Standard Set Review - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender, the final expansion of 2025, has arrived. Magic's collaboration with Nickelodeon brings with it the universe of the famous 2000s animated series and iconic characters such as Avatar Aang, Katara the Fearless, Zuko Conflicted, and Sokka, Bold Boomeranger, as well as Toph, the First Metalbender, with numerous memorable moments and lore elements from this universe.

For Standard, the set represents a second rotation cycle: the November 10th bans considerably impacted the Metagame, and while players adapt to the changes, Avatar arrives, bringing a dozen cards with competitive potential—and in this article, we present the main highlights of the expansion!

Airbender Ascension functions as a cheap bounce when it enters, both to reuse an ETB and to delay the opponent's clock or remove a blocker from the path. In go-wide Aggro decks and/or decks with many ETB effects and Cosmogrand Zenith, it's easy to enable the enchantment's four counters, where it becomes a recurring Blink effect.

It may deserve testing in decks with Novice Inspector and Spyglass Siren, or perhaps even alongside Overlord of the Mistmoors and other ETBs in Selesnya Cage.

Airbender's Reversal is a targeted removal spell that doubles as a way to protect a creature from a sweeper. It may deserve sideboard slots.

Appa, Steadfast Guardian is reminiscent of cards like Restoration Angel, but with extra steps: Airbend all your creatures isn't as valuable as blinking, but it protects them from sweepers more efficiently. Furthermore, a 3/4 body with Flying and Flash still has some value in the 2025 Standard.

Avatar’s Wrath is almost a sweeper for Midrange decks. If you choose the right creature to keep, this card becomes a potential win condition, as it removes all blockers for a turn or two.

Interesting sideboard piece. Curious Farm Animals is a good tool to keep both Aggro decks and archetypes that are too reliant on specific artifacts or enchantments in check for the same slot.

Honorable mention for the possibility of Secrets of Strixhaven offering a Lessonboard. Enter the Avatar State offers a keyword soup that can win games in a deck geared towards go big in the style of Heroic or Auras, but it's worth remembering that it doesn't offer Indestructible.

Spectacular Spider-Man is a better protection against sweepers and removals outside a list more dedicated to Allies, so Hakoda, Selfless Commander has very limited space in Standard.

Recently, a deck running Dazzling Theater achieved some results and appeared in Leagues. Invasion Reinforcements is a good complement to Resolute Reinforcements in this archetype.

The Legend of Yangchen is reminiscent of Elspeth Conquers Death, except that its second chapter is almost useless in most cases if you don't use cards that prevent extra card draws and/or punish them in some way. The 4/5 body with Flying and the Airbend on the second cast of each turn might be worth testing.

Momo, Friendly Flier and Air Nomad Legacy are two tools that contribute to an Azorius Fliers deck in Standard, which should remain at a casual level but offers the exact role of fun accessibility for novice players.

Now that Screaming Nemesis has been banned, cards like Razor Rings gain more value in combating Red Aggro, as they double as damage and life gain for a low cost.

Potentially one of the best Allies enablers in Standard today. Any list of this archetype needs to start with four copies of South Pole Voyager.

Suki, Courageous Rescuer seems a bit stuck in a design from half a decade ago, but she has a decent body, the ability to increase the power of your creatures, and interacts with both Bounce and Airbending effects, as well as opponent's removal spells—it deserves slots and testing, especially in archetypes using Clue and Treasure tokens, which also trigger her ability.

United Front is very versatile: for two mana, it permanently increases the power of your entire board, while in the late-game, it can restore your board position, making it a potential staple now that other non-red Aggro categories can exist.

Potential staple. There are enough Lessons in Avatar to create a Midrange/Control archetype that can extract the most from Accumulate Wisdom, and the possibility of Secrets of Strixhaven bringing more cards with this mechanic makes this glorified Anticipate almost as good as a Stock Up — or even better with the appropriate concessions.

Abhorrent Oculus is a better card, but there are times when we really want more targets for Helping Hand, and Benevolent River Spirit does a good impression of Murktide Regent if we can circumvent its Waterbending conditions.

A bounce that works against the opponent's permanents but generates a draw if used on one of your creatures? Perfect.

Boomerang Basics will compete with the flexibility of Into the Flood Maw by being a sorcery, but archetypes with relevant ETBs will definitely use it as a cantrip that generates extra value.

With Spyglass Siren and other cards that generate tokens and/or have enough creatures, Crashing Wave becomes an efficient tempo play. It could see play in both Azorius Aggro and Simic Counters and might even deserve some testing slots in Dimir Midrange.

The Legend of Kuruk seems like a good tool for attrition games: besides filtering the top of the deck and offering card advantage, its transformed side can create snowballs of hard-to-block creatures for each spell cast. Potential sideboard card for Izzet/Jeskai/Azorius, and may deserve a slot or two in the main deck.

Unless my interpretation is wrong, The Mechanist, Aerial Artisan is great with Simulacrum Synthesizer, since, in addition to transforming the Golems into 3/1s, it doesn't remove the other abilities from the tokens, granting them Flying while they still gain +1/+1 for each artifact in play — which the new creature also provides with each non-creature spell cast.

Secret of Bloodbending has one of the most specific effects in Magic and one that has never been used in blue before. Disregarding Waterbending because its cost is too high, paying four mana to control the opponent's combat can create very unfavorable situations for them.

Between Waterbending Scroll and Serpent of the Pass, it's worth considering a Mono Blue Tempo as a budget deck in this new Standard season alongside Tolarian Terror and Eddymurk Crab.

Cards like Spirit Water Revival are usually good in Standard: it does something useful—unfortunately as a sorcery—and, if its additional cost is paid, it does something better.

The competition, however, is too fierce with Stock Up and Consult the Star Charts.

Ty Lee, Chi Blocker also seems like a dated design, but it can work as a Tempo play to remove a blocker from the path on a crucial turn. Surely a card I intend to playtest a lot once the set comes out.

With Proft’s Eidetic Memory out of the way, The Unagi of Kyoshi Island loses a good portion of the viability it would have in Standard, but it's still a powerful tool against Dimir Midrange with Enduring Curiosity, protects itself absurdly well against most removal spells, and can grow in the format as Wan Shi Tong, Librarian solidifies in the Metagame.

Speaking of Wan Shi Tong, the best way to consider it in the format today is as a mix of Hydroid Krasis with a cheap threat: it is, in essence, a source of advantage in cards that require huge chunks of mana to work, but the flexibility of cost, body, and Flash also makes it a decent two-drop when we want to use the Ninjutsu of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares or pressure the opponent.

Today, there aren't many archetypes that search for cards in the deck in Standard outside of Landfall lists, but even without that punishing effect, this could be one of the most powerful Avatar cards for Standard—and a guaranteed staple for other formats.

Waterbender Ascension has potential, but Enduring Curiosity is a better card for any archetype that would want this enchantment in their lists.

Because we always need more ways to cheat Omniscience into play, right?

Day of Black Sun is a flexible sweeper that deals with death triggers before destroying creatures. The fact that it deals with creature tokens for the cost of may also matter in the future.

We've seen Zero Point Ballad see play in the sideboard of some lists, and the new sweeper seems better for most cases.

Epic Downfall saw play last time it was legal and even became a Maindeck card. Perhaps the same will happen with the reprint, but at the very least, it will be a Sideboard staple.

A vehicle that does more than just threaten and has an immediate impact always deserves attention. The Fire Nation Drill can deal with a creature while also transforming into a 6/3 with Trample at a low crew cost, and its ability to remove indestructible and Hexproof may matter in the future.

Without Proft’s Eidetic Memory, Heartless Act may gain more space in the Metagame, but it will still be a difficult card to use against Ouroboroid and other archetypes that put many counters on their creatures.

It could be conditional and appear as a one-of, or it could be the Go for the Throat of this season — it will depend on how the Metagame behaves after the adaptation of the Avatar cards.

Koh, the Face Stealer would have a combo with Vivi Ornitier, but fortunately we don't need to worry about that, but rather about the fact that it's a 6/6 that removes a creature when it enters and can copy its abilities for the low cost of one life.

Copying cards like the Overlords, or Raven Eagle, or Quantum Riddler, Elegy Acolyte, or literally anything in between already makes this card very flexible—except for the high mana cost required to cast it.

Potential staple if the Metagame becomes a grindfest, potential sideboard piece for the Golgari mirror match, and complementary threat to Dimir Control.

Mai, Scornful Striker requires a specific base to function as a maindeck card: an Aggro deck that can pressure the opponent while punishing their plays in some way, perhaps alongside Scalding Viper and similar cards.

In a vacuum, however, it's possible to consider it as a sideboard piece similar to Kambal, Consul of Allocation for Spellslinger decks and also against Omniscience, except that it's relatively easy to answer due to its small cost of two life.

Potential staple. Obsessive Pursuit offers risks somewhat similar to those of Proft’s Eidetic Memory and Up the Beanstalk: it will get better with each sacrifice interaction we have, and it's not like there aren't already cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER and various Clue and Map producers for its triggers.

By far, the card I'll have the most fun trying to build around.

Potential staple. Phoenix Fleet Airship theoretically has the same problem as Obsessive Pursuit, but requires significant effort to function.

In a vacuum, however, it's a much better card because it already guarantees, with a sacrifice on the same turn it enters, eight power with a low crew cost, and easily accumulates to the point of becoming an almost unbeatable win condition.

Staple. Raven Eagle is almost an upgrade to Graveyard Trespasser and similar cards. It may not protect itself as well, but its body provides evasion, and the extra draws from the clues it creates in each combat make it a powerful source of card advantage.

A Damnation combined with Cranial Extraction and accompanied by a 5/5 with Menace that allows you to reanimate creatures in each combat is a lot in one card, even at the high cost of six mana and three turns.

The Rise of Sozin can be another powerful addition to Dimir Control and something you can expect from Golgari decks as well, even if in the sideboard for longer games.

Sneaky Snacker at home. It can create interesting interactions with looting effects, but it's far from reaching the same power level.

Combustion Technique is another card that favors Lessons and enables an archetype with Accumulate Wisdom, where it grows in damage according to the number of Lessons in the graveyard, in addition to exiling creatures.

It can see play both inside and outside this archetype, depending on how much an exile effect is needed at instant speed.

Between Hired Claw and Voice of Victory, in addition to the various cards with Firebending, there are enough reasons to try building a deck around Firebender Ascension, especially because of its low-cost and wide ability to easily snowball all triggers against opponents.

Currently, it seems uncertain if this is the path for Red Aggro, but it's an option to keep an eye on.

Firebending Lesson might not deal damage to the opponent, but the increased damage to five on the Kicker and the Lesson subtype could make a difference in the right archetype, or if we get Lessonboards in the future.

Social media loves to use cards like Firebending Student to exemplify the most absurd god hands to claim that Standard is broken. Yes, a three-power pump generates five mana with it. Yes, the card can be playable in Prowess lists, and yes, there are many Instants we can play with that Firebending mana—and none of that makes this card broken.

It might be worth slots, but as far as Prowess decks are concerned today, Firebending Student seems worse than Drake Hatcher, but it might see play in versions with Leyline of Resonance.

Iroh’s Demonstration is another flexible card among the Lessons and deals with both an army of X/1 and a larger creature. Potential sideboard tool, or even a maindeck if Dimir Midrange demands that kind of answer due ot its high amount of small creatures.

The Last Agni Kai is a powerful combat trick that allows you to use the mana from Firebending to cast cards in your main phase. It can be a bit too conditional in games against Midrange and Control, but it's a good tool in Aggro mirrors.

Price of Freedom offers a flexible answer against Manlands and Artifacts. Potential sideboard staple.

Ran and Shaw is an effective payoff for Lessons, but shouldn't see play outside this archetype.

Redirect Lightning is another in a series of effects that have gradually appeared more frequently in red: the ability to redirect spells and abilities to other cards first appeared in this color in Standard with Bolt Bend and was recently reused in Return the Favor and Untimely Malfunction.

Currently, there don't seem to be any applications for this card in the Metagame, but it's an important piece that could become a sideboard staple.

There might be some absurd interaction with Sozin's Comet and activated abilities and/or instant spells, but none seem to break the card at the moment due to the high need for creatures on the board to generate absurd amounts of mana.

Staple.

The current version of Red Aggro in Standard uses, on average, only six nonbasic lands, and this could be even fewer if Zhao, the Moon Slayer turns out to be good enough—and speaking of which, lists no longer need to play two-drops like Razorkin Needlehead or Scalding Viper and can look for more suitable creatures.

Zhao offers this option: even if only for one turn, the possibility of delaying the opponent's two-drop or third while possessing a body with Menace already does a lot in ensuring that they connect for at least two combat phases, and anything that comes in the following turns is a bonus.

Avatar Destiny is an interesting card to build around, and I can imagine some self-mill archetype with Diamond Weapon and other creatures that care about cards in the graveyard using one or two copies of it, but it shouldn't become a staple.

Badgermole Cub seems very strong, but it needs the right home. As a base, it already guarantees ramp with Llanowar Elves and the land transformed into a creature, guarantees two bodies with different powers for Collector's Cage, and also allows some interactions with lands that sacrifice themselves for some effect.

It doesn't have the mold of a staple of the current Standard season, but it could surprise.

An alternate version of Harrow is excellent support for Landfall decks and helps fix mana for other strategies.

Diligent Zookeeper will be hilarious alongside creatures with Changeling in Lorwyn Eclipsed, but until then, its usability is quite limited.

The Earth King does a little bit of everything: it grants six power for four mana, has a payoff to trigger more Landfall instances, and also benefits from the permanent power increase of Bristly Bill, Spine Sower or Sazh’s Chocobo to create snowballs where three or more lands are searched in the same turn, enabling possible one-hit kills with Tifa Lockhart.

Earthen Ally is the perfect one-drop for Ally decks. Its Earthbending ability shouldn't be used too often.

Origin of Metalbending deals with artifacts and enchantments in the same slot where it protects a creature. May deserve a spot in the Sideboard.

After years, Rampant Growth returns to Standard with a new name and subtype. The existence of a two-mana Ramp that also functions as colorfixing used to enable Midrange variants with higher curves and bring distinct Ramp variants.

But Shared Roots has new challenges: competing with Overlord of the Hauntwoods and Yuna, Hope of Spira in the Big Mana slot, and being worth the "dead card" slot in the late-game for Midrange decks with green, which today have a very compact curve between Llanowar Elves, Sentinel of the Nameless City and Ouroboroid.

Potential Staple. The best way to look at Aang, at the Crossroads is as if it were a Collected Company with some pros and cons: it has more color requirements, costs one more mana, and can only be cast on your turn, but it can bring with it any creature with a mana value of four or less and also transforms into a 4/4 with Flying that offers a constant stream of threats on the board.

That seems like a lot of value for a single card; it just needs to find the right home for it.

Potential Staple. Aang, Swift Savior is reminiscent of Spell Queller and Aven Interrupter while also interacting with the board to remove blockers and enable proactive Tempo plays.

The transformed side, while having a very high cost, can be paid for by tapping creatures and artifacts, or it becomes a late-game bonus for Control/Midrange archetypes, making this version of Aang extremely versatile for different game plans.

Avatar Aang requires too much work to function in Standard, and its base value is too low for its color requirements.

Bumi Unleashed offers nine power in a card for five mana and the possibility of guaranteeing an extra combat with the land it transforms and also with cards like Soulstone Sanctuary.

It's worth some testing or even building some lists around this interaction, but it appears that the times when a lot of power for five mana was a sign of a future staple are over.

Earth King’s Lieutenant, as the name suggests, is a Thalia’s Lieutenant for allies. Excellent for the archetype, but the linearity of the subtype should limit its use.

There are some absurd things we can do with Fire Lord Azula: a Grixis Midrange/Control list running many Instants can take advantage of combat to cast removals and force two-for-one trades or even use cards like Consult the Star Charts to generate rivers of card advantage.

The lack of built-in protection, immediate impact, or the need to build a list around it may limit its use in Standard.

Fire Lord Zuko interacts with Airbending, Plot, Foretell, and any future mechanics that work with exile. Currently, it doesn't seem like a very impactful card, but it has future potential.

Iroh, Grand Lotus is another efficient Lessons enabler in Standard, and despite the lack of protection, paying to cast any of them from your graveyard is a lot of accumulated value in a single card, while it also provides a half-Lier, Disciple of the Drowned for other spells.

With another creature with Firebending in play, Ozai, the Phoenix King has a very short window of response for the opponent: just attack, generate mana, and you have a 7/7 with Indestructible, Haste, which becomes the best friend of Electro, Assaulting Battery.

It has potential but requires a specific archetype to work.

Sandbender Scavengers enables some interactions in Orzhov Sacrifice by resorting to creatures, and is at the appropriate cost to be reanimated with Raise the Past if we don't want to exile it the first time.

Sokka, Bold Boomeranger would be a potential staple if Proft’s Eidetic Memory had remained in Standard. Now, it doesn't seem like a good enabler as its body is somewhat irrelevant compared to other options.

We've seen this design before with Monastery Mentor and other cards, but Sokka, Tenacious Tactician has too many color requirements and a dependence on tokens being in play to be relevant.

Good card to build around, can dominate games and be worth sideboard slots in a Jeskai Control deck as a threat to games where we want to populate the board with small creatures, but shouldn't build a strategy on its own.

Someone will try to make Planetarium of Wan Shi Tong work alongside Surveil Lands and other cards that naturally interact with this mechanic, and it might even work, but I believe that Standard has enough tools to deal with this archetype, and seven mana to play a free spell is a major undertaking compared to other cards with similar themes, such as Aetherworks Marvel.

Abandoned Air Temple seems to be the best of the cycle for Standard. Its activated ability will be essential for aggressive go wide archetypes or Midrange decks that care about board position and creatures in play.

Decks like Azorius Aggro using cheap one-drops, Warden of the Inner Sky and Cosmogrand Zenith are examples of strategies that easily benefit from the new white land, since a 2/2 or 3/3 Spyglass Siren already does an impressive job of pressuring the board even in longer games.

The same can be said of other Midrange decks that also run Cosmogrand Zenith, such as Orzhov Bounce, and even an Azorius Bounce list might show up running Boomerang Basics and Aang, Swift Savior.

Agna Qel’a should have a sure home in most reactive two-color archetypes, and perhaps even deserves a slot in lists like Jeskai Oculus and Jeskai Control.

In Standard, Ba Sing Se seems the least impressive of the Avatar lands, but it can function as a slow, alternative win condition for archetypes with greens, especially if there are more interactions with +1/+1 counters in future releases.

Fire Nation Palace is difficult to evaluate as the Firebending ability is mechanically unique in several aspects: essentially, we're paying three mana to add four that are only available during combat and therefore can only be used on instant spells, cards with Flash, and activated abilities.

The mechanic interacts with Electro, Assaulting Battery, where Fire Nation Palace grants extra red mana each turn, while also accumulating resources to deal damage to the opponent if Electro is destroyed, but cards like Soulstone Sanctuary are also enabled by the temporary "ramp".

Realm of Koh is a potential staple for Orzhov Ketramose, as well as a useful tool for Mono Black Midrange and other archetypes like Golgari or even Dimir.

We shouldn't underestimate the potential of a land that creates tokens that, in theory, can't be easily blocked and generate more fodder for Fountainport or interactions with effects that require creatures. Furthermore, its ability can be activated at instant-speed, allowing for reactive plays and also, if necessary, adding another recurring damage threat to the board if nothing is worth answering that turn.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thank you for reading!