Disclaimer: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not financial advice. Please do your own research before making any financial or purchasing decisions.

I recently joined my first ever card break on Fanatics Live, BUT only because I had a $125 Fanatics Live credit as part of my PSA Collectors Club Premium membership.

Why I Joined

I’ve never participated in a break before, but with $125 in Fanatics Live credit set to expire in 30 days, I decided to try it out. I wanted to spend all my credit, but didn’t want to spend much more on top of that. When I did a bit of research on top breakers, the one that came up most consistently was Filthbomb Breaks (although it had both good and bad reviews). I ended up joining a break featuring a product they call “Heaters” and a box of 2024 Bowman Draft. Heaters is a repack product from Filthbomb, so I wanted to test it out.

The Break Experience

The break itself was a mixed bag. The sale portion took a surprisingly long time, about 20-30 minutes, because the auction format required selling all 30 team spots individually, with the clock resetting to ten seconds every time someone bid. In this particular break, the team assignments were random; you bid for a random spot, and after the bidding ends they spin a wheel to see what team you are assigned. The host, Mike, was energetic and entertaining, though he’s definitely a born salesman, with lines such as “there’s no way this spot should be less than $150…”, “this price is such a steal”, etc. to entice people to buy.

Once the teams are assigned, the actual break is quick and engaging (10-15 minutes in total). In this particular break, there were only 9 Heaters packs, which means the odds of hitting a card for your team are low (roughly 1 in 3). They say the floor for the cards is $100, with a “chase card” ranging from $1k-1.5k in every case as well.

When the wheel was spun on the bid I won, I got lucky and landed the Mets. I figured they’re a pretty decent team to get, with Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso being their big chases (although they’re a bit light on prospects). Fortunately, in the break there was a Mets card, which was a Mike Piazza / Francisco Alvarez dual auto /5 (non-graded). I would say that compared to most of the other cards, it was one of the weaker cards for any of the teams; however, I was just happy that there was at least one Mets card in the break. There were some other breakers commenting that they had 5 teams and still didn’t hit anything.

The “chase card” ended up being a Bobby Witt Jr. 1st Bowman auto PSA 10, which does have recent sales of $1500 plus.

Using the Fanatics Live Credit

Applying my Fanatics Live credit was easy. The $125 credit was automatically applied at checkout, and I only paid $10.38 out of pocket (including tax). I haven’t received the card yet, so I can’t comment on the shipping process, but I plan to write a follow-up article once the card arrives.

Would I Do It Again?

Honestly, I would only join another break if I had more Fanatics Live credit to burn. The experience was entertaining, and I understand the appeal, but the value just isn’t there, as it’s essentially gambling. Maybe if I’m feeling extraordinarily lucky or am bored out of my mind I would give it another chance, but otherwise I prefer to just stick to buying singles.

Final Thoughts

Breaks can be fun and exciting, but they’re not for me as a collector. In the end, the way these breakers make money is by including significantly less value in packs than they sell for, so most of the time you’re going to walk away empty-handed (or at least in the red). If you have credit to use, it’s worth a try for the entertainment; however, I couldn’t recommend spending actual money to enter these breaks.