Among Avatar's most beloved episodes receives its own Magic: The Gathering special card drop.
Usually, recap episodes are disliked by fans as a pointless waste of time, or sometimes tolerated as a necessity for series in the age of weekly production. That wasn't always the case, and Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it with "The Ember Island Players," a popular installment during its concluding run now being getting a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Highlights about the special release
The complete Secret Lair superdrop for the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was revealed earlier this month. It features five separate collections, and while one titled "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly amusing nod to the show's best background character, the additional releases appear slightly uninspired, except for one standout: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by episode 17 in the final season of the animated show, this collector's drop 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 segment remains memorable
Viewers of the series fondly remember this episode, which served as a recap of Aang and his companions' journey leading up to the conclusion. Different from other recap episodes, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" was not driven by budget restrictions or production issues. The show's makers specifically aimed to give fans a chance to revisit the overall plot, yet they chose to do it creatively.
Throughout the segment, the heroes view a play inspired by their exploits in a theater located on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The play itself is factually incorrect, melodramatic, and utterly comical. It succeeds as it plays with the heroes' understanding regarding their own identities, setting them against against how the world (and particularly the Fire Nation citizens) sees them. It possesses the right amount of self-awareness, and it ends up arguably the top rendition of the series we have had.
Worth and cost
Regarding worth, this represents an excellent Secret Lair due to one key factor: Braid of Fire. This card sells between $20 and $40 through card retailers as of now, and for $29.99 you can snag the full set, or $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender set is available during early access events starting November 14 and launches globally come November 21.
