Magic: The Gathering‘s latest Universes Beyond set, Avatar: The Last Airbender, is a notable step up from its predecessors. With lush cartoon-y artwork, strong new mechanics and plenty of synergy, it’s a set that functions as a great adaptation of Avatar while also fitting well into the universe of MTG.
I loved the recent Spider-Man crossover set overall. I was very happy with its character inclusions, and its layered introduction of Marvel lore. But even I can admit this set felt different from regular MTG, to the point where it stuck out as odd. It’s hard to introduce New York City pigeons and bagels to a world of magic and mystery.
Avatar: The Last Airbender fares much better in that regard, with the show’s subject matter and themes translating very well into the world of MTG.
MTG Avatar: The Last Airbender set review – quick links
Element-bending mechanics buoy MTG’s Avatar set
One of the biggest successes of this set is the design of its new mechanics, which pertain to firebending, airbending, waterbending and earthbending. These exist as separate mechanics that weave well across all cards in the set.
Firebending provides you with temporary additional mana, for blasting out rapid spells. Earthbending allows you to safely transform your lands into hasty creatures before returning them to their natural state. Airbending lets you ‘gust’ cards off the battlefield into exile, then return them when you need them most. Waterbending allows you to play special abilities, while using artefacts and creatures to help pay for the cost.
Players will likely have their own preference, but I’m particularly enamoured by the earthbending mechanics, which allow you to ‘awaken’ lands as creatures, giving you plenty to work with on the battlefield – particularly when you’re struggling to populate your armies. Beyond the practicality, it’s just fantastic imagery seeing your earthbenders animate your lands.
Firebending also comes in handy in a pinch, with this allowing you to better strategise as you build your armies and figure out how to maximise your open mana.
The best part is that each of the new element-bending mechanics relates to or benefits existing MTG mechanics in a way that allows for deep synergies. Airbending, for example, plays with cards in exile and functions as a cheapening blink mechanic. You could pair an airbend card with any cards that benefit from being entered or played on a turn, for an extra bit of spice.
MTG’s Avatar: The Last Airbender lacks Commanders but brims with synergy
Heading towards the launch for MTG‘s Avatar: The Last Airbender set, I was concerned with one key factor: that it lacked Commander Decks.
This is a personal feeling as Commander is one of my favourite formats to play, but I love the approachability of stock-standard Commander Decks and how they allow you to enjoy a new set, without much preamble.
Cracking open packs, I found this actually didn’t matter too much. The structure of the set lends itself well to crafting your own decks anyway. Most cards in this set conform to one of the four elements, or otherwise display themes that allow you to sort them into fire, water, earth and air cards. And with all of the bending mechanics sharing synergy within their allotted colours, it’s fairly easy to craft a thematic deck with layered mechanics.
There’s also clear heroes to build around, as inspired by the journey of Avatar: The Last Airbender. All of the main crew – Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, Azula, Sokka and, of course, Appa and Momo – are well-represented with strong cards that allow them to take the lead. Many of the main characters also get several Legendary Creature cards with different abilities, allowing you to play around with possible decks.
I’m particularly enamoured by Toph, Earthbending Master so far, with this card’s landfall and earthbend abilities allowing for eventual growth of a living, attacking forest, which rules. Of course, the primary Aang – Avatar Aang – is also an ultra-powerful card I’ve got my eye on, with this allowing you to build around all four major element-bending types, for multi-colour decks with plenty going on.
Read: MTG Avatar: The Last Airbender – Exclusive Card Preview
Even if you don’t find what you’re looking for in this particular set, the design and mechanics of these cards make them a great fit for the wider world of MTG, opening up the possibilities. I can see airbend being a particularly synergistic mechanic overall, with plenty of combo-ing potential for those who love to blink their cards.
Every element, working together
Wizards of the Coast has gone for simplicity when adapting Avatar: The Last Airbender into MTG. With a strong core theme – a set based around the elements – and a franchise that isn’t too far removed from Magic itself, this is an impactful Universes Beyond set with plenty of flavour and style.
Avatar fans will appreciate the deeper cuts and easter eggs found in various artwork and flavour text, as well as how the complete arc of the show is adapted across multiple cards, including character variants.
Even non-Avatar fans will find something to like, with new, flavourful cards with strong mechanics that play well into existing ones. Green players are particularly well-served here, and I can imagine Toph and her fellow earthbenders will slip into many green decks in future – if only for the wonderful visual of bringing lands to life.
There’s a clear intentionality in the design of this set, and it adds plenty to the canon of MTG. While there is likely to be plenty of discourse inspired by this set about the growth of Universes Beyond, any criticism should still acknowledge just how strong and thoughtfully-made this new release is.
MTG’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set launches on 21 November. Learn more about it on the MTG website and locate stores celebrating the release using the WPN tool.
Magic: The Gathering – Avatar: The Last Airbender Play Boosters, Jumpstart Boosters, Collector Boosters, a Commander’s Bundle and a regular Bundle were provided by Wizards of the Coast for the purposes of this review.
