Not too long ago I wrote about the best MTG booster boxes to buy from an investment standpoint. Those were boxes you could buy now and stash away for a few years and hopefully come out way ahead in the end. But today I wanted to go in a different direction and talk about the best MTG Booster Box to MAKE money RIGHT NOW! Do they even exist anymore?
We’re going to be talking about buying a booster box, set or deck and ripping it open and selling the cards for a profit. That’s the goal. Unfortunately the EV or Expected Value of the contents of most boxes on the market today is far less than the cost of the box so this is a tough goal.
Because 99% of the boxes out there are more expensive than their contents, we’re going to try and find boxes where you can get at least a majority of your money back in card value. We don’t want to buy boxes for $200 and get $50 in cards because that plain stinks.
So let’s try and find some boxes or other Magic: The Gathering products that have cards with decent value that could potentially make you some money in the not too distant future.
What Are The Best MTG Booster Boxes to Rip Open and Make Money
Initially you would think that any older Magic Booster Box would be the perfect box to rip and turn a profit on the singles, right? Some of those early 1990’s and 2000’s boxes have to have cards worth some big bucks, huh?
Unfortunately this is not the case.
Most older booster boxes are expensive for a number of reasons, but mainly because of scarcity. For instance, Magic’s WEATHERLIGHT set came out in 1997 and booster boxes are currently selling for anywhere from $1,300 to $1,800. They are tough to find and you would think it would be a great box to rip open to sell the singles. However, the Expected Value (EV) for this box is only $320 so the cards you’ll find inside simply do not justify ripping the box open.
So, is there ANYTHING that you CAN rip open right now and sell the cards for a PROFIT? There are very few items I can find that would be immediately profitable but here’s a couple that might get you close. Remember, these are all lottery boxes so you may hit it big and you may miss all the high priced cards. Don’t risk more than you’re willing to lose.
#1: DOUBLE MASTERS 2022 COLLECTOR BOXES
Right now I think there is money to be made with Double Masters 2022 Collector boxes. But you have to strike quickly and have a bit of luck.
Boxes are currently selling for around $190 each (4-pack box) as of mid February 2024 and so far they look like bargains. I don’t see prices staying this low very long and I think Double Masters 2022 is worth the money.
Every box I’ve seen opened so far on YouTube was loaded. Just about every pack had multiple rares, mythics, foils and extended art cards worth quite a bit. And if you get lucky, you’ll also find the much sought after Textured foil treated cards which could pay for half the box price or more.
It’s definitely a lottery card but I would be willing to take the chance now at current prices. Once box prices start to go higher, the opportunity to profit from selling the singles will be more difficult. For this product, if you don’t rip it now, stash it for later as prices will gradually go up over time (again, check out my predictions HERE for where I think Double Masters 2022 will be in the next few years.)
#2: THEROS BEYOND DEATH BOOSTER BOXES
There are very few sets and boxes out there that you can rip and make money, but Theros Beyond Death Booster Boxes might be one of the few remaining dinosaurs. Currently boxes can be found online for $90-100 on eBay (Amazon is a bit more) and the TCG-MID Expected Value (EV) is approximately $116.00. That’s not a bad return in today’s market if you can get it.
There are a handful of cards you can find that are valued over $15 and if you get lucky you might score a bunch of these in a box.
Nyxbloom Ancient ($27), Shadowspear ($21), Heliod, Thassa’s Oracle ($17), Sun-Crowned ($14), Thassa, Deep Dwelling ($13), and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove ($11) are all big hitters in this Theros set. Plus there are 10-15 more cards that bring anywhere from $2 to $12 so you could do well with the right box.
If you can find boxes in the low range (around $90), there is definitely an opportunity to make a few bucks with Theros. At the very least, breaking even is a real possibility.
#3: COMMANDER 2020 DECKS – IKORIA: LAIR OF BEHEMOTHS (ALL 5 DECKS)
Let’s jump to something other than booster boxes for a minute as I think there are ways to flip preconstructed Commander Decks given the right situation.
The Commander 2020 Ikoria preconstructed Decks (there are 5 different decks in total that were made) came out in May 2020 right in the beginning of the Covid pandemic. The group of decks all had specific names and included Arcane Maelstrom, Enhanced Evolution, Ruthless Regiment, Symbiotic Swarm, and Timeless Wisdom.
They were overlooked for the most part when they first came out and prices were all over the place for months. Initially you could find them as a group for $150-200 but collectors and players quickly started moving on to other products that were being released at the end of 2020.
Before anyone had a chance to breathe, Ikoria, Zendikar Rising, Commander Legends and Double Masters had hit the shelves and were sucking away all of the money from the Commander 2020 preconstructed Decks. And prices plummeted because of that.
COMMANDER 2020 DECKS ARE STILL CHEAP!
At one point I was buying all 5-decks for around $150. A few months later the price went down again so I was buying them at $105. And then on Black Friday back in 2020 there was another firesale and I was buying them for $89.99! I couldn’t resist so I threw a few more cases of decks into the closet.
Everyone forgot about them, but now I’m starting to see pricing creeping up again. That means there is interest and it could be a good time to think about flipping or ripping to sell the singles.
So this one is a gamble as well, but I think there’s still an opportunity to pick up the case of 5-decks for around $180 on eBay (higher on Amazon.) The estimated value of the cards can run as high as $275 on Dawnglare so there’s a decent chance of making a few bucks if you buy it right. It’s worth a shot.
#4: THRONE OF ELDRAINE BRAWL DECKS (ALL 4 DECKS)
We’re going to stay with the theme of preconstructed decks once more as I think the Throne of Eldraine decks fall into the category of possible money makers.
This set of four Throne of Eldraine preconstructed Brawl Decks came out in 2019 and contain 20 cards (spread across the 4 decks) that are unique to the Brawl decks and Collector booster boxes. These 20 cards were not found in draft booster boxes that year.
Each Throne Brawl deck contains 60 cards and includes 1 foil card, 7 of the unique cards mentioned above, and 1 life wheel. The Brawl deck names were pretty cool and included Faerie Schemes, Savage Hunger, Wild Bounty and Knights’ Charge.
These Brawl decks were released at the same time as the main Throne of Eldraine set in October of 2019 and they weren’t as popular as they were expected to be. Before release there was talk of production issues and short supply, but just before release in September of that year we heard they upped the production and would have a good amount of the decks going forward.
ARE THRONE OF ELDRAINE BRAWL DECKS IN SHORT SUPPLY?
We’ll never know how much of the Brawl product is on the market as Wizards simply doesn’t release that info. But based on what we’re seeing in local and online markets, the decks are being absorbed and supply will gradually lessen over time as it normally does.
Around the time of release you could pick up all four decks for around $90 total which was super reasonable and brought your cost down to less than $25/deck. But they have gone up in price over the last few years as you would expect.
The opportunity still exists to pick up all four decks as a lot for around $120 on eBay and Amazon but not many lots containing all four decks are left from what I’ve seen. The Expected Value if you break up the decks to sell the singles is around $135 on the TCG MID side so that looks promising.
WHAT IS WORTH RESELLING IN THE THRONE OF ELDRAINE BRAWL DECKS?
When you buy the decks, you’re getting a LOT of good value in the singles for sure. The Korvold, Fae-Cursed King Foil card from the Savage Hunter deck is bringing around $15-20 right now and there are handfuls of really good cards in the other decks including Watery Grave, Smothering Tithe, Hallowed Fountain and Godless Shrine to name a few big ones.
I’ve always been a fan of crazy LAND cards and the Brawl decks have their share of crazy ones (as mentioned above.) Anytime you can find a Magic set or deck that contains Rare or Mythic lands, you know collectors and players will need and want them.
My guess is these will continue to dry up and you won’t find them cheaper much longer. My recommendation is to strike now while everyone is preoccupied with Double Masters 2022 and the other hot new products.
**NOTE** For some really good history of the Brawl deck and how it came to be, check out this article on Wizards of the Coast’s website. It’s an interesting read.
CONCLUSION
To say it’s difficult to find a booster box or set of decks that is worth ripping solely for resale purposes would be an understatement. There are just a few options out there ripe for quick profits nowadays but WAY more options for long term hold investments in my view.
In addition, there could be some opportunities outside of Magic: The Gathering that we haven’t explored yet. I know for sure that MetaZoo could be another TCG to explore further (even with all of their recent issues) that might have some decent rip and flip options so we’ll look into that further for another write up.
MAGIC UNOPENED BOXES AND DECKS ARE STILL THE BEST LONG TERM INVESTMENTS
As it stands now, when it comes to purely money, profit and investment I feel unopened booster boxes and decks are a much better LONG TERM investment when it comes to Magic.
There is no doubt that over the long haul history shows that booster boxes hold their values better and in general will rise in value. It’s a unique situation in that the longer time goes on, the more of these booster boxes “disappear” purely because collectors and players are opening them up. This alone helps create more value as the booster boxes over time become more scarce.
That being said, my recommendation is to check into the few options above for some possible quick profits, but hold all of your unopened booster boxes for long term growth.
As always, if you have any questions or would like some more advice, I’m always here to help. Just hit me up on the contact page or over at Twitter or Instagram. Best of luck and if you haven’t already, start investing in Magic (and other TCG’s)!