Among Avatar's top episodes is honored with an exclusive MTG special card drop.
Usually, clip shows are loathed by fans as a needless diversion, or at best tolerated as a necessity for series in the age of episodic releases. This wasn't always true, and Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it with "The Ember Island Players," a beloved episode in its last season which is now receiving an exclusive Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair drop.
Highlights of the Secret Lair
The complete Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was unveiled earlier this month. It features five separate collections, and although one titled "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly funny homage to the show's beloved recurring figure, the other collections feel a bit less imaginative, with one notable exception: "The Ember Island Players."
Drawing from the seventeenth episode from season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this collector's drop features the following cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
What makes this installment stands out
Fans of Avatar fondly remember this particular episode, which functioned as a recap of Aang and his companions' adventure before the series' finale. Different from other recap episodes, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated by budget restrictions or production issues. The creators genuinely intended to offer viewers a chance to reflect on the overall plot, but they decided to execute it with flair.
In the episode, the main characters observe a stage show based on their exploits on a stage located on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is inaccurate, over-the-top, and overall hilarious. It succeeds since it plays with the heroes' understanding about themselves, setting them against against how the world (and notably the Fire Nation citizens) perceives them. It contains an ideal level of meta-commentary, and it results in perhaps the top rendition of Avatar available to date.
Worth and pricing
Regarding worth, this represents an excellent Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This particular card trades for $20 and $40 through card retailers as of now, and at $29.99 you can snag the full set, or $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender edition will be available during early access events starting November 14 and launches globally come November 21.
