Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As I am a part of the eBay Partner Network and other programs, if you follow these links and make a purchase, I’ll receive commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Topps’ flagship products are familiar enough for seasoned collectors to know what to expect each time they open a pack, while still injecting new ideas, designs, and trends.
2024 Topps Baseball Update Series falls right in line this approach, featuring, well, a lot, but for the sake of this blog, two new insert sets: Mystical and Let Him Cook.
Mystical Insert Set
The Mystical insert set draws inspiration from vibrant, fantastical designs reminiscent of 1990s aesthetics, offering a nostalgic yet fresh appeal to collectors. (All of that for which I’m a sucker for.)
It’s a 50-card set that showcases a mix of MLB veterans and emerging rookies, including stars like Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Ronald Acuña Jr.
Such a design approach might be easy to overlook given the similarity to rainbow-font sets like Future Stars and the recent boom in releases like Cosmic Chrome and other “other-worldly” additions, but they still present a nice touch to a non-chrome set, and at great odds.
Those insertion odds for Mystical cards vary by pack type, per usual:
- Hobby Packs: Approximately 1 in 12 packs
- Jumbo Packs: Approximately 1 in 3 packs
- Retail Packs: Approximately 1 in 12 packs
- Blaster Boxes: Approximately 1 in 6 packs
- Hanger Packs: Approximately 1 in 3 packs
As you can see, Mystical inserts are relatively accessible across the various pack types, but might be most easily obtained at lower prices in hanger packs.
Let Him Cook
On the other hand, the Let Him Cook insert set focuses less on design, and uses trending Gen Z sports jargon to celebrate the hottest active players in MLB, highlighting those who delivered outstanding performances.
Let Him Cook has a smaller checklist – 25 cards – and offers slightly more difficult odds, with Jumbo packs being the best option:
- Hobby Packs: Approximately 1 in 12 packs
- Jumbo Packs: Approximately 1 in 5 packs
- Retail Packs: Approximately 1 in 18 packs
- Blaster Boxes: Approximately 1 in 14 packs
- Hanger Packs: Approximately 1 in 13 packs
Value Comparison
To compare the values between the two sets, several elite players are featured in both the Mystical and Let Him Cook. I’ll be looking at:
- Jackson Holliday
- Wyatt Langford
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Jordan Lawler
- Elly De La Cruz
- Paul Skenes
- Jackson Chourio
- Junior Caminero
- Jasson Dominguez
- Pete Crow-Armstrong
Now, several factors come into play, including player popularity, card rarity, and market demand. All I can do is look at and report on the trends.
30-Day Average Price (Raw) According to Market Movers
| PLAYER | LET HIM COOK | MYSTICAL |
| Jackson Holliday | $3.16 | $1.68 |
| Wyatt Langford | $1.53 | $.99 |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | $1.49 | $.99 |
| Jordan Lawler | $2.03 | $1.50 |
| Elly De La Cruz | $2.75 | $3.43 |
| Paul Skenes | $3.87 | $4.50 |
| Jackson Chourio | $.99 | $1.29 |
| Junior Caminero | $1.65 | $2.24 |
| Jasson Dominguez | $2.37 | $3.50 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | $.99 | $1.50 |
As you can see, quite the mix. The greatest discrepancy on the Let Him Cook side is Jackson Holiday, and his $3.16 average versus the $1.68 Mystical. On the other end, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Let Him Cook has been selling for $.99, while his Mystical is slightly more valuable at $1.50.
For most players here, though, pretty negligible.
And how about graded cards? Similar values between the two.
In the end, Mystical is the prettier set, and gives you a larger set chase, with new and different names you might not be accustomed to seeing in insert sets like Sonny Gray, Austin Riley, and Royce Lewis, along with the stars you’d expect. Let Him Cook is probably considered “cooler” and the design isn’t awful, with a much tighter checklist of only the best in today’s game.