A standout among Avatar's most beloved installments gets its own MTG collector's set.
Ordinarily, clip shows face criticism among audiences as a pointless time filler, or perhaps tolerated as a requirement for shows in the era of weekly production. That wasn't always true, though Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this with "The Ember Island Players," a popular installment in its last season which is now getting a dedicated Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair drop.
Highlights of the collector's edition
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set was unveiled recently. This includes five Secret Lairs, and while the one called "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly funny homage to Avatar's best background character, the remaining sets appear slightly uninspired, with one notable exception: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by installment 17 of the third season of the animated show, this collector's drop features these particular cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
The reason this installment remains memorable
Viewers of the series fondly remember this particular episode, which functioned as a recap of the hero Aang and the group's journey before the series' finale. Unlike standard summary installments, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" did not stem from financial limitations or production issues. The show's makers truly wanted to give fans an opportunity to recap the show's narrative, however, they opted to do it creatively.
In the episode, the crew observe a play inspired by their adventures in a theater on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is wildly exaggerated, over-the-top, and completely amusing. It works because it plays on the characters' views of themselves, contrasting them against how the world (and notably the antagonist nation) perceives them. It has the perfect balance of meta-commentary, and it results in perhaps the best adaptation of the show released so far.
Value and pricing
When it comes to cost-effectiveness, this represents an excellent Secret Lair due to one key factor: Braid of Fire. This specific card trades for $20 and $40 through card retailers at the time of writing, while for $29.99 you can obtain the full set, or $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection can be accessed for advance previews starting November 14 and launches globally come November 21.
