My 5 Favorite 2019 Panini Chronicles Designs

While I don't foresee my recent blaster box spelling the end of my 2019 Panini Chronicles purchases, I wanted to rank the top 5 designs from the set while everything is still fresh in my mind.

For the 2nd year in a row, Panini absolutely blew me away with the Chronicles Baseball product. Logos or not, I'm looking for a fun value-packed set when it comes to buying cards, and this release 100% fits the bill.

The vast majority of the cards in this set are rookies which only made last year's product that much better given how many superstar 1st year players there were. The 2019 rookie class doesn't quite have the same appeal, but one thing's for sure, the 25+ brands still do.

I've spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks sharing my thoughts on the set, so I don't want to be overly repetitive. Rather than crafting a more complicated intro, I figured I'd dive right into my top 5 favorite designs from 2019 Panini Chronicles.

#5 Ascension

It was a close call between Ascension and Status (the set at the top of this post) for the #5 spot on the list. It was the vibrant colors and sleek design of the former of the 2 sets, however, that influenced my decision.

Besides the fact that I slightly prefer the Ascension design, you can expect a Status card in almost every pack of 2019 Chronicles, both retail and hobby. I've only pulled 3 Ascension cards in 1 hobby box and 1 blaster, one of which was a red parallel #/50.

If Panini made the Status cards a little rarer, they might've stood a better chance against the beautiful design shown above.

#4 Contenders Optic

Although there are 3 designs left to go that I prefer, there's no Panini product I'd rather see have a standalone product than Contenders Optic. Just imagining the top rookies and veterans in this gorgeous set gets me excited for something that likely won't happen unless Panini receives the MLB license.

If nothing else, at least I have a little piece of Contenders Optic thanks to Chronicles. A returning product from last year, you have a pretty solid idea of what to expect, but that doesn't make the chrome cards and the beautiful parallels any less desirable.

#3 Crusade

We've seen Crusade in past Panini Baseball products, like their Hall of Fame set from a few years back, but this design is the best I've ever seen Crusade look in a Baseball card set.

While the 2018 cards were a little less than polished, Panini stepped up their game the 2nd time around. The color scheme is superb, but it's the background design that truly sets these Crusade cards over the edge. Not to mention, the placement of the rookie card logo is perfect.

#2 Titan

Not alone is Titan new to Chronicles, I don't believe Panini has released Titan for Basketball or Football yet either. The chrome cardstock and silver borders aren't exactly originally, but I think they did a pretty awesome job for a debut set.

No matter how many times I see it, the main thing that captivates me about Titan is the gorgeous background. If you've seen my blaster box break, you know just how beautiful these cards look as serial numbered refractors.

#1 Obsidian

Obsidian, along with Spectra, has the largest checklist out of all the brands in this year's Chronicles set, and as soon as I laid eyes on the stunning design, I understood why.

I've raved about Obsidian since I started buying Chronicles this year, and it's kind of a challenge not to. The all-black cards are absolutely gorgeous, and I'm just as big a fan of the parallels as well. 

With a large checklist, unparalleled design, top tier cardstock, and colorful refractors, Obsidian is the greatest overall set in a product that certainly has plenty of options.