Magic: The Gathering’s recent preview event gave us our first look at its crossover withAvatar: The Last Airbender. Although only one new card was previewed, it already hints at some exciting new mechanics for the set, and some features that will be sure to pleaseAvatar: The Last Airbenderfans. Although theEdges of Eternitiesset is up next, it’s hard not to already be excited to see more from the world ofAvatarafter this preview.
The first preview card fromMagic’s crossover withAvatar: The Last Airbender,Avatar Aang, debuted at MagicCon Las Vegas during the event’s Preview Panel. The card depicts Aang during his climactic battle against Fire Lord Ozai. The card can also transform into Aang, Master of the Elements, an even more powerful version of the Avatar. There is a lot to love about the card, from the interesting mechanics it hints at to what it says about the set’s overall design. It also provesMagicwill have something allAvatar: The Last Airbenderfans will want to get their hands on.
Every Style Of Bending Will Be A Magic: The Gathering Mechanic
Avatar Aang Lists All Four Bending Styles As Possible Actions In Magic
When I sawMagic: The Gathering’s new Avatar Aang card, one of the first things that jumped out to me was the new keyword: firebending. The card goes on to list each other type of bending fromAvatar: The Last Airbenderas other possible things you may do during your turn. Although nothing official has been revealed about these abilities yet, based on the four colors in Aang’s casting cost, and some of the text on the back, we can make some assumptions about how bending will work inMagic: The Gathering.
On the Aang, Master of Elements, side of the card, we see four different effects you get from choosing to transform back into Avatar Aang, and I’m guessing each one corresponds with a type of bending. Earthbending will likely correspond to green mana, and is probably represented here by getting +1/+1 counters. Firebending is probably responsible for the four damage done here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the two after firebending in Avatar Aang’s effect denotes the amount of damage done by a firebending ability. Where things get tricky is with air and waterbending.
I would be surprised if waterbending wasn’t associated with blue mana, so I’m guessing the card-drawing part of the ability may hint at what waterbending does. However, it’s strange because, inAvatar: The Last Airbender, waterbending is also the only style of bending used to heal. However, lifegain is more often associated with white mana, which I’m guessing will be used for airbending. While I’m pretty confident with my predictions for earth and fire, I’ll be interested to see how the other styles of bending work.
Dual-Faced Cards Capture Team Avatar’s Journey
Magic Has Used Dual-Faced Cards In The Past To Show Character Changes
Aside from the introduction of bending, Avatar Aang also shows that the set will feature dual-faced cards. Based on how this card works, I’m guessing thatAvatar: The Last Airbender’s dual-faced cards will worksimilarly toFinal Fantasy’s, and be used to show how characters change over the course of their respective journeys. There are plenty of memorable character moments that could be captured this way, like Zuko’s redemption arc.
BecauseAvatar: The Last Airbenderdoesn’t have as many characters to deal with as a set likeFinal Fantasy, we may also see some other versions of Aang. Perhaps a dual-faced card that depicts his transformation at the Northern Water Temple, or one showing him entering the Avatar State. Personally, I would love a dual-faced card of Uncle Iroh showing his dramatic physical transformation while he is imprisoned by the Fire Nation.
Magic: The Gathering X Avatar: The Last Airbender Includes Original Artwork By The Show’s Co-Creator
Bryan Konietzko Illustrated The Avatar Aang Card
Another very exciting aspect of the Avatar Aang card is the artist who created it.Avatar: The Last Airbenderco-creator Bryan Konietzko created original artwork for both sides of this card. Although it’s unclear how many cards Konietzko contributed art to for this set, even just one card illustrated by one of the show’s creators is exciting.
I had my reservations aboutUniverses Beyondentering Standard, but seeing the level of care and attention that Wizards of the Coast hasput intoFinal Fantasy, and now thisAvatar: The Last Airbendercard has done a lot to assuage those fears. As a fan ofAvatar: The Last Airbender, I look forward to seeing howMagic: The Gatheringtranslates its story and some of my favorite characters. Of course, there are still two more sets beforeAvatar, so we may have to wait a while to see more.
