A standout among Avatar: The Last Airbender's top episodes receives its own Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair.
Usually, clip shows are loathed from viewers as a needless time filler, or perhaps tolerated as essential for series in the era of weekly production. This wasn't always true, though Avatar: The Last Airbender proved it with "The Ember Island Players," a cherished episode in its last season now being receiving an exclusive Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Highlights about the Secret Lair
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was revealed earlier this month. Containing five separate collections, and although a set named "My Cabbages!" is clearly funny homage to the series' most famous minor character, the remaining sets appear slightly uninspired, with one notable exception: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by episode 17 in the final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this special set features 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 episode is special
Fans of the series warmly cherish this installment, which functioned as a review of Aang and the group's quest leading up to the conclusion. In contrast to typical clip shows, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" was not driven from financial limitations or scheduling problems. The producers specifically aimed to provide audiences a moment to revisit the show's narrative, however, they opted to execute it with flair.
In the episode, the main characters watches a stage show depicting their journeys at a playhouse set on Ember Island, named The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is wildly exaggerated, melodramatic, and utterly comical. It succeeds because it plays with the heroes' understanding regarding their own identities, setting them against compared to how society (and notably the Fire Nation citizens) perceives them. It contains the right amount of meta-commentary, and it becomes arguably the best adaptation of Avatar available to date.
Worth and cost
Regarding worth, this offers a fantastic Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This card trades for $20 and $40 on online marketplaces as of now, while for $29.99 you can snag the entire Secret Lair, or for $39.99 for the premium foil treatment.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection can be accessed for pre-release events on Nov. 14 and debuts internationally on November 21.
