Team break
A break format where each spot is one team, and the buyer of that spot gets every card of that team pulled from the product.
In a team break, the seller divides the product by team before anything is opened. Each spot corresponds to one team, and whoever owns that spot gets every card of that team that comes out of the box, however many that turns out to be. Nothing is assigned after the fact: you know exactly which team you are buying.
Because the odds are not equal, the spots are not priced equally. Teams with popular rookies, big markets, or a strong checklist in that year's product cost more, and the long shots cost little. Sellers set those prices by reading the checklist and the room, and that pricing is where most of the skill sits. Buyers often call this format pick your team, or PYT, when they choose their team directly instead of having one assigned to them.
Team breaks are the easiest format for a new buyer to understand, which is why so many sellers run them. They are also the most demanding to pack out, because every card has to be sorted to a team and every team has to be matched back to a buyer before anything ships. Our guide on running a Whatnot show covers the show mechanics around that.