A standout among Avatar: The Last Airbender's top installments receives a dedicated MTG special card drop.
Typically, clip shows face criticism by fans as an unnecessary diversion, or at best tolerated as a necessity for series in the era of weekly production. That wasn't always true, but Avatar: The Last Airbender proved it via "The Ember Island Players," a popular installment from its final season now being granted an exclusive Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair release.
Details regarding the Secret Lair
The full Secret Lair superdrop for the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender collection was announced recently. This includes five distinct sets, and while the one called "My Cabbages!" is clearly funny homage to the series' most famous minor character, the remaining sets appear slightly less imaginative, with one notable exception: "The Ember Island Players."
Based on the seventeenth episode from season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this collector's drop includes these particular cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
The reason this installment is special
Viewers of the series warmly cherish this installment, which acted as a recap of Aang and the group's quest prior to the final episode. Different from other recap episodes, or "clip shows," "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated from financial limitations or production issues. The producers specifically aimed to offer viewers a chance to recap the show's narrative, but they decided to do it creatively.
Throughout the segment, the main characters observe a play inspired by their journeys on a stage located on Ember Island, called The Boy in the Iceberg. The play itself is factually incorrect, melodramatic, and completely amusing. It succeeds because it plays on the characters' views of themselves, juxtaposing them with how the world (and especially the antagonist nation) perceives them. It contains an ideal level of self-awareness, and it ends up perhaps the finest interpretation of Avatar available to date.
Value and availability
In terms of value, this represents an excellent Secret Lair due to one key factor: Braid of Fire. This card trades for $20 and $40 on online marketplaces currently, and for $29.99 you can obtain the entire Secret Lair, or alternatively $39.99 for the premium foil treatment.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender edition can be accessed for advance previews on Nov. 14 and launches globally on Nov. 21.
