One of Avatar's top installments receives a dedicated Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair.
Ordinarily, recap episodes face criticism from viewers as an unnecessary time filler, or sometimes tolerated as essential for series in the era of regular broadcasts. That wasn't always the case, though Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this through "The Ember Island Players," a beloved episode from its final season which is now granted a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair release.
Highlights about the special release
The complete Secret Lair superdrop for the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set was revealed on November 4. It features five Secret Lairs, and although one titled "My Cabbages!" is clearly humorous tribute to the series' best background character, the additional releases feel a bit less imaginative, except for one standout: "The Ember Island Players."
Drawing from the seventeenth episode in the final season of the beloved series, this collector's drop contains the following 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 remains memorable
Viewers of the series fondly remember this installment, which served as a summary of the hero Aang and his friends' journey before the series' finale. Different from other recap episodes, or "clip shows," "The Ember Island Players" did not stem by budget restrictions or production issues. The creators specifically aimed to give fans an opportunity to recap the series' story, yet they chose to execute it with flair.
In the episode, the heroes observe a play depicting their adventures in a theater on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is inaccurate, cheesy, and completely amusing. It works as it plays with the characters' perception about themselves, juxtaposing them compared to how society (and especially the Fire Nation citizens) views them. It has the perfect balance of meta-commentary, and it results in perhaps the top rendition of Avatar available to date.
Value and availability
In terms of value, this represents an excellent Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This card is valued between $20 and $40 on various platforms as of now, and for $29.99 you can obtain the full set, or $39.99 for the shiny edition.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender set will be available for advance previews on Nov. 14 and launches globally come November 21.
