As is traditional around this time of the year, Nike drop the Shadow Pack, stripping its boot roster of colour for a dark option that’s perfect for preseason. Only this year it serves as the opening release for a rather special boot – the Tiempo Legend 10.
Right, by now we should all know what we get from a blackout boot pack – they’re pretty common place, with most brands releasing at least one version per season, because, again, as we all know, everyone loves a black boot. So, Nike follow up last year’s 'Shadow Pack' with the class of 2023, which just so happens to feature the all-new Tiempo Legend 10 as a headliner in what is a debut release. Yes, we know its already technically been revealed as part of the ‘United Pack’, but as that hasn’t been released for retail just yet, the ‘Shadow Pack’ version gets the gold medal.
Only one place to start then, and that's with the Tiempo Legend 10, or Tiempo Legend X if you prefer the Roman numeral approach and being all edgy and cool and that. The 2023 'Shadow Pack' sees the Tiempo Legend 10 arrive in an uber-pleasing "Black/Chrome/Hyper Royal" colourway, a look that carries across all three boot silos in this pack (sadly no sign of the new Phantom Luna here).
In case you didn't know, the main talking point with the new Tiempo is that it's the first to land since Nike announced its move away from leather, a huge marker for the franchise. It’s been replaced by one of Nike’s latest material innovations, FlyTouch Plus. A proprietary synthetic leather, FlyTouch Plus is soft, light, and strong, giving athletes extra ball control where they need it most.
FlyTouch Plus also helps make the Tiempo Legend 10 the lightest Tiempo to date, as well as 55 percent less water-retentive than previous versions, which allows the boot to mould to the athlete’s foot and retain its shape over time. FlyTouch Plus also has a grippy feel that gives players a consistent touch on the ball no matter if it’s a dry day on the pitch or the conditions are wet.
With all of this new innovation, it’d be understandable to think that the Tiempo 10 was moving away from what came before, but that’s very much not the case. It retains the classic, smooth traction pattern that is synonymous with the Tiempo franchise, ensuring it still offers the tried-and-true qualities synonymous with the silo.
Joining the Tiempo Legend 10 is the Phantom GX, which arrives for the first time as part of a blackout pack release – but not the first time in blackout mode, following on from a stealthy look that was dropped shortly after its initial launch.
Here, the black base plays host to the subtle hints on blue, which pop through the Swoosh outline in the upper and then through the soleplate.
Finally we have the Air Zoom Mercurial, which, as always, is available in both Vapor XV and Superfly IX models. It’s not its first appearance in a Shadow Pack, having featured last year, and for this year’s look the blue features a little more prominently than on the Tiempo or Phantom, outlining the Swoosh branding and the ‘Air’ callout in a nice fading execution. The blue again features on the soleplate and on the inside.
Shop the Nike Shadow Pack at prodirectsport.com/soccer
