MTG Zendikar Rising set boosters: Everything you need to know about cracking packs

Boosters in Magic: The Gathering will evolve once again with the Zendikar Rising set boosters.

Releasing on Sept. 25, Zendikar Rising will feature a fourth booster pack called set boosters. Unlike the typical Draft booster, these packs will allegedly contain less draft chaft and more cards players are interested in constructing a deck around. Set boosters aren’t color balanced like Draft boosters either, allowing the packs to contain a theme.

The set boosters will contain a total of 14 cards that include an art card and token slot, meaning 12 are actual MTG cards. Each set booster pack follows “a path,” according to senior Magic designer Gavin Verhey. 

Welcome section

The welcome section features three slots: Art card, land, and connected Uncommon/Common MTG cards. Set boosters for Zendikar Rising will feature art from the set, including a chance for art cards that are signed by the artist. There are a total of 81 various art cards featured in Zendikar Rising. 

In the second slot includes Basic Lands, featuring full-art land cards and a 15 percent chance for it to be a foil. 

Six connected Common and Uncommon cards wrap up the third slot in the set booster welcome section. The cards are “linked together in a way to show off a theme within the set,” according to Verhey. Themes can range from mechanics, like Cycling, to big stompy creatures. The number of Uncommon or Common cards varies per set booster. 

• 35 percent: Five Commons and one Uncommon
• 40 percent: Four Commons and two Uncommon
• 12.5 percent: Three Commons and four Uncommon
• Seven percent: Two Commons and four Uncommons
• 3.5 percent: Five Uncommon and on Common
• Two percent: Six Uncommon and no Common cards

Fireworks section

There are two slots withing the set boosters Fireworks section: Head turner and wildcard rarity slots. The head turner can either be a Common or Uncommon card that’s a Showcase card or features a special element like alternative-art. 

Wildcard slots will contain MTG cards that range from Common to Mythic Rare. Showcase versions can also be found in these slots. 

Big finish section

As with all MTG booster packs, players want to get their hands on Rare and Mythic Rare cards. The big finish features a Rare/Mythic Rare and a foil slot. Zendikar Rising will also feature a rate drop for Mythic Rares. Previous MTG sets had a Mythic Rare slotted in for a Rare one out of eight times. In Zendikar Rising, one in every 7.4 Rares will feature a Mythic Rare instead. 

Foils in the big finish can be Common to Mythic Rare. 

Epilogue section

The epilogue section will typically contain a token card or an ad. But in Zendikar Rising, there’s a 25-percent chance to obtain a card from the newly created MTG List. This “List” is made up of 300 cards throughout the history of Magic.

Set boosters, along with Draft, Collector, and Theme boosters for Zendikar Rising will release on Sept. 25.