Is MetaZoo a Good Investment?

Brian Cooper  By Brian Cooper | Updated on December 19, 2023

So is MetaZoo a good investment and do you think you should be investing more money into this game, which really only came out just a few months ago? My answer and reasons may surprise you, but I think investing in MetaZoo cards is something you should consider even if you’re not a big fan yet. But beware, there are certain MetaZoo products you should absolutely be buying right now (or hoarding to be frank) and there are some things you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot stick. Let’s discuss….

Is MetaZoo a Good Investment

10 Reasons Why You Should Invest in MetaZoo RIGHT NOW!


1 – Demand for MetaZoo is Going to Increase

As of late January 2022, MetaZoo has officially hit just about every area in the US. Most LGS’ that planned on carrying MetaZoo have a good supply of Booster boxes, Release Event Decks, Spellbooks, and Theme Decks and the 2nd Edition supply is plentiful. MetaZoo has done a great job lining up not only manufacturers but also distributors and that is the main reason I believe we’re on the cusp of major increases in worldwide demand. If you look at the prices on eBay, they remain strong and products are selling quickly and I expect this to increase once the rest of the world has access to MetaZoo (which they don’t fully have just yet.) Once Wilderness (the next edition of MetaZoo) hits the global market, I think we’re all going to see a surge in demand from one end of the globe to the other.

MetaZoo demand is increasing

2 – The MetaZoo Print Run is Currently Very Low

As you may know, print runs for MetaZoo sets have been pretty small so far for Cryptid Nation Kickstarter, Cryptid Nation 1st Edition and Nightfall compared to Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering. The Kickstarter product only had 2,500 booster boxes while the 1st Edition had 25,000 boxes and Nightfall had 50,000 boxes. I think Cryptid Nation 2nd Edition print run numbers are still up in the air, but I’m hearing pretty big numbers, possibly 100K-250K (which I’m hoping we find out soon.) But if you take out the 2nd Edition, everything so far that has been printed is very low and I think one day we’ll all look back and wonder why we didn’t buy more MetaZoo Kickstarter, 1st Edition and Nightfall.

Do you think there are WAY more than 25K-50K Pokemon collectors and players out there? Wait until MetaZoo hits the rest of the world and the demand skyrockets for the original editions. Those early MetaZoo print runs will look like drops in the bucket.

3 – History is on MetaZoo’s Side

MetaZoo Bigfoot on the Moon

What I mean by this is that you could go back to Magic or Pokemon and see how those original sets took off just a few years after they got really big amongst players and collectors. MetaZoo really looks to be following that same path. The Cryptid Nation Kickstarter, 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, Nightfall products look very similar to the Magic: The Gathering Alpha/Beta, Revised, Unlimited and take your pick (Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends.)

There’s a strong feeling in the air amongst MetaZoo followers that we’re in the midst of something huge and history is on MetaZoo’s side. What this means for the investor is you either need to get on board now with the early products or you miss the train all together. There is still time to make a strong collection and build positions in early MetaZoo sets, but although history is on MetaZoo’s side, time isn’t. Get in now.

4 – The MetaZoo Market is Going Global

MetaZoo is in its infancy right now, although it’s growing like a fat baby hooked up to a milk machine! Most of the distributors are US based and most of the product is sitting in North America. They haven’t even touched EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), CALA (Central and Latin Americas) and APAC (Asia Pacific) yet which should blow your mind on how big this could get.

As more and more distributors are brought online and products start making their ways into these other regions, you know what will happen. Demand will explode.They already announced a few months ago that Let’s Play Games is their premier distributor for Australia and New Zealand and Universal Distribution will be handling Canada. They already have distributors in place for the rest of the regions and over the next few products MetaZoo will be officially distributed globally.

The TCG global market rakes in BILLIONS of dollars annually and MetaZoo is about to take their share….big time.

5 – Heavy Interest in Graded Cards

Grading cards has been popular for years now in sports cards and it’s just as popular these days when it comes to trading card games. The search for the elusive PSA 10 continues and MetaZoo collectors are definitely on the hunt as well.

All of the major grading companies (PSA, SGC, CGC, etc) are taking MetaZoo cards and this has created a flurry of submissions by collectors and investors trying to get a premium for the highest graded cards. In just the last two months (Dec 2021 – Jan 2022), eBay has auctioned off (29) MetaZoo graded cards that sold for in excess of $5,000 each. The highest priced sale was for a MetaZoo Sample Headless Horseman that sold for $18,000!

With graded cards selling for such strong prices, demand will be there going forward and that is another strong indicator as to why MetaZoo is a good investment.

6 – Collectors are Numerous and Paying BIG for Rare Cards

MetaZoo Kickstarter Sam SinclairThis one goes hand in hand with #5 above as it’s just not the graded cards that collectors are clamoring for in today’s market. Many collectors are driving prices up across the board on hard to find singles, holos, promos, sample cards and just about any rare or hard to find MetaZoo rare card these days.

When you see high priced singles continuing to bring solid prices with gradual increases over time, you know you have a good market. Cryptid Nation 1st Edition Holo Singles I was buying for $10-20 a few months ago are now bringing 4 to 8 times those prices. I mentioned in a previous post that the CN 1st Edition Bigfoot Full Holos I was buying for $12-15 are now $60-80 and it’s only been 3-4 months!

And there is no shortage of buyers buying the big ticket rare cards either. If you were lucky enough to buy or receive MetaZoo sample cards back in 2021, you’re talking THOUSANDS of dollars a piece minimum. The money being exchanged on these cards is insane, but the market is strong and there are no signs of weakening.

7 – This is the Ground Floor

Opportunities like this do not come around often. We are all on the cusp of something magnificently huge (in my opinion of course) and it’s MetaZoo to the moon from here. Well, not the moon but I do see steady and gradual increases over time for the foreseeable future.

I think prices for MetaZoo mainstream products (talking card related, not plushies or tshirts) are still low and will only increase as more of the TCG world adopt MetaZoo. The plans that founder Mike Waddell has in place to distribute MetaZoo across the globe, grow the brand in so many different ways and to continue engaging with players and collectors is something not seen in trading card games…….EVER.

Imaging teleporting back to 1992-1993 and seeing Magic: The Gathering when Beta and Unlimited were still on comic book store shelves. Well you are there in the MetaZoo world and 2022 is a time you’ll look back on and wish you had invested more.

8 – A Growing Demand for Unopened MetaZoo Boxes

Unopened MetaZoo Booster Boxes

I’ve been on the MetaZoo bus since late March of 2021. After looking into this new thing called MetaZoo, I was instantly hooked and my first purchase was on March 30th when I paid $742.00 for a Kickstarter MetaZoo Booster Box. I knew this was going to be huge…..it’s that gut feeling I talk about often. One day later, with a bit of nervousness as this was easily the most I paid for a single box, I decided to buy another one for $938.09.

The next 5-10 days I’ve never been so nervous in my life. The one box had shipped and I was tracking it online making sure I watched it very closely as I wanted to make sure it arrived and didn’t get “lost” somewhere. That first box looked good and it was well on it’s way. But that second box hadn’t even shipped yet days later after purchasing it and I thought I was in trouble. You see, the prices of these boxes literally within 2-days of purchasing them had shot up to $2000-2500. Before I even had the boxes in my hands, I had more than tripled my money. Thankfully it shipped out and I eventually received both boxes due to some very honest sellers.

From that point in March of 2021 through today, the appetite for unopened booster boxes, Spellbooks, Release Event Decks and packs has been insatiable. And I’ll tell you why……..the boxes are REALLY fun to open. I love opening Magic boxes, but MetaZoo and the chase for the full Holo cards, box toppers, and those super rares Red Ink, Blue Ink or Old Scratch just take the cake.

If you’ve never opened a MetaZoo Booster Box before, the 2nd Editions are out right now and they’re SUPER cheap, probably about $90-100 at your local game store. Run down and buy one and find out how fun these are to open and you’ll quickly learn why there is a growing demand for unopened boxes.

9 – Big Box Stores like Walmart and Target will Fuel Demand

So the big news when it comes to retail distribution of MetaZoo is that they will be in Walmart and Target stores starting this month (February 2022.) I’m not positive they’ll be in every store, but if that’s the plan then you’re looking at well over 6,000 retail locations in the US alone.

MetaZoo Walmart

Obviously the idea here for MetaZoo is to sell products, make money etc. However, the exposure that MetaZoo will have by getting access to millions of Moms, Dads and Kids is probably unmeasurable.

Now don’t worry, Mike Waddell has a plan for these super stores and it entails building the brand and keeping the

local game stores, players and collectors happy at the same time. And to be honest, I’m happy I can go to my local Walmart or Target and pick up dog food, laundry detergent and a few packs of MetaZoo now!

Now here’s the question. Can Mike Waddell sell as many packs of MetaZoo cards in Walmart stores as they sell bananas? He just needs to take a small chunk of the Banana market in Walmart (currently in the BILLIONS of bananas) to make this work! I think he has a shot.

10 – MetaZoo is Being Managed for Growth

MetaZoo Founder Mike Waddell is unique in the TCG world. I’ve followed him and the MetaZoo team on the Discord and their other social media accounts for about one year now and I’ve never seen anything like this in the business world.

I won’t go into his background but let’s just say he’s a very well educated person. What astounds me the most about what he has come up with in MetaZoo is that he has created this entire MetaZoo world out of thin air and it’s MASSIVE. My guess is he has taken hundreds and hundreds of hours just THINKING this thing through in his head and when he had the opportunity to give life to MetaZoo, it was not thrown together haphazardly. It’s almost like this well oiled machine was chugging along for years and no one even knew about it or that it existed. And all of a sudden one day……..POOF!……..there was MetaZoo.

It still amazes me that Mike very quickly turned all of these ideas into actual physical things that by the end of 2022 will stretch across the entire world. And Mike has also slowly been releasing more and more of the future of MetaZoo into the Discord and I fully believe he has only released a very small percentage of his ideas into the world right now. We have yet to see the full spectrum of MetaZoo and what it will eventually become.

This MetaZoo will grow beyond what you could imagine. I firmly believe that.

Are MetaZoo Sample Cards a Good Investment?

I think right now there are a number of MetaZoo sample cards that can be picked up for reasonable prices (currently $1000-1500) and that I would consider a good long term investment. There are plenty of graded sample cards that would easily cost as much as a used car and I’m not too sure I’m ready to throw big bucks into that game.

I think MetaZoo sample cards are very unique in that they are black bordered and we know that there are only 100 of each card in existence. Most times you won’t know how many samples a company puts in the market but this time, based on the info MetaZoo released we’re pretty confident there are only 100 made and samples will NEVER be produced again (per Mike Waddell.)

According to Metapedia, samples were released in different size packs and in different waves throughout late 2020. There are a total of 96 different sample cards listed and with 100 made of each, simple math tells you there’s about 9,600 (or so) sample cards in existence (Updated Feb 2023.) Knowing these numbers to be fairly accurate, MetaZoo sample cards are easily some of the rarest cards produced by the company.

MetaZoo Johnny Appleseed SampleIf I were a betting man and had some money to spend in the MetaZoo sample market, I would lean towards investing in something unique, something that is currently not a reprint of an existing card already in a set. I have only one sample card in my collection that I paid about $500 for a few months ago and that is the JOHNNY APPLESEED (see pic.) Although it’s not a holo or a main cryptid like Mothman or Bigfoot, I thought it was very unusual and there are no cards like it in any of the sets put out so far. And for the price, I think I got a steal as I’m sure I could sell it for 2-3 times that price in today’s market. But I’m going to keep it and here’s why……

There are rumors floating about that sample cards may have some sort of utility or special value sometime soon. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that Mike Waddell has an idea for just about everything and I’ve heard that sample cards are definitely in the mix for something special. If you can find one for under $1K, it could be a steal so it’s definitely worth a look as a long term investment.

Will MetaZoo Promo Cards Rise in Value Over Time?

This is a tough one to answer since no one has a crystal ball to see what the market will look like years from now. I think there are probably a handful of MetaZoo Promo cards that will go up in value over time, but before buying promos I would certainly do my homework to make sure my money went into the right card.

Here are a few things I would consider before purchase a MetaZoo Promo card:

1 – How many of that specific promo card were produced? The great thing about MetaZoo is they’re very forthcoming with information so the print run numbers are normally out there somewhere. If there were only a few hundred of the card printed, that’s good. If there were a few thousand printed, it better meet some of my other criteria below before I invest in it.

2 – Where was the promo card distributed? Many promos were available specifically at Comic-Con shows in certain areas of the country so those particular cards weren’t widely distributed across the country. Knowing that most of those cards are condensed in a certain area, you probably won’t have an easy time finding them locally (unless you went online to eBay or something like that.) That could play a role in value.

3 – Is the card playable or is it more of an advertisement? For me, cards that have a value during gameplay are way more valuable so I would rather spend money on something that wasn’t simply an advertising piece. Most all MetaZoo cards can be added to a deck, but whether they have value in gameplay is totally different. Below are two examples of those different kinds of promo cards:

Example of a MetaZoo Promo Card that is more of an advertisement:

MetaZoo Release Event Medal Promo Card

Example of a MetaZoo Promo Card that has value during gameplay:

MetaZoo Promo Cards

Although I purchased the MetaZoo Bigfoot Release Event medal above, I only did so to add to my collection because I’m a Bigfoot fan. I have zero confidence this card will ever become a pillar piece of my collection as I don’t think cards like this will hold much value. The Nightfall Promo card on the other hand I fully believe will continue to grow in value over time, albeit probably not by much. There were 50,000 of these printed and it has a value in the game itself so you can play it. Not to mention its a spectacular looking card with full holo and those cards tend to be more popular amongst collectors and players.

Be careful with MetaZoo Promo cards. At times I think they give them out like candy on Halloween and I think they’re absolutely not as sought after (for the most part) as regular cards or even samples. Stick with investing in MetaZoo promos that are usable in the game, have cool holo graphics and that are not printed to oblivion.

My Top 3 MetaZoo Investments for 2022

Some of this may not surprise you, but sometimes the most obvious things when collecting and investing in a TCG are right in front of you. Here are the three things I would be doing right now if I were investing in MetaZoo:

1 – MetaZoo Cryptid Nation Kickstarter Singles and Unopened Stuff

MetaZoo Cryptid Nation Kickstarter Booster Box

I fully believe one day Kickstarter will be so rare and so expensive you won’t be able to find it. Most collectors and investors will stash this stuff away in their collections never to be seen on the open market.

Concentrate on getting a good base of Kickstarter items in your collection. If buying a $9,000 booster box is outside of your budget, maybe try and buy a loose pack (or a blister pack if you can afford it) as they won’t set you back more than a few hundred bucks.

MetaZoo Cryptid Nation Kickstarter Singles

Next I would start targeting some lower tier Cryptids unless you have the wallet to go after the top tier guys. You can still find ungraded Reverse Holo Enfield Monster, Chupacabra or Flatwoods Monster (for example) for between $50-100. Totally cool, awesome cards and perfect for your long term MetaZoo collection. Just make sure they have the “K” symbol on the card to make sure you’re getting the Kickstarter version and not just the 1st Edition version.

MetaZoo Kickstarter will be the crème de la crème in a few years and you’ll be glad you got them at 2022 prices.

2 – Unopened MetaZoo Booster Boxes

MetaZoo Cryptid Nation 1st Edition Booster Boxes

I think anything prior to 2nd Edition will be looked at as extremely rare one day. There has been such a high demand for Kickstarter, 1st Edition and Nightfall that loads of boxes have been ripped open over the last year and there is not much left unopened.

I think the sky’s the limit for Kickstarter booster boxes. They’re $9,000 now. Once MetaZoo hits the rest of the world, I think you will see crazy prices. I won’t even speculate, but I think they’ll be unattainable for the average collector investor.

I think 1st Edition booster boxes will continue to rise. When they first hit the market in 2021 they immediately jumped from $200 to $400 in a very short period of time. People were ripping boxes as fast as they could get them because they’re so fun to open. Back in December 2021 during the Discord “MetaZoo Hour” with Mike Waddell, I asked him how much CN 1st Edition he thought was left unopened at that time. His answer? 25-30%. With a production run of 25,000 booster boxes, that means in December of 2021 there were only about 6,250 to 7,500 unopened 1st Edition boxes left according to estimates from the owner. That is peanuts my friend and I think a 1st Edition booster box at anything less than $1,000 is cheap.

3 – Anything MetaZoo Nightfall

MetaZoo Nightfall Booster Boxes

I’ve said it a few times on my YouTube channel that I think Nightfall is the dark horse (I’ll take credit for saying that months ago before prices started to rise too!) My gut has told me from the get-go that Nightfall will be looked upon as that classic MetaZoo set that you wish you bought more of.

The Nightfall print run was 50,000 of each SKU so there were 50,000 booster boxes, Spellbooks, Release Event Decks, etc. When it was first released and really up until about a month ago, prices were pretty stable and they were low-priced enough to allow players and collectors to get their hands on stuff they could rip open. And remember, when it comes to investing in unopened stuff, you definitely want the boxes out there ripped open as your sealed box will be more valuable the less there are of them in the wild. So people kept ripping and that dug into those 50,000 pretty quick.

Fast forward to today and prices have stabilized at the $225-250 range, but I don’t think that will last very long. You may see some ups and downs as money shifts to the upcoming set WILDERNESS (slated to arrive in the next month) but eventually people will realize the hidden gem that is NIGHTFALL!

As a collector, I love the set. The ‘horror/Halloween’ theme is really neat and the cryptids are awesome. Grim Reaper, Headless Horseman, Mothman, Indrid Cold, Wendigo, Wood Devil of Coos Country, and so many more. I’m telling you, this set is primed to be one of the all time greats, even though we’re so early in the life of MetaZoo with so much more to come.

Right now singles and boxes are as cheap as you’ll ever see them. If I had loads of cash laying around I would be betting on sealed cases of booster boxes if I could. Right now I have a stash of boxes and I’m continuing to buy Full Holo singles of the top rare cards in the set (which I’m still picking up for well less than $10 ea.)

Don’t sleep on this one. Nightfall is going to be a huge winner.

MetaZoo Items I’m NOT Investing in Right Now (2022)

So there’s a difference between investing and buying for your collector or buying to flip. I’m still buying a lot of MetaZoo stuff that I genuinely enjoy having in my collection or that I intend to flip on eBay. I’m not necessarily investing large amounts of money in multiples of those items as I don’t believe they’ll be worth much down the line.

For example, I just invested close to $1,000 in a sealed case of MetaZoo Cryptid Nation 2nd Edition Booster Boxes because I don’t think you can go wrong long term with a case at very near cost from a distributor. I think it will take some time, but 2nd Edition Booster Boxes will eventually make their way to their suggested $140 retail price and that to me is a good investment.

I also purchased MetaZoo binders, Dim Mak T-Shirts, and the Cryptid Nation Illustrated Novels mainly because I wanted them in my collection and maybe one day I’ll be able to flip them for a few bucks if I need room for other things in the collection. These are not long term investments and I know they probably won’t grow in value too much over time. That’s totally fine as that was not the intent for these items.

Some things I would be careful of buying right now:

1 – MetaZoo Clothing – great to wear, not to invest in. Don’t go buying a hundred Nightfall Bat Hoodies or fifty Cryptid Nation Fanny Packs as an investment. My guess is you’ll have a hard time selling them down the road and it’s just not a good investment in my eyes.

2 – Non-Playable MetaZoo Promo Cards – I won’t beat this dead horse as I already talked about it above, but not worth your money long term in my view.

3 – Bulk MetaZoo Common Cards – Although print runs are fairly low for these first few sets, I would definitely not be purchasing bulk commons for these and stashing them away. Again, not a good investment and you’re tying up your money in something that will be VERY difficult to see down the road. Stick with higher end, more desirable singles.

MetaZoo Bulk Singles

4 – Any MetaZoo Cards Graded an 8 or less – I think graded cards will always have a market, especially the high end rare Holos like Kickstarter and 1st Edition Mothman. But knowing most of the cards being graded are super fresh out of the pack, I’m not interested in buying anything that is graded an 8 or less. To me you’re just paying a premium for the slab because the card is not better than anything coming out of the pack. If you’re going to purchase graded MetaZoo cards, stick with 9’s or 10’s and stick with the major graders like PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC.

5 – MetaZoo Pins – Yes, they’re really cool and neat to have in your MetaZoo collection, but I don’t think the pins will hold any long term value themselves. The Pin Club Promo cards that are included with the pin will probably be worth more than the pins so those might be something to consider. All in all, the Pin Club stuff doesn’t excite me and is more of a novelty. Best to steer clear for now.

Conclusion

Even though I touched on a lot of things here, hopefully you have some answers to the question: Is MetaZoo a good investment?

I think the answer is definitely a YES when it comes to some items and a firm NO on others. If you follow my advice, I’m sure you’ll make good decisions for your own personal MetaZoo collection and investments.

If you have any questions on this topic or ideas for other posts you would like to see here, please let me know. I would enjoy your feedback.

Take care everyone!

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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.