I wouldn't call myself a hardcore type card collector but I end up collecting types as I try to get cards of the players I collect. If I like the set, I will probably collect more than one card from it. In prewar, I collect Lefty O'Doul cards, so his cards are my go-to types:
Leader Novelty:
W553:
US Caramel:
and so on.
For postwar, I collect Aaron, Koufax and Al Rosen, so that covers a lot of ground there.
If one of my players isn't in a set, I usually choose another player whose card appeals to me. I always try for a HOFer or popular player, like this Foxx I got as an RDM Studio [Burke] type:
I don't care for commons unless the set is really rare. This 'common', for example, is just dandy with me:
As you can see, I am not a condition bug either.