thirty years later, Upper Deck stokes the fire of this iconic series with the release of the 2025-26 SkyBox Metal Universe Hockey edition—an offering that promises to light up the passion of card collectors like an enforcer in the corner.
The new release continues the legacy with its base set sporting 150 cards, composed of 100 veteran stalwarts and 50 fresh-faced rookies. Each pack serves up at least one rookie, ensuring that newcomers get their much-deserved spotlight shining brighter than an arena’s center ice during a power play.
Diving into the heart of the release, every hobby box offers either an autograph or a Precious Metal Gem (PMG) card, along with an assortment of enticing inserts and numbered parallels that will have collectors feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.
The Precious Metal Gems lineup is a treasure map of dazzling possibilities, offering cards at four different levels: Red PMGs are numbered to 100, but for those fortunate enough to find themselves in possession of a Hot Box, Blue PMGs await, numbered to only 50. As the rarity increases, so does the thrill—Green PMGs are a scant 10, and the elusive Gold PMGs are the crown jewel, being one-of-a-kind marvels. For the connoisseurs who enjoy puzzle boxes of numerical intrigue, the first ten copies of any run are the verdant Green, while the remaining are the fiery Red.
Base cards aren’t just left to be overshadowed by these precious pieces, as they come equipped with autograph parallels that could make a collector’s heart skip a beat. Veteran autographs—appearing at a rate of one in every 80 packs—promise little doses of gold ink ecstasy, while rookies show up with an even greater likelihood of one in every 60 packs. If you’re lucky, you might stumble upon the Green autographs numbered to 10, and the peerless Gold one-of-one autographs.
But wait, there’s more! A plethora of themed signed sets broadens the sky of what collectors can hope to anchor. SkyBox Premium Prospects autographs make an appearance once in 120 packs, with a Star Emerald variant that’s as rare as a hockey hat-trick, numbered to just 25. Moments of triumph and grandeur are captured in Fresh Foundation autographs, which pop up in 240 packs. If you’re angling for the rarer delights, autographs from Championship Galaxy, Circle Button, Lethal Weapon, and Lunar Cycle are your targets at one in every 600 packs. The crème de la crème of signatures, the All-Galactic Team, are the rarest of breeds at a sublime one in every 1200 packs, a real Everest for autograph hunters.
Still enamored with inserts? Collectors can rejoice as the 2013 Metal Universe Retros have made an awaited comeback, replete with timeless art and new PMG parallels. They appear once per case, a delightful surprise at around 1 in every 240 packs.
Additional inserts glide in smooth as an Olympic ice skater, with Fresh Foundation, Championship Galaxy, Lunar Cycle, and All-Galactic Team leading the pack and boasting three color parallels: Purple numbered to 349, Red to 99, and the shimmering Gold to 10. Circle Button and Lethal Weapon are easier achieves at 1 in 15 packs, with Red and Green parallels being tantalizingly numbered to 100 and 10 respectively. Outer Limits makes its presence felt about once in eight packs, with a golden child parallel capped at 99.
Further intrigue blooms with Planet Metal (1 in 60), Magnetic Field and Rave Review (both 1 in 80), and Copperheads shaking things up at 1 in every 120. Those with a taste for the titanic challenges might chase down Dark Matter (1 in 240), the sharp A Cut Above (1 in 267), and the elusive Brush Off (1 in 267). The pièce de résistance of mystique might just be the die-cut Platinum Portraits, akin to finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, available only once in about 1200 packs.
As a cherry on this multicolored, metallic sundae, SkyBox Premium Prospects inserts adorn one out of every five packs, adorned with Star Rubies to 50, Star Emeralds to 10, and the singular Star Diamonds.
Each hobby box is a treasure trove of tenacity, offering six cards per pack, fifteen packs per box, and sixteen boxes per case. The bounty? Anticipate one autograph or PMG card, an extra chase card to keep you on your toes, a numbered parallel, a pair of Outer Limits inserts, a chorus of ten other inserts, and fifteen rookies ready to impress like Magnus Carlsen in an endgame.
While the full checklist remains under wraps, waiting to be unveiled like a theater curtain raising on opening night, enthusiasts can expect a dazzling display of variety, radiant foil designs, and the signature metal look that has been synonymous with this series since the audacious days of the ’90s. The official release date of the 2025-26 SkyBox Metal Universe Hockey set will be announced in due course, keeping fans eagerly tapping skates in anticipation.
