Among Avatar's top installments receives an exclusive Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair.
Ordinarily, summary installments face criticism from viewers as a needless time filler, or at best tolerated as a necessity for series in the age of episodic releases. That wasn't always the case, but Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it via "The Ember Island Players," a cherished episode in its last season which is now getting an exclusive Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair drop.
Details regarding the Secret Lair
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender collection was unveiled on November 4. Containing five distinct sets, and although the one called "My Cabbages!" is certainly humorous tribute to the show's beloved recurring figure, the other collections feel a bit lacking creativity, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Drawing from episode 17 from season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this special set contains these particular 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 segment is special
Fans of the series warmly cherish this installment, which served as a review of Aang and his companions' quest prior to the final episode. Unlike typical clip shows, or "clip shows," "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated from financial limitations or scheduling problems. The producers specifically aimed to provide audiences a moment to recap the overall plot, yet they chose to approach it inventively.
Throughout the segment, the heroes watches a stage show depicting their journeys in a theater located on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is wildly exaggerated, cheesy, and completely amusing. It works because it plays on the characters' views about themselves, juxtaposing them compared to how society (and particularly the antagonist nation) sees them. It contains an ideal level of meta-commentary, and it ends up arguably the top rendition of Avatar we have had.
Worth and availability
In terms of value, this represents an excellent Secret Lair due to one key factor: Braid of Fire. This card sells between $20 and $40 through card retailers at the time of writing, and at $29.99 you can acquire the full set, or $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender set is available for advance previews on Nov. 14 and releases worldwide come November 21.
