Avatar’s arrival in Magic: The Gathering feels like a natural fit, and this latest set is an easy recommendation for fans of the series who might be curious about dipping their toes in the card game.
Magic The Gathering – Avatar: The Last Airbender
Buy Now | Price: $5-$70
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Magic: The Gathering. So when I heard of the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set, I was really interested to see what Wizards of the Coast would cook up. This was for a couple of different reasons. The first being that I’m a huge Kora fan, so I’m hoping this sells well enough for them to expand into her show, and the second is because I’ve loved everything they’ve done with the Universe Beyond.
If you’re unsure of what to get or where even to start, then the Avatar Beginner Box is the perfect way to get your foot in the door. As the name implies, it’s the perfect gift to get for those who may not know much about the hobby. But if you happen to be someone like me who’s spent more money than they’d like to admit, you’ll also get a lot of bang for your buck.
Inside the box, you’ll get the following items: 2 instant-play decks, 2 guides on how to play, 8 jumpstart decks, 2 cardboard playmats, and 2 life counters. Even though I’ve been playing the game for well over two years, it was nice to go through the guide to see how it handles onboarding new players. One thing I really appreciated about it was that it was entirely themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender and even had dialogue moments between specific characters.
Each deck inside is built around specific playstyles, and thankfully, there’s a little card telling you what those styles are. I was surprised by what kind of starter cards were in the box. Granted, none of these are cards that’ll make your friends at the table hate you. However, it does have plenty of cards that’ll annoy them because of how strong they hit. If you’re looking to beef up your own deck, the beginner set is a great place to do just that. (Luis)
Book One – Fandom
Blue. Green. Red. Blue…again? And what about White and Black? Ok, regardless, everything changed when the Universes Beyond released the Magic: The Gathering Avatar: The Last Airbender set. While you may think I’m just meme-ing the opening monologue, ironically enough, the statement is true, and not because of the Fire Nation attacking. Let’s unfreeze Aang and see what this new set has in store.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a storied franchise, and despite some live-action gaffes that either completely miss the point of Aang’s original adventure or are completely out of their depth, this Universe Beyond set gets it. You may be worried, considering the reception of the recent Spider-Man set and the proliferation of Universes Beyond Magic the Gathering has and will be experiencing for the foreseeable future. After playing the prerelease event on Magic: The Gathering- Arena and opening some Collector Booster Packs, I found myself in disbelief at how Wizards of the Coast was in tune with both the community’s memes and the breadth of references I recognized. (Branford)
Book Two – Gifts and Other Packages
New to Magic: The Gathering? Maybe you’re just here to hunt down the Avatar? Either way, there are a number of ways to get your hands on Universes Beyond: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Eternal-Legal, and Art Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender cards. At the most basic level are Play Booster Packs, Jumpstart Booster Packs, Collector Booster Packs, and Collector Booster Omega Packs. Jumpstart Boosters also come in a two-set package in case you want to get right to playing – purchase four Jumpstart Boosters and you’ve made a great gift choice and an activity for the holidays at the same time! Collector Boosters have a better rate of art treatments and a chance at the Avatar Aang (Raised Foil) version of the card, which is very rare.
Know someone who has a favorite character from The Last Airbender? Great news – Prerelease Packs of each color, centered on Toph, Zuko, Katara, Aang, and Azula, just may be the perfect gift. These are meant for Prerelease events, though there’s nothing wrong with buying one set of each and starting up your own “Prerelease” for the holidays if Avatar fans surround you. Much like Return to Ravnica, players will receive a seeded character-centric pack with five more Play Boosters, a year-stamped rare or mythic rare, and a Spindown die so you’re ready to play after building a deck from those cards.
It takes two to play, and that’s exactly the idea behind the Beginner Box. This guided experience tasks two players, one representing Zuko and the other Aang, to learn to play Magic: The Gathering. While it is fairly normal for a Starter Kit or Jumpstart pack to advertise that they’re for beginners, they come with a step-by-step booklet for the first tutorial game and slim-down decks to 20 cards. After this first game, each player can take two of the eight 20-card Avatar-themed decks and make them into one deck to play the game against one another. The Box includes two playmats, two Spindown Life Counters, and a rule reference book. This sounds like a great surprise gift or purchase for someone, as taking eight different decks and mixing and matching them, and facing them off against one another, sounds like a great way to spend a holiday, even to this seasoned Magic: The Gathering player.
Scene Boxes are back for Universes Beyond: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Scene Boxes invoke memorable moments from the Universes Beyond property they hail from, and there are two Scene Boxes: Tea Time at the Jasmine Dragon and The Black Sun Invasion. Even thinking about the names of these scenes invokes these specific and memorable episodes of Avatar, so I can only imagine how great a gift they’ll make. The Black Sun Invasion is a similarly pivotal point in the series, where Team Avatar thinks they’ve found a weakness in the Fire Kingdom and the perfect time to strike. If you want to know how that turns out, you’ll have to tune into the series, but there’s plenty of drama and suspense to take in with this art in the meantime. Tea Time at the Jasmine Dragon is a Scene from when our heroes have finally defeated the Fire Lord and have a moment of peace before living their respective lives. Iroh’s tea shop comes with six art cards, six traditional foil borderless scene cards, a display easel, and three Play Boosters. (Branford)
