One of Avatar's most beloved episodes gets a dedicated Magic: The Gathering collector's set.
Typically, recap episodes face criticism by fans as an unnecessary waste of time, or perhaps accepted as essential for series in the era of regular broadcasts. However, this wasn't true, and Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this with "The Ember Island Players," a popular installment during its concluding run that is now granted a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Information of the Secret Lair
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender set was revealed earlier this month. It features five Secret Lairs, and even though the one called "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly funny homage to Avatar's beloved recurring figure, the remaining sets seem somewhat less imaginative, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."
Drawing from episode 17 from season 3 of the beloved series, this Secret Lair includes these particular cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image represented 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
Viewers of the series fondly remember this episode, which acted as a recap of Aang and the group's quest before the series' finale. Different from typical clip shows, or compilation episodes, "The Ember Island Players" was not driven by budget restrictions or creative challenges. The producers specifically aimed to give fans a moment to reflect on the overall plot, however, they opted to execute it with flair.
Throughout the segment, the crew view a play depicting their journeys in a theater located on Ember Island, named The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is inaccurate, melodramatic, and utterly comical. It works because it plays with the heroes' understanding about themselves, juxtaposing them against how the world (and particularly the Fire Nation citizens) perceives them. It contains the right amount of introspective humor, and it ends up possibly the top rendition of Avatar available to date.
Value and pricing
In terms of value, this is a great Secret Lair because of one major element: Braid of Fire. This specific card sells between $20 and $40 on various platforms currently, and for $29.99 you can acquire the entire Secret Lair, or for $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection can be accessed for advance previews starting November 14 and debuts internationally on Nov. 21.
