Last updated on October 9, 2023
Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients | Illustration by Anna Steinbauer
The release of Zendikar Rising marked a very important time in the Magic calendar. The fall major set is always the landmark release of the year, with a lot depending on the quality of its design and overall appeal.
It marked 2020’s Standard rotation and brought a lot of changes to MTG.
We love that this set came to MTG Arena and Magic Online and was available at a time when many could not come to a party.
With all of that said, though, let’s just jump in and take a look at what we have in Zendikar Rising!
Zendikar Rising Basic Information
Soul of Zendikar | Illustration by Eytan Zana
Set Details
| What | Key Info. |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Zendikar Rising |
| Set Symbol |  |
| Set Code | ZNR |
| Hashtag | #MTGZNR |
| Number of Cards | 280 |
| Rarities | Common, uncommon, rare and mythic rare. |
| Cards per Pack | 14 (1 Rare/Mythic, 3 Uncommon, 10 Common) plus a full-art basic land |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Previews start on dailymtg.com | September 1 |
| Release on Draftsim's Draft Simulator | September 9, 2020 |
| Release on MTG Arena | September 17, 2020 |
| Release on Magic Online | September 17, 2020 |
| Available on Arena Tutor | September 17, 2020 |
| Paper Prerelease | September 18-24, 2020 |
| Paper Release Date | September 25, 2020 |
Set Overview
This is the return to Adventure World Zendikar, not mean eldrazi World Zendikar. There are no eldrazi in Zendikar Rising, but we still see their influence and the ramifications of the stories from sets past.
Three well-known planeswalkers who have appeared several times before in Magic sets are featured in Zendikar Rising.
These are Jace, Nahiri, and Nissa.
Unsurprisingly there are full-art lands in Zendikar Rising, a signature of the Zendikar plane.
Wizards released this teaser trailer for the set, which gave little indication that parties and land/spell cards would be notable:
Story
In a nutshell, Nahiri returned to her home plane of Zendikar in Zendikar Rising after the stories of Innistrad and Ravnica. Nissa is from Zendikar, and not coincidentally, is also in the set. Finally, Jace appears too for some reason (of course).
What these three characters are up to on Zendikar is explained in the story articles starting from September 2, 2020.
Set Mechanics
There is one new mechanic (party) and three renewed ones: double-faced cards, landfall, and kicker in Zendikar Rising.
Party (Tribal)
Party is the headliner here, a brand-new mechanic from Zendikar Rising. Party evokes not only the adventure world spirit of the Zendikar plane but also the awesome cross-branding opportunity for Wizards to plug Dungeons and Dragons.
Party is a riff on the popular tribal mechanic, where you have to collect as many as you can of a particular creature type. In contrast, party asks you to get one of each of a cleric, rogue, warrior, and wizard creature into play.
When you do, you get various bonuses. Sometimes you get more of an effect from a spell. Other times you might get a mana discount on the spell.
If you've collected 'em all, you have what's called a full party.
In order to make the four classes fit into the five colors of magic, they are divided accordingly:
| Class | White | Blue | Black | Red | Green |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleric | Primary | Tertiary | Secondary | None | Tertiary |
| Rogue | None | Secondary | Primary | Tertiary | Tertiary |
| Warrior | Secondary | None | Tertiary | Primary | Tertiary |
| Wizard | Tertiary | Primary | None | Secondary | Tertiary |
As you can see, each class has a primary home in a particular color. Green doesn't get a focus from any particular class, but it gets a light touch of all four.
Flip / Dual Face / Double-Faced Cards
Whatever you want to call them (Wizards calls them double-faced cards), this fun mechanic was originally introduced in Innistrad with its ubiquitous werewolves transforming back and forth into humans. Wizards is also using the term modal DFCs for these cards.
Having stuff on both sides allows a card to actually have two distinctly different cards stapled onto one piece of cardboard.
Here, we see double-faced cards being used to give you more optionality. For example, here is a card that allows you to either play it as a land or as a spell if you hold onto it for maximum effect.
All of the cycle of dual lands are double-faced cards as well.
Don't forget that you gotta use opaque sleeves when you're playing with these bad boys.
Landfall
What would Zendikar be without landfall? To put it simply, landfall says:
When a land enters the battlefield under your control, do something. This can be pumping your creatures, dealing damage to your opponent, adding mana, whatever.
Landfall encourages you to play a lot of lands in your decks. It gives you spell-like effects when you are flooding and therefore helps prevent you from being mana screwed.
Kicker
Speaking of playing a lot of lands, kicker returned in Zendikar Rising! Kicker allows you to pay an additional cost when you cast a spell to gain an additional benefit.
This ability gives you more flexibility when casting your spells, creating interesting strategic decisions about whether to cast the spell now for immediate impact or to wait and get more value from it later. You can think of cards with kicker as “dual cards” that have two modes, a pretty powerful mechanic.
It's been said that “every mechanic is just a variation of kicker,” which was first introduced way back in Invasion. Kicker also showed up in Dominaria United.
What Are the “Box Toppers” in Zendikar Rising Collector Boosters?
Expeditions are the box topper for draft booster boxes. That's right, expedition lands are ultra-rare (“lottery ticket”) premium cards inserted randomly into collector boosters.
Of special note here are cool reprints of the allied Battlebond lands with some new art.
New Product: Set Boosters
In addition to the typical draft boosters and collector boosters, a new type of product debuted with Zendikar Rising: the set booster.
A set booster is supposed to “maximize the opening experience” and be the “most fun to open.” This is for y'all who like to simply open packs and throw them in your binder rather than experience the joy of drafting.
Each booster has four sections, or “chapters” as seen here:
There are 14 cards total – 12 Magic cards and 2 “Magic related” cards. These are:
- Slot 1: Art card slot (81 total in Zendikar Rising). 1/20 has a version with the artist's signature embossed in gold.
- Slot 2: Land slot a basic full art land. 15% of the time you get a foil full art land.
- Slots 3-8: Connected commons and uncommons. They share some kind of theme between them – flavor, a mechanic, creature type, or play well together. You're guaranteed 5 commons and 1 uncommon, but any of the commons can also be upgraded to uncommons.
- Slot 9: “Fireworks” – A card that looks different from a normal Magic card. Either a Showcase card or another special thing from the set.
- Slots 10-11: Wildcard rarity slots that can have any rarity common up to mythic.
- Slot 12: Rare/mythic rare slot – though you can have up to four in one of these packs, you're guaranteed to have at least one.
- Slot 13: Foil card that can be any rarity.
- Slot 14: An ad or token card, usually. 25% of the time you get a Magic card from “The List,” which includes some old favorites and many highly sought reprints.
Set boosters are “a little bit more” expensive than a draft booster. A display box contains 30 packs instead of the typical 36 for a draft booster box.
Zendikar Rising Card Gallery
White
Black
Blue
Red
Green
Multicolored
Colorless
Lands
How Good is Zendikar Rising? Is It Worth It?
Zendikar Rising is great for those collecting lands, and a little below average overall. The modal dual face lands are especially great tools in nearly every format, and it can be a good thing that they range from inexpensive to high-powered.
What Are the “Showcase” cards in Zendikar Rising?
The showcase cards are splashy, often alternate art versions of cards in Zendikar Rising. Wizards said, “There's a special frame that can appear on landfall cards in the set, and each of these has alternate art to boot! Inspired by travel posters and showing off a cool, unique appearance.”
The rare dual faced lands and borderless planeswalkers can also fall into your showcase slot.
What Is “The List” in Zendikar Rising, and How Does It Work?
The List cards are a special curation of 300 cards that Wizards reprints and put into set boosters in the 14th slot, once every four packs instead of an ad or token card. A card from The List will be from a completely different set, and have a little planeswalker symbol in the bottom left corner.
Products Available
Draft Boosters
Draft boosters are optimized for, well, drafts. They’re actually standard MTG booster packs, but they are rebranded to avoid any confusion with theme boosters, collector boosters, etc. They have a fixed rarity distribution, meaning you’ll get 10 commons, 3 uncommons, 1 rare or mythic rare, 1 land, and 1 token/ad card. Around a third of the time, one of the commons is replaced by a foil of any rarity. You can also get a Draft Booster Box, which has 36 booster packs.
- 36 PACKS + 1 BOX TOPPER. Get 36 Zendikar Rising Booster Packs plus 1 "Expedition Land" box topper—a celebrated land card with alternate art and a special frame inspired by the sky dungeons of Zendikar.
- THE BEST BOOSTER FOR DRAFTING. Open a box and draft with up to 12 friends for an unforgettable game night. (Note: Booster Drafts require more land cards than are included in a booster box.)
- FULL-ART LANDS AND DOUBLE-FACED CARDS IN EVERY PACK. Zendikar Rising brings a special kind of double-faced card to MTG: play the spell on one side or flip it over and play it as a land instead.
- INTRODUCING "PARTY." Assemble a party from four adventuring classes (Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard) and become stronger together with rewards for each class joining you on the battlefield.
- LANDFALL AND KICKER RETURN. Two of Magic's most popular mechanics are back! Landfall rewards you for playing land cards, and Kicker makes your spells more powerful—if you have enough mana.
Collector Boosters
Zendikar Rising Collector Boosters focus more on collectors rather than players who like to play competitively. Each pack contains 15 cards + a token:
- 5 foil commons
- 2 foil uncommons
- 2 showcase non-foil non-rares
- 1 foil showcase basic land
- 1 foil showcase common or uncommon
- 1 non-foil extended art rare or mythic rare
- 1 non-foil showcase rare or mythic rare
- 1 foil rare or mythic rare
- 1 foil alternate frame rare or mythic rare
- 1 foil double-sided token
Similar to the Draft Boosters, you can also get a Collector Booster Box, which has 12 packs.
- WHATS’S INSIDE: Each Zendikar Rising Collector Booster contains 15 cards and 1 foil double-sided token (4 rares/mythics, 6 special alternate-frame cards, at least 11 foils, and 1 full-art basic land in every pack)
- ONLY THE BEST. Collector Boosters are a shortcut to the most precious cards in Zendikar Rising—open a pack and fill your binder with rares, foils, special art, and showcase frames.
- CARD STYLES NOT FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE. Collector Boosters are the only Zendikar Rising boosters that contain cards with extended art and the possibility of getting Expedition Lands in foil.
- FOIL FULL-ART LANDS AND DOUBLE-FACED CARDS. Zendikar Rising brings a special kind of double-faced card to MTG: play the spell on one side or flip it over and play it as a land instead.
- INTRODUCING "PARTY." Assemble a party from four adventuring classes (Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard) and become stronger together with rewards for each class joining you on the battlefield.
Theme Boosters
Theme Boosters target deck-building players who want to complete their constructed decks. Cards in these boosters share a common theme and have high synergy. Zendikar Rising Theme Boosters are mono-colored and have 35 cards.
- Card Game
- Contents: 12 packs/ 35 Zendikar Rising cards, all based on a single theme per pack.
- For all MTG Fans!
- Join Jace, Nariri, Nissa and more in Zendikar; a dangerous world of lethal risks where brave adventurers in the Edlrazi aftermath delve into ancient ruins in search of priceless rewards!
Zendikar Rising Bundle
With this Bundle, you get a bunch of different Zendikar Rising Products, including:
- 10 Zendikar Rising Draft Boosters
- 20 foil basic lands
- 20 non-foil basic lands
- 1 foil promo card
- 1 oversized spindown life counter (1.5″)
- 2 reference cards
- 1 reusable storage box
- TEN PACKS + ACCESSORIES. Open 10 draft booster packs and dive into Zendikar, Magic's tumultuous world of danger and adventure. Plus, get accessories like land cards, an oversized life counter, and more.
- FULL-ART LANDS AND DOUBLE-FACED CARDS IN EVERY PACK. Zendikar Rising brings a special kind of double-faced card to MTG: play the spell on one side or flip it over and play it as a land instead.
- INTRODUCING "PARTY." Assemble a party from four adventuring classes (Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard) and become stronger together with rewards for each class joining you on the battlefield.
- LANDFALL AND KICKER RETURN. Two of Magic's most popular mechanics are back! Landfall rewards you for playing land cards, and Kicker makes your spells more powerful—if you have enough mana.
- PERILOUS RISKS AND PRICELESS REWARDS. On Zendikar, danger is the norm: wild terrain, cunning predators, and "the Roil"—violent ripples of change—all make life precarious and full of adventure.
Zendikar Rising Set Booster
The Zendikar Rising Set Booster appeals to both collectors and people who just love crackin' packs.
Prices on Amazon for a box of ZNR set boosters looks pretty affordable..
- THE BEST WAY TO OPEN PACKS JUST FOR THE FUN OF OPENING THEM. Zendikar Rising Set Boosters are the go-to if you're looking to rip open a Magic: The Gathering booster pack just to see what's inside.
- 30 PACKS + 1 BOX TOPPER. Get 30 Zendikar Rising Set Boosters plus 1 "Expedition Land" box topper—a celebrated land card with alternate art and a special frame inspired by the sky dungeons of Zendikar.
- A FOIL AND A FULL-ART LAND IN EVERY PACK. Zendikar Rising Set Boosters come with 1 full-art land card, plus at least one foil card. (The foil cards can be any rarity.)
- ART CARDS. Each Set Booster starts with an art card: a beautiful piece of borderless MTG art, some with the artist's signature across the front in shining gold.
- "THE LIST"— CARDS FROM MAGIC'S HISTORY. 1 in 4 Set Boosters includes a card from "The List"—a pool of reprints, ranging from powerful to flat-out wild, presented in their original art and frame.
Zendikar Rising Commander Decks
There are two Commander decks for Zendikar Rising, and you can read our full review of the product here.
- Join Jace, Nariri, Nissa and more in Zendikar; a dangerous world of lethal risks where brave adventurers in the Edlrazi aftermath delve into ancient ruins in search of priceless rewards!
- Return to Zendikar where the plane is Rising with danger and treasure
- BATTLE YOUR FRIENDS; Commander is a different way to play Magic: The Gathering; It's all about legendary creatures, big plays, and battling your friends in epic multiplayer games
Zendikar Rising Gift Edition
WotC loves to release gift editions around the holiday season, here is the Zendikar Rising Gift Edition. It's a shiny bundle with a collector booster.
- GIVE THE GIFT OF MAGIC. With 10 Zendikar Rising Draft Booster Packs, 1 Collector Booster, land cards, and more, Bundle: Gift Edition is the perfect present for your favorite Magic fan.
- 10 PACKS + 1 COLLECTOR BOOSTER. Collector Boosters are a shortcut to the coolest cards in Zendikar Rising. Rares, foils, special art, and showcase frames all make them extra fun for Magic fans to unwrap.
- FOIL FULL-ART LANDS AND DOUBLE-FACED CARDS. Zendikar Rising brings a special kind of double-faced card to MTG: play the spell on one side or flip it over and play it as a land instead.
- INTRODUCING "PARTY." Assemble a party from four adventuring classes (Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard) and become stronger together with rewards for each class joining you on the battlefield.
- CONTENTS: 10 Zendikar Rising Draft Booster packs, 1 Zendikar Rising Collector Booster, 40 regular-frame lands (20 foil, 20 non-foil), 1 promo alternate art card, 1 oversized spindown life counter, 2 double sided reference cards.
Zendikar Declining
Commune with the Gods | Illustration by Aleksi Briclot
What do you think of our return to Zendikar? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments, and if you first played Zendikar Rising on Arena you may have missed our Arena Tutor which takes your game to the next level!
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4 Comments
I personally hope that we don’t see more cards of the 4 founding members of the Gatewatch. Considering Gideon died in War of the Spark and the other 3 have had a lot of cards printed of themselves. I am hoping for some new planeswalkers to appear or ones that we have seen in sets past to make a reappearce, if they didn’t die during war of the spark.
At the bottom the page suggests the Bundle has a Collector booster inside, it does not.
Thank you, just corrected it.
Wow, these spoilers for Zendikar Rising are insane! I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these new cards. The set looks like it’s going to shake up the game in a major way. I’m particularly excited about the new land extensions and the return of some old favorites. Thanks for sharing all of these juicy details!
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