There’s never any difficulty finding a home for a great pair of blackout boots. For Nike, the Spark Brilliance Pack must have needed a much calmer alternative. So, the Swoosh quickly obliged with the new Pitch Dark collection. If everything that has been streaking around the Copa America or the European Championships has been too loud for you, then this pack will certainly hit the sweet spot. The Nike Mercurial Superfly, Hypervenom, and Tiempo all come in black with bright accents. No Magista present, but the other three look fantastic.

One aspect of the Spark Brilliance Pack that remains is the dominant color of each boot silo. However, instead of burning your eyes from a distance, Nike has merely used these colors to act as a small piece of the overall boot. If this was going to be any brand’s take on what a blackout looks like, it certainly feels like this aesthetic suits Nike perfectly. Even the Academy Pack had a splash of Volt on the studs, so this seems to fit with Nike’s past M.O.

The Mercurial series is blacked out except for a bright pink outline around the Swoosh (on both the Vapor and the SuperFly) and a pink “Mercurial” callout on the boots. It almost hides the ribs that run all over the boot, and this boot, even with the pink, looks fantastic. Instant classic and the most conservative way to experience the new (and improved!) Mercurial boots.

The Hypervenom Phantom carries over the Volt that dominates the Spark Brilliance version, but it, like the others in the pack, is used for small trim portions and basic outlines. Our favorite spot is the small line of Volt that sits at the top of the Dynamic Fit Collar. If there has been one thing that Nike hasn’t quite taken advantage of (in terms of looks), it has to be the collar. Nike usually just blacks them out or just carries on the upper color, so we’re hoping that Nike takes advantage of this extra real estate in the future. The Volt also outlines the Nike Swoosh(es) on the Venom, and looks like a direct homage to the ‘Academy Pack.’ For us, this is the pick of the bunch, but we’ll let you make your own decision.

On the Tiempo, the turquoise color is used to outline the Swoosh and on the “Tiempo” and “Nike” logos. The Tiempo VI has already experienced a wealth of reserved color options (Camo Pack, second standard colorway, Academy Pack, and, now, the Pitch Dark pack), but the market will never be against brands sticking close to a blackout set-up. The turquoise really pops on the black, and sort of makes you forget that this is the most “heritage” boot in the entire collection.

Although the Magista is missing in the initial launch, we expect that Nike has some major plans for their control silo. We expect the Magista to join the Pitch Dark Pack in the coming weeks (has anyone ever been against a mostly black launch colorway?), and we’re sure that it will be fantastic. Is the ‘Pitch Dark’ pack for you? If it isn’t, then…well…what’s wrong with you? Just kidding…but, seriously…what’s wrong with you?

 

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