MLB The Show 26 September Retro Lightning: 13 Cards for 99 Lance Berkman

The September Retro Lightning Collection unlocks 99 OVR Lance Berkman when you collect 13 eligible September Spotlight pack cards. You also earn 99 OVR Brett Baty at eight collected cards, with a September Spotlight Player Pack at five.

The collection has 16 eligible cards, so you can leave three uncollected. Baty does not count toward Berkman's requirement: after claiming him at eight, you still need five more distinct cards from the eligible list.

Quick answer: Collect 13 of the 16 cards in September Retro Lightning. Claim the pack at five and Baty at eight, then add five more eligible cards for Berkman. Check the exact card versions before buying, because a Spotlight label alone does not make a card eligible.

San Diego Studio released Berkman and Baty in its October 2 content update. The September Retro Lightning collection uses cards from September Spotlight Packs, with different requirements from the September Lightning collection for program rewards.

What do you get at five, eight and 13 cards?

These are checkpoints in the same collection. You do not need separate sets of five, eight and 13 cards. Five collected cards reach the first reward, three additional cards reach Baty, and five more reach Berkman.

Neither Baty nor Berkman appears on the 16-card eligible list. Keep the eight-to-13 step in mind when planning purchases: unlocking Baty does not reduce it to four more cards. Open the five-card pack reward before buying the remaining cards, then check whether it gives you an eligible version you still need.

Every eligible card in September Retro Lightning

The current list contains two cards each from Drops 1, 2 and 3, plus all ten Drop 4 cards. Every listed card is 99 OVR. Use the linked version of each player, rather than an older card with the same name.

The pack galleries for Drop 1, Drop 2 and Drop 3 also contain other cards. Those extra pack cards are outside this collection's eligible list. For example, September Spotlight versions of Cooper Hjerpe, Lawrence Butler and Jackson Holliday do not count toward this 13-card requirement.

The Drop 4 pack contributes ten eligible cards. The separate program's Riley Greene reward belongs to the September Lightning route. Earning Greene does not put him into Berkman's eligible list. If you are working on that free program, the 140-point Riley Greene guide covers its missions and optional pack-card collection.

How should you choose the three skips?

Start with the eligible cards you already own. Count distinct card versions, then compare the remaining purchases with the collection's three available skips. Owning several copies of one card does not fill several different eligible slots.

If you have eight eligible cards collected, the remaining requirement is five. If you have ten, it is three. Those counts refer to cards already collected, so account separately for eligible cards sitting in your inventory that you have not locked in.

The live totals below show a completion route from zero. Sell Now selects the basket, and Buy Now prices those same cards for immediate purchases. Buy Now does not choose a separate basket, so it should not be read as a guarantee of the cheapest possible instant-buy combination. Your own spend depends on the eligible cards you already own and choose to collect.

Prices can change while you work on the collection. Review the current listings before buying a remaining card, and check the No Sell consequence before confirming a collection. A card you collect cannot then be sold to recover those Stubs.

The Regular Season Finale Event Program also awards September Spotlight packs, including Drops 1 through 4 and an Any Pack. Those rewards can provide another source of pack cards, but do not treat a pack reward as a guaranteed missing card. Its usefulness depends on what you receive and whether that exact version is eligible.

Berkman's card attributes and positions

Berkman is a switch hitter with right field as his primary position and first base and left field as secondary positions. His card has 125 contact and 113 power against right-handed pitching, with 112 contact and 104 power against lefties. It also has 113 batting clutch, 76 speed and 72 fielding.

What does Baty give you before the final reward?

Baty's primary position is first base, with second base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field listed as secondary positions. His card has 125 contact and 110 power against righties, 94 contact and 96 power against lefties, 125 batting clutch, 80 fielding and 61 speed.

If Baty is your target, eight collected cards are enough to claim him. If Berkman is the target, plan the full 13-card set before locking in the first eight, so you know which five cards remain and which three you intend to skip.