The Avatar: The Last Airbender Magic: The Gathering set has just released and we're suddenly starting to see a significant impact on the secondary market. Some of the top MTG Allies cards are getting pricier, but the most significant shifts involve cards that work well with the new firebending ability.
If you haven't engaged with this release yet, I'll quickly explain the mechanic. Firebending is a keyword attached to creatures, always followed by a number. When a creature with firebending attacks, it adds red mana to your mana pool, equal to its firebending value. Following the normal rules of Magic, the mana pool empties between phases, so you usually have to spend that mana during combat - on instants, cards with flash, or abilities.
There are some fantastic Avatar The Last Airbender commanders that use firebending, including Fire Lord Zuko; Ozai, the Phoenix King; and Fire Lord Azula - all in the top 8 for this set. And it's these commanders in particular that are causing cards like Ashling, Flame Dancer to spike hard.
Ashling was priced at just $3.20 when Avatar preview season began, but now the cheapest copies go for $8.50, and the rise shows no signs of slowing down.
Ashling has two abilities that synergize with the new set. Firstly 'You don't lose unspent red mana as steps and phases end'. This is obviously great with firebending, since it makes your temporary mana boosts permanent, allowing you to spend them on whatever you like, or even save them for another turn.
It's great with Ozai as basically a second version of your commander's ability, letting you build up a reservoir of mana when your commander's not even on the field. It's great with Firelord Zuko too, since he can create such a huge amount of mana that it becomes genuinely hard to spend it all. And it works with Azula too - though for her, Ashling's second ability is more crucial.
This ability triggers when you cast or copy an instant or sorcery, and rewards you for doing so multiple times in one turn, first letting you loot, then firing off a miniature board wipe, and then making mana. Azula's firebending, plus her ability to copy any spell you cast while she's attacking, makes triggering all three effects completely effortless.
So Ashling is great with three popular new MTG commanders, and is probably a pretty fun commander to play all by herself with the new firebending cards, which is why this creature is all set to rocket up in price. Funnily enough, this is the second Ashling card to spike in the past month - though they're doing so for very different reasons.
Ashling isn't the only card rising like the sun with the superior element. Other cards that have started to lift include Doubling Cube, which doubles mana in the pool; and Braid of Fire, which makes more and more red mana over the course of a game. In general, if you like Big Red decks, Christmas has come early!
What's your favorite commander in the new Avatar set? Let us know on the Wargamer Discord.