One of Avatar's top episodes gets a dedicated Magic: The Gathering special card drop.
Ordinarily, clip shows face criticism by fans as a pointless diversion, or perhaps accepted as essential for shows during the period of regular broadcasts. That wasn't always the situation, though Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this via "The Ember Island Players," a popular installment from its final season which is now receiving a dedicated Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair drop.
Details about the collector's edition
The full Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender set was unveiled earlier this month. It features five distinct sets, and although the one called "My Cabbages!" is clearly funny homage to the show's beloved recurring figure, the other collections seem somewhat less imaginative, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by installment 17 from season 3 of the animated show, this collector's drop includes the following cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image represented as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
Why this installment remains memorable
Viewers of the show clearly recall this particular episode, which functioned as a recap of Aang and his friends' journey leading up to the conclusion. Unlike other recap episodes, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" did not stem from financial limitations or production issues. The producers truly wanted to offer viewers a chance to recap the overall plot, yet they chose to do it creatively.
In the episode, the heroes watches a theatrical performance based on their adventures on a stage set on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The play itself is factually incorrect, over-the-top, and completely amusing. It succeeds since it plays with the heroes' understanding of themselves, juxtaposing them with how the world (and especially the Fire Nation citizens) perceives them. It contains the right amount of meta-commentary, and it results in perhaps the best adaptation of the series released so far.
Worth and pricing
When it comes to cost-effectiveness, this is a great Secret Lair because of one major element: Braid of Fire. This specific card sells between $20 and $40 on various platforms as of now, and at $29.99 you can acquire the full set, or alternatively $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender set is available during early access events starting November 14 and debuts internationally come November 21.
