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Usually, recap episodes are disliked among audiences as a pointless time filler, or sometimes tolerated as a necessity in television in the age of regular broadcasts. That wasn't always true, though Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this with "The Ember Island Players," a cherished episode in its last season now being granted a dedicated Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair release.

Details about the Secret Lair

The complete Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender collection was revealed on November 4. This includes five distinct sets, and even though the one called "My Cabbages!" is an admittedly funny homage to the show's best background character, the remaining sets appear slightly less imaginative, aside from one remarkable entry: "The Ember Island Players."

Inspired by installment 17 in the final season of the animated show, this special set features these specific cards:

• 1x Phantasmal Image portrayed as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
• 1x Braid of Fire
• 1x Cursed Mirror
• 1x Mask of Memory
• 1x Thespian's Stage

The reason this installment is special

Audiences of the show warmly cherish this episode, which acted as a summary of the protagonist Aang and his companions' journey leading up to the conclusion. Unlike typical clip shows, or compilation episodes, "The Ember Island Players" wasn't motivated from financial limitations or creative challenges. The creators truly wanted to give fans a moment to reflect on the show's narrative, but they decided to execute it with flair.

Throughout the segment, the heroes watches a play based on their exploits on a stage located on Ember Island, called The Boy in the Iceberg. The play itself is wildly exaggerated, melodramatic, and overall hilarious. It works since it plays with the heroes' understanding about themselves, setting them against against how the world (and especially the Fire Nation) sees them. It has the right amount of self-awareness, and it becomes arguably the best adaptation of the series released so far.

Value and cost

When it comes to cost-effectiveness, this represents an excellent Secret Lair because of one major element: Braid of Fire. This card is valued between $20 and $40 through card retailers at the time of writing, and for $29.99 you can obtain the entire Secret Lair, or $39.99 for the premium foil treatment.

Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender set is available for advance previews starting November 14 and debuts internationally come November 21.