Pack contents simulated from Wizards' published collector-booster collation (via MTGJSON). Sealed cost uses TCGplayer low (via TCGCSV); cards are valued at the lowest real market signal — TCGplayer (last sale when one exists, else low) or Cardmarket (via Scryfall) — so a lone unsold listing can't inflate a card. Cards under a small bulk threshold count as $0. Prices refresh daily and are estimates — not financial advice.

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ZNR·Released Sep 25, 2020·12 packs / box · 15 cards / pack·Prices refreshes every 6 hours

Zendikar Rising collector booster EV

Verdict
Money pit
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Set snapshot

Box price
$472
$39.33/pack
Expected value
$223
$18.58/pack
Net EV
−$249
Break-even
0.9%

Return if cracked at TCG low: −53%

Ancient Tomb

$170 · 1 in 16 · 6% / box

SimulateOutlookFactsEV historyCrack or holdPull rates

What opening a box looks like

Simulated from published collation. Most boxes land below average; chase cards pull the mean up.

$125
$210
$223
$335
$472
Floor (10%)
$125
Typical
$210
Average (EV)
$223
Lucky (90%)
$335
Box price
$472

The average box ($223) is $13.32 above a typical box ($210) — 6%of the EV comes from above-median outcomes you probably won't see.

Value distribution

10,000 simulated boxes

Below box cost

99%

lose money on resale

At or above cost

1%

break even or profit

profit zone
Box $472
EV $223 · 57th
Median $210
$0$129$258$388$517$646$775

Monte Carlo distribution of total card value per box. Green bars are at or above sealed cost; rose bars are below. EV lands at the 57th percentile — 57% of simulated boxes yield less than the average.

Key facts

Zendikar Rising collector boosterbox TCG low $472, expected value $223, median box $210, 1% break-even, −53% vs sealed. Methodology · JSON

FAQ for search & AI citations
What is the expected value of a Zendikar Rising collector booster box?
The expected value (EV) of a Zendikar Rising collector booster box is $223 based on Wizards' published collation and current TCGplayer prices. The typical (median) box is worth $210.
What are the odds of breaking even on Zendikar Rising collector boosters?
About 1% of simulated Zendikar Rising collector boxes return at least the sealed box price ($472). This uses Monte Carlo simulation with corrected MTGJSON collation weights.
Should I crack or hold Zendikar Rising sealed?
Money pit. EV is $223 vs sealed $472 (−53% return if cracked at TCG low). See the crack-vs-hold comparison on this page for singles targets.

EV over time

Daily snapshots after release · box EV vs sealed price

EV +$5.20 (2.4%) · Box +$99.00 (26.5%) over 3m · ROI −11.2%

Box EV Box price

Should you crack it?

Sealed vs singles and pack vs box economics for this set.

Pack vs box economics

Should you buy a sealed box or individual packs? EV per pack is the same either way; the question is what you pay per pack.

Box price
$472
Standalone pack listing
$41.40
Implied pack (box / packs)
$39.33
EV per pack
$18.58
$223 / box
Return opening box
−53%
Return buying packs at listing
−55%

The box is the better deal per pack ($39.33 vs $41.40 listing). Still a losing bet on average at −53% return.

Buy the single instead?

Compare chasing a card by opening boxes vs buying it outright at today's price.

Single price
$40.16
Pull any copy
1 in 4 (25.4% / box)
Boxes for 50% chance
3
Cost of those boxes
$1,416
Boxes for 95% chance
9
Cost at 95%
$4,248

You'd spend about $1,416 opening boxes for a coin-flip at Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn, vs $40.16 to buy it now.

Chase pull rates

Treatment odds from corrected collation. Tap a row for card-level detail.

Chase pull rates

Expected cards per box and the odds of pulling at least one, by Booster Fun treatment. “1 in N” is per box, not a percentage.

TreatmentExpected / boxP(≥1 / box)1 in N boxes
Standard110.00 cards100.0%Every time
Showcase43.24 cards100.0%Every time
Extended art19.91 cards100.0%1 in 2
Borderless6.85 cards99.9%1 in 2

All chase pull rates · Tap a treatment for odds and top cards in this set.

Reference