A standout among Avatar: The Last Airbender's best installments gets its own Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair.
Usually, summary installments face criticism among audiences as a needless time filler, or sometimes accepted as a necessity for series during the period of episodic releases. This wasn't always the situation, and Avatar: The Last Airbender proved it with "The Ember Island Players," a beloved installment during its concluding run which is now receiving a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair drop.
Details about the Secret Lair
The full Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender set was unveiled on November 4. This includes five separate collections, and although a set named "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly humorous tribute to the series' most famous minor character, the remaining sets appear slightly less imaginative, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by installment 17 in the final season of the animated show, this collector's drop contains these specific 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 episode is special
Viewers of Avatar clearly recall this episode, which acted as a review of the protagonist Aang and his friends' journey before the series' finale. Different from other recap episodes, or compilation episodes, "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated by budget restrictions or scheduling problems. The creators genuinely intended to offer viewers a chance to reflect on the overall plot, yet they chose to do it creatively.
In the episode, the heroes watches a play based on their journeys at a playhouse located on Ember Island, named The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is inaccurate, over-the-top, and overall hilarious. It succeeds because it plays on the characters' views of themselves, contrasting them compared to how society (and notably the antagonist nation) sees them. It contains the right amount of self-awareness, and it ends up arguably the best adaptation of Avatar available to date.
Appeal and pricing
Regarding worth, this is a great Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This card trades for $20 and $40 on online marketplaces at the time of writing, while for $29.99 you can acquire the full set, or alternatively $39.99 for the shiny edition.
Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection is available for advance previews on Nov. 14 and launches globally on Nov. 21.
