Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar: The Last Airbender (“MTGxATLA”) set arrives as a full Universes Beyond expansion, meaning it stands on its own as a real expansion release, not just a Secret Lair or a small reprint-collection.
It introduces four brand-new bending mechanics built around the core elements of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire, bringing Avatar theming directly into how the cards operate. But the real joy of this set isn’t just what it adds to Magic, it’s who it invites to the table.
A Set Built for Play AND Fandom
Where other Magic expansions pull inspiration from original worlds, MTGxATLA pulls from something already burned into our brains:
✔ Epic duels
✔ Beloved animal hybrids
✔ Emotional character arcs
✔ Unforgettable companion moments
And Wizards of the Coast embraces that love by giving the cards flavour text and bending-inspired gameplay instructions, helping long-time fans immediately recognise the references, feelings, and personalities of each character.
Some of the most exciting inclusions for fans are the Source Material Cards: cards that reuse or recreate direct visuals and moments from the animation and world of Avatar, giving collectors and franchise fans the thrill of seeing their childhood scenes on actual Magic cards.
There’s also the return of Allies, a fan-favourite team-synergy creature type, that hasn’t had a major reappearance like this since Oath of the Gatewatch, perfectly representing the ensemble power of the Four Nations.
The Perfect MTG Gateway for the Four Nations of Fans
This MTGxATLA release includes two major entry points specifically catering to new and casual players.
Jumpstart Boosters
Jumpstart packs are 20-card themed boosters that each behave like a small curated half-deck. How they work:
- Open 2 Jumpstart boosters
- Shuffle them together
- Play instantly as a 40-card casual deck
You don’t need anything else to have a game. No Commanders or additional tools necessary.
There are 46 possible Jumpstart themes in the pool, each themed around a character, Nation, element, or battlefield identity. Here are some examples of the MTGxATLA themes:
- Aang, Airbending Master
- Katara, Waterbending Master
- Fire Nation
- Earthbending
- Iroh
- Swordmaster
- Hei Bai (Spirit of Balance)
(and dozens more Nation- and element-driven identities, all inside the full 46-theme pool)
Avatar Beginner Box
The Beginner Box is a starter product, explicitly designed to teach new players using Avatar theming. Inside the Beginner Box you’ll get
- 10 Themed Jumpstart half-decks
- Two (2) of these Jumpstart half-decks are tutorial decks and are designed to be played against each other.
- Each half-deck includes 20 cards. Shuffle two together and play!
- 5 Non-foil tokens
- 2 Gameboard playmats
- 2 “How to Play” guides
- 2 Reference cards
- 2 Spindown dice
- 1 Reference guide booklet
This makes it one of the most new-player friendly Magic releases ever printed, especially for Avatar fans who’ve never touched a Magic card before.
Nothing says welcome to Magic like being handed tiles to sort by Nation and element instead of memorising abstract rules.
Art, Foils, and Fan-Service That Makes the Set Pop
The MTGxATLA set offers huge appeal for fans and collectors with confirmed cosmetic treatments like:
- Nation-style Showcase Frames (matching each element’s artistic identity)
- Full-art basic lands themed around Appa and the world of Aang
- Battle-pose cards, including Collector-exclusive textless Neon Ink foils
- Borderless scene cards that form combined, panoramic moments
And unlike a purely mechanical reprint set, Wizards made sure the flavour text captures the emotional pull of the series, leaning into:
- animal companions like Momo & Appa
- dramatic turning points like Agni Kai
- spirit and worldbuilding moments we immediately recognise
It’s designed to make fans go: “Wait, that scene is a Magic card now?” And that’s exactly the magic of it (pun intended).
Final Verdict: Just Plain Fun
MTGxATLA delivers on exactly what a Universes Beyond set should do:
- Feel like a real Magic expansion
- Respect the world it represents
- Give fans instant nostalgia and excitement
- Introduce new mechanically named bending effects without overwhelming first-timers
- Bring back fan-favourites like Jumpstart and beginner learning products
- Shower collectors with framework variety
- Bridge fandom and gameplay in a way completely unique to this universe
For Magic veterans, this set offers fresh mechanics and familiar foundation through reprints. For Avatar fans, this set is a full-blown bending hype package.
It’s perfect for fans and casual Magic players like myself because you don’t have to know everything about the stack to enjoy the set and the experience. You just have to love the world and that excitement that it brings.