Among Avatar's top installments is honored with its own MTG Secret Lair.
Usually, recap episodes face criticism among audiences as a pointless waste of time, or at best accepted as essential for shows during the period of episodic releases. However, this wasn't the case, but Avatar: The Last Airbender proved it via "The Ember Island Players," a beloved segment during its concluding run that is now receiving a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair release.
Information about the collector's edition
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set was unveiled on November 4. It features five Secret Lairs, and while the one called "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly humorous tribute to the show's beloved recurring figure, the remaining sets seem somewhat less imaginative, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Drawing from the seventeenth episode of the third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this collector's drop includes the following cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image portrayed as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
The reason this episode stands out
Viewers of the series clearly recall this installment, which acted as a recap of the hero Aang and his friends' journey before the series' finale. Different from other recap episodes, or compilation episodes, "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated due to production constraints or scheduling problems. The producers truly wanted to offer viewers an opportunity to reflect on the series' story, yet they chose to approach it inventively.
Throughout the segment, the crew view a play based on their adventures at a playhouse set on Ember Island, called The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is wildly exaggerated, over-the-top, and overall hilarious. It succeeds since it plays on the characters' views of themselves, juxtaposing them against how the world (and especially the antagonist nation) perceives them. It has the perfect balance of self-awareness, and it results in possibly the finest interpretation of the series released so far.
Appeal and availability
When it comes to cost-effectiveness, this represents an excellent Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This card is valued between $20 and $40 on online marketplaces as of now, and for $29.99 you can snag the complete collection, or $39.99 for the shiny edition.
Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection will be available for pre-release events on Nov. 14 and launches globally on November 21.
