A standout among Avatar's best episodes is honored with its own MTG collector's set.
Typically, clip shows are disliked among audiences as an unnecessary diversion, or perhaps accepted as a requirement for series in the era of weekly production. That wasn't always the situation, but Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it via "The Ember Island Players," a beloved installment in its last season that is now granted an exclusive Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Details about the collector's edition
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was revealed recently. It features five distinct sets, and even though one titled "My Cabbages!" is certainly amusing nod to Avatar's beloved recurring figure, the other collections appear slightly uninspired, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by the seventeenth episode from season 3 of the animated show, this Secret Lair features these specific cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image represented as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
What makes this installment remains memorable
Fans of the show fondly remember this episode, which acted as a review of the hero Aang and his friends' adventure leading up to the conclusion. Different from other recap episodes, or "clip shows," "The Ember Island Players" did not stem due to production constraints or production issues. The creators truly wanted to provide audiences an opportunity to reflect on the overall plot, but they decided to approach it inventively.
In the episode, the crew watches a theatrical performance inspired by their journeys in a theater on Ember Island, called The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is inaccurate, cheesy, and overall hilarious. It succeeds because it plays on the characters' views about themselves, setting them against with how the world (and especially the Fire Nation) views them. It has an ideal level of meta-commentary, and it ends up perhaps the top rendition of Avatar released so far.
Worth and availability
When it comes to cost-effectiveness, this offers a fantastic Secret Lair due to one key factor: Braid of Fire. This particular card trades for $20 and $40 on various platforms currently, while for $29.99 you can snag the entire Secret Lair, or for $39.99 for the premium foil treatment.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection can be accessed during early access events beginning November 14 and launches globally come November 21.
