A standout among Avatar's best installments receives a dedicated MTG collector's set.

Typically, recap episodes are loathed among audiences as an unnecessary waste of time, or perhaps tolerated as a necessity for shows in the age of regular broadcasts. This wasn't always the case, but Avatar: The Last Airbender proved it with "The Ember Island Players," a beloved episode in its last season that is now granted a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.

Highlights about the Secret Lair

The complete Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender edition was announced earlier this month. Containing five distinct sets, and while one titled "My Cabbages!" is certainly humorous tribute to the series' most famous minor character, the additional releases seem somewhat lacking creativity, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."

Inspired by the seventeenth episode in the final season of the beloved series, this special set 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

Audiences of the series warmly cherish this episode, which functioned as a recap of the protagonist Aang and his friends' journey before the series' finale. In contrast to typical clip shows, or "clip shows," "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated from financial limitations or production issues. The creators truly wanted to provide audiences an opportunity to revisit the show's narrative, however, they opted to do it creatively.

In the episode, the crew view a theatrical performance inspired by their exploits on a stage located on Ember Island, titled The Boy in the Iceberg. The whole thing is inaccurate, melodramatic, and utterly comical. It works because it plays on the characters' views of themselves, juxtaposing them compared to how society (and especially the antagonist nation) views them. It has the right amount of meta-commentary, and it becomes perhaps the finest interpretation of the show we have had.

Value and cost

Regarding worth, this represents an excellent Secret Lair due to one key factor: Braid of Fire. This particular card is valued between $20 and $40 through card retailers as of now, while for $29.99 you can snag the entire Secret Lair, or alternatively $39.99 for the premium foil treatment.

Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender collection is available during early access events beginning November 14 and debuts internationally on Nov. 21.