Among Avatar's top episodes receives an exclusive MTG special card drop.
Usually, recap episodes are loathed among audiences as a pointless diversion, or at best viewed as a necessity for shows in the age of weekly production. This wasn't always true, though Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it via "The Ember Island Players," a beloved segment from its final season that is now getting a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair release.
Information about the Secret Lair
The full Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender collection was unveiled on November 4. It features five Secret Lairs, and while one titled "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly amusing nod to the series' best background character, the additional releases appear slightly less imaginative, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Drawing from episode 17 from season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this special set features 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 remains memorable
Viewers of Avatar fondly remember this installment, which acted as a summary of the hero Aang and the group's quest prior to the final episode. Different from standard summary installments, or "clip shows," "The Ember Island Players" did not stem from financial limitations or creative challenges. The show's makers truly wanted to give fans a moment to revisit the show's narrative, but they decided to execute it with flair.
During the installment, the crew view a play inspired by their exploits on a stage set on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The whole thing is inaccurate, over-the-top, and utterly comical. It excels since it plays on the characters' views about themselves, contrasting them compared to how society (and especially the Fire Nation citizens) perceives them. It possesses an ideal level of self-awareness, and it becomes perhaps the best adaptation of Avatar available to date.
Worth and cost
Regarding worth, this is a great Secret Lair because of one major element: Braid of Fire. This card is valued between $20 and $40 on various platforms currently, while for $29.99 you can obtain the full set, or $39.99 for the shiny edition.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender set can be accessed for advance previews beginning November 14 and debuts internationally on Nov. 21.