Welcome to Bo Jackson Battle Arena, a groundbreaking experience that combines the best elements of sports card collecting with collecting and playing a trading card game (also known as a “TCG”). Some are already calling it “BoBA” for short.

At the highest levels of competitive collecting and competitive play, we believe in “small batch” print runs, on-card autographs and keeping the special cards rare.  As a poster child for the “junk wax” era of sports card over supply, this mindset starts with Bo himself. At the same time, we want as many people to enjoy the Battle Arena game as possible and it’s designed for event organizers to set “Power Limits” (sort of like a salary cap) to help keep gameplay accessible for their specific participants.

The highly anticipated Bo Jackson Battle Arena Alpha Edition is here, and we’re excited to share more about what you will find inside this one-of-a-kind collectible experience.

No Sticker Autos!

BoBA isn’t just another trading card game—or sports card set. It combines most of the key reasons people love each of these product types into a single franchise. For starters, we’ve gone the extra mile to bring you ONLY on-card autographs—no stickers! Yes, on-card athlete autographs in a trading card game. 

Autographed Battle Arena cards aren’t just special because of their power or the work of award winning artists. Each Inspired Ink card represents a premium experience, with hand-signed signatures from some of your favorite athletes. When you hold an Inspired Ink in your hand you are holding a piece of history, handled by the superheroes themselves.

In addition to on-card autographs, we hope collectors will fall in love with a small but diverse checklist of inserts and parallels. Each box type has exclusive variations to make sure your ripping experience is always a thrill where there’s a great chance to add something new and special to your collection.  

Every box is built to deliver good value (part of which stems from the small batch nature of the print run) but please keep in mind, when every card is special… none will be. Therefore, you can count on the most powerful and special cards in Battle Arena to be truly rare.

Breaking Down the Product

You need 60 Heroes to make a standard competition deck.  See the complete rules for all deck-building requirements.

31 Autograph Heroes:

We know the real identity of these Heroes, and they range from Hall of Fame legends to today’s brightest stars. Each has on-card Inspired Ink autographs included in the set, and these are very powerful Heroes across the board. In addition to the autographed cards, these Heroes can only be found on special non-auto short-print (SP) and super short-print (SSP) inserts. These Heroes’ cards are truly rare, and when you find one, it’s sure to level up your collection.

45 Base Set Heroes:

The athlete inspiration for these Superhero personas is usually quite obvious, but who’s behind the mask? Well, we don’t know yet. The real identity of these Heroes remains a mystery, but they offer a wide range of power in their various weapon types to help load out your decks for any format of play.  If you possess indisputable evidence of any Base Set Hero’s identity, please file a report with the commissioner’s office. Your anonymity will be protected.

The Plays:

A key element to the Battle Arena experience is the expansive checklist of plays. Finding the right mix of plays to support your game style will be critical if you want to fight through the Gauntlet and/or show up with a stacked deck at the World Championships to compete for over $100,000 in cash and prizes!

Every pack in Hobby, Jumbo, Booster and Blaster boxes contains 3 plays from a checklist of 100. You need 30 plays to make a standard competition deck.  There are 25 ultra-rare (Short Print or “SP”) “Bonus Plays” found only in Collector Boosters that break the rules and allow you to add extra plays to your deck and exceed the 30 play cap. 

All plays are limited to only 1 copy in a standard deck. So, if you want to have a full Alpha Edition “Play Set” so you can mix and match every possible combination you will need 125 total play cards (100 standard plays and 25 bonus plays).

Weapon Power Hierarchy:

The raw power of Battle Arena Heroes revolves around 7 different “weapon types”:

• Super – The most powerful. Super weapons also have tie-breaking ability against other weapons (except another Super).  Super weapons are only found on 1/1 Superfoil cards.
• Gum – The Gum weapon type is both rare and powerful.  It snares opponents and makes it hard for them to move.
• Hex – Be careful of heroes wielding the dark and powerful magic of the Hex weapon type.
• Glow – Our Heroes exist because of powers gained from radioactive hot dogs. No weapon personifies this source of power more than Glow.
• Fire – Straight forward. The power of fire is well understood.
• Ice – Likewise ice can freeze an opponent or be swung, thrown or projected to do all sorts of damage.
• Steel – The type of steel is said to be titanium. It’s light and strong and delivers precision damage.  Steel weapons are the most readily available and serve as a cornerstone of most collections.

Each weapon type has its rarity, with Super being the ultimate chase. The strength of the weapon correlates with the rarity of the card, making each pack opening an adrenaline-pumping experience.

Watch this video to learn about the different weapon types you can find.

Card Treatments:

At Bo Jackson Battle Arena we have worked hard to give collectors a nice variety of treatments while fighting for SIMPLICITY and making certain special cards rare enough to truly BE SPECIAL!

We hope you find all of the card treatments a joy to collect.  Theres truly a lane for everyone!

Base Paper

The Base set is your gateway to the BoBA universe, featuring the 45 Base Set Heroes in three weapon variations—Fire, Ice, and Steel. These weapons offer a solid foundation for gameplay combined, with 100 Plays and 30 unique Radioactive Hot Dogs. Base set cards can be found in Jumbo Hobby Boxes, Hobby Boxes, Booster Boxes, and Blaster Boxes.

Battlefoils

For collectors who crave more shine (and in some cases more power), the Battlefoils deliver. Battlefoil Heroes can be equipped with any of the seven weapon variations—Steel, Fire, Ice, Glow, Gum, Hex, and Super—each featuring a dazzling foil treatment. The Glow and Hex weapons are rare finds in the Alpha Edition set.

Inspired Ink Battlefoils

The Inspired Ink Battlefoils feature ON-CARD AUTOGRAPHS , with each card accented to match its weapon type. The Inspired Ink checklist includes 31 signers, with Bo Jackson as BoJax leading the way and only available as special premium chase cards in the Hex, Gum, and Super weapon variations.

Superfoil 1/1s

1/1 Super weapon types feature a striking gold on black finish you have to see first hand. When you pull a Superfoil, there’s no mistaking it!.

Other Inspired Ink Variations Include:

• /10 Hex: Pink
• /25 Glow: Green (Hobby Exclusive)
• /50 Fire: Orange
• /50 Ice: Blue
• Steel: Silver
• Bubblegum
• Metallic (Jumbo Exclusive)

Color Battlefoil Exclusives

Because we all love a splash of color, we’re introducing Color Battlefoil Exclusives to each product! Each of the 76 Heroes will have a color border short-print matching their weapon type, adding a vibrant twist to the shiny Battlefoil cards.

• Jumbo/Hobby Exclusive: Orange (Fire) and Blue (Ice) Battlefoils
• Booster Exclusive: Pink (Hex) and Green (Glow) Battlefoils
  

The “80s Era” Battlefoils

Our team had a blast brainstorming (and fighting over the final design) for these throwback Battlefoils, which pay homage to growing up in “The Bo Jackson 1980’s.”

• 80’s Rad Battlefoil: A retro SP throwback to the 1980s. Available in 5 weapon types (Steel, Fire, Ice, Glow, Hex) featuring 75 Heroes.
• Grandma’s Linoleum Battlefoil: Inspired by the classic green and white vinyl floors of the ’80s, this SSP is available in both Booster and Blaster Boxes

Blizzard Battlefoils

Get your Blizzard Bowl Squad ready to roll and collect these Booster & Blaster exclusives. Blizzards feature a borderless design against a striking white backdrop that puts the work of our award winning artists front and center for every Hero!

Booster and Blaster Steel Weapon Exclusive Battlefoils

• Silver Battlefoils can be found in Boosters (Base Set Heroes Only – Steel Weapons)
• Headliner Battlefoils can be found in Blasters (Base Set Hero list only – Steel Weapons)

Make The Play. Save The Day!

Whether you’re a collector chasing those elusive 1/1 Superfoils and rare parallels or a hardcore player looking to survive the Gauntlet, Bo Jackson Battle Arena Alpha Edition has something for you.

Get ready to experience the thrill of discovery, the joy of collecting, and the satisfaction of holding a piece of sports and trading card game history in your hands. Bo Jackson is here, and he’s changing the game… We hope you join him!