A standout among Avatar's top episodes is honored with a dedicated MTG collector's set.
Usually, recap episodes face criticism from viewers as a needless diversion, or sometimes accepted as a necessity for series in the era of weekly production. This wasn't always the case, but Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it through "The Ember Island Players," a popular segment from its final season which is now receiving a dedicated Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Details regarding the special release
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was revealed earlier this month. It features five distinct sets, and although a set named "My Cabbages!" is certainly amusing nod to the series' best background character, the other collections appear slightly less imaginative, except for one standout: "The Ember Island Players."
Inspired by the seventeenth episode in the final season of the beloved series, this Secret Lair includes these specific cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image portrayed as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
Why this episode remains memorable
Viewers of the series warmly cherish this particular episode, which acted as a review of Aang and his friends' journey leading up to the conclusion. Different from other recap episodes, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" was not driven due to production constraints or scheduling problems. The producers specifically aimed to give fans a moment to revisit the show's narrative, yet they chose to do it creatively.
During the installment, the crew watches a theatrical performance based on their exploits in a theater set on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is inaccurate, over-the-top, and utterly comical. It works as it plays with the characters' perception about themselves, setting them against compared to how society (and notably the antagonist nation) perceives them. It possesses the right amount of introspective humor, and it ends up perhaps the top rendition of the show released so far.
Value and availability
In terms of value, this represents an excellent Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This specific card sells between $20 and $40 on various platforms at the time of writing, and for $29.99 you can obtain the entire Secret Lair, or for $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender set is available for advance previews beginning November 14 and releases worldwide on Nov. 21.
