MTG Battle For Zendikar Booster Box – Is It Time To Invest?

“Zendikar” is a name that is quite popular when it comes to Magic: The Gathering and the Battle For Zendikar set was well received when it first came out as well.

But when it comes to investing in Magic The Gathering, is the Battle For Zendikar Booster Box finally ready to make the leap into the list of potential great sealed Magic investments? Let’s figure it out.

Released back on October 2, 2015, Battle for Zendikar was very popular amongst collectors and players initially. Everyone was ‘chomping at the bit’ to rip packs since the last set that Wizards of the Coast issued was earlier that summer when Magic Origins was released (July 2015.)

So with over 2-months without a new set or new packs to rip, players were ready for Battle For Zendikar.

Another reason for the initial excitement was that Battle For Zendikar was set to introduce a number of new mechanics and abilities including Awaken, which was a cool ability to turn lands into creatures. Another ability Battle For Zendikar introduced was Devoid, which was very popular because it allowed creatures to be colorless even if they had colored mana costs.

Battle For Zendikar packs and boxes were very popular back in the latter part of 2015 as players hunted for new Planeswalkers and Legendary Creatures including Ulamag, The Ceaseless Hunger and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar.

Ulamag continues to be THE card to find in Battle For Zendikar booster boxes as the Eldrazi Legendary Creature brings close to $40!

What Makes The Battle For Zendikar Booster Box So Desirable?

One of the important things to remember is that Battle For Zendikar came out during a time when there was only one variety of booster box. You didn’t have options to purchase Set, Draft and Collector Booster Boxes so the options were limited to only ONE kind of box or pack at the time.

The Battle For Zendikar booster boxes all contained 36-packs and 15-cards per pack. The set itself was a decent size with a total of 274-cards (which breaks down as 101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53, rares, 15 mythic rares and finally 25 basic lands.)

Collectors are starting to come around to the fact that unopened boxes are starting to get more and more rare. As box prices remain relatively low (see our Battle For Zendikar Booster Box Price History below), more boxes are getting ripped open which is affecting supply.

It’s all about supply and demand. As supply dwindles and demand goes up, it’s the perfect equation for booster boxes to increase in value. We’re about at that point right now!

Does Battle For Zendikar Have Expeditions Like Zendikar Rising?

One of the biggest draws to Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes is the possibility of finding Expedition Lands (much like in the more recent Zendikar Rising set.) There are actually (25) Expedition cards appearing in Battle for Zendikar packs including (5) new Battle Lands, (10) Shock Lands and (10) Fetch Lands.

The odds of finding a Foil Expedition Land in Battle For Zendikar is steep with only 1 in 432 packs containing one. That’s one Expedition Land in every (12) Booster Boxes on average. But when you get one, they’re super nice cards and the right one could pay for your booster box.

Although many of the Expedition Lands are in the $30-$50 range, if you find a Polluted Delta, Verdant Catacombs, Scalding Tarn, or even a Blood Crypt, you’re looking at $150-$200 or more. Finding one of those definitely is worth the price of the box!

And more so, having these ‘lottery cards’ hidden in booster boxes of Battle For Zendikar absolutely helps drive box sales and boosts prices over the long haul. Anytime Wizards inserts special cards into their packs, it’s always a good thing when it comes to investing in boxes long term.

Does Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes Contain Box Toppers?

Unlike the ZENDIKAR RISING Set Booster Boxes (see below), the Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes do NOT contain a box topper pack. There is some bad information online indicating they do but I think people, Google or AI’s are getting these two products mixed up.

So just to be clear, a Battle For Zendikar Booster Box does NOT have a box topper pack or card. Sorry everybody for bursting your balloon.

CONCLUSION: Is The Battle For Zendikar Booster Box Worth Buying?

At Magic Card Investor we keep track of Magic Booster Box prices for just about every box ever made by Wizards of the Coast. It definitely takes a lot of work, but the information we receive from eBay sales is very valuable and points out trends to help us determine whether certain boxes are worth buying or not.

As you’ll see below, the Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes have been selling sporadically in the range of $170-200. Prices are always fluctuating based on the market conditions but this is about the average you can expect to pay (shipping included) on today’s market.

I think long term, a sealed (unopened) Battle For Zendikar Booster Box is an average investment. I really think the Foil Expedition Lands will help drive the price of the box over time as the cards in the set are simply not very desirable or expensive when it comes to collectors.

As mentioned before, the card to find is Ulamag, The Ceaseless Hunger which is bringing around $40. However, outside of that car, there are few cards in the set worth very much and only 2-3 cards that are worth $5-10 each. There are some foil versions you can find to up the prices a bit, but again the set is just not a great one when it comes to individual card prices.

Now, that doesn’t mean the Booster Box itself is not a good investment and I would still consider picking one or a few up at current prices. I think if you have the room to store unopened or sealed boxes, the long term looks promising. But I would not mortgage the home to buy cases to hold for sure.

Annual price increases are normally in the 5-10% range with percentage increases getting higher the older the booster box. So based on that, you might expect prices to increase by 5-10% annually for the next few years but 10-20 years from now that percentage may increase when boxes are more scarce. Check out the chart below that I made that will show you current prices:

Where To Buy Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes

The three places online that I always recommend that everyone uses to buy Magic booster boxes are Amazon, TCG Player and eBay. All of these popular sites have the best pricing you’ll find anywhere outside of your local game store (LGS.)

AMAZON

If you’re an Amazon Prime Member like myself, the Free 2-day shipping is what sets Amazon apart from the rest when it comes to buying Magic The Gathering Booster Boxes. Amazon is definitely the first place I would check for newer or more recent Booster Boxes, especially if you’re a Prime member.

But for an older box like Battle For Zendikar, I would steer clear of Amazon. Prices are a bit too high and there are other cheaper options.

TCG PLAYER

TCG Player is probably the one place online you can find just about everything related to Magic: The Gathering, as Trading Card Games are their specialty. Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes are easy to find on their website, although they look to be priced slightly higher than other places online.

I still think TCG Player is a good place to buy booster boxes so just because they’re a little higher priced doesn’t mean they’re not a good option. TCG Player, in this instance, is definitely cheaper than Amazon though.

The environment on TCG is very much like eBay in that you’ll be purchasing from sellers who use the system to list their singles and boxes. Make sure you find a reputable seller who has a good history selling on this platform as that will make your experience much smoother.

eBAY

If you have an account with eBay and are comfortable buying on their platform, it’s definitely worth a look to find Battle For Zendikar Booster Boxes. In my research, out of the three options I talked about here (Amazon, TCG Player and eBay), there’s no doubt that eBay has the best pricing. Boxes are probably 5-10% lower on eBay which is why I would try there first.

As I’ve mentioned before in other posts, there are a few eBay stores that I frequently buy from because those particular sellers are all within 1-2 days shipping from my home and they always ship promptly.

These sellers also have awesome customer service, great feedback from thousands of transactions and easily the cheapest prices you’ll find anywhere. Hit me up in the comments or contact page if you want some personal recommendations!

Wrap Up

There you have it! If you have any questions about Battle For Zendikar or any other Booster Boxes, please feel free to reach out to me via the contact button at the bottom of the page. Take care and as always, Keep Investing in Magic!

Brian Cooper has been a part of the trading card scene since the 1980s and is the driving force behind MAGIC CARD INVESTOR. His mission is to help bring back the fun and nostalgia of collecting Magic: The Gathering cards and other Trading Card games to everyone young and old.