One of Avatar: The Last Airbender's top installments is honored with its own Magic: The Gathering collector's set.
Ordinarily, summary installments are loathed from viewers as an unnecessary diversion, or perhaps accepted as a requirement in television in the age of regular broadcasts. This wasn't always the case, and Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it through "The Ember Island Players," a popular episode in its last season that is now receiving a dedicated Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Information of the collector's edition
The full Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was announced on November 4. Containing five distinct sets, and even though a set named "My Cabbages!" is clearly funny homage to the show's best background character, the additional releases feel a bit lacking creativity, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Based on episode 17 in the final season of the animated show, this special set includes these particular cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image represented as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
Why this episode stands out
Viewers of Avatar clearly recall this episode, which functioned as a summary of the hero Aang and his friends' quest before the series' finale. Different from other recap episodes, or compilation episodes, "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated from financial limitations or creative challenges. The creators specifically aimed to provide audiences an opportunity to reflect on the show's narrative, but they decided to approach it inventively.
Throughout the segment, the main characters view a play inspired by their journeys on a stage on Ember Island, named The Boy in the Iceberg. The play itself is inaccurate, over-the-top, and completely amusing. It works because it plays with the characters' perception of themselves, setting them against against how the world (and especially the antagonist nation) perceives them. It has the right amount of meta-commentary, and it becomes perhaps the top rendition of the show we have had.
Value and pricing
Regarding worth, this offers a fantastic Secret Lair because of one major element: Braid of Fire. This card trades for $20 and $40 on online marketplaces at the time of writing, and at $29.99 you can obtain the complete collection, or for $39.99 for the premium foil treatment.
Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender edition will be available for pre-release events beginning November 14 and debuts internationally on November 21.
