The first big wave of Avatar the Last Airbender MTG spoilers are here, and while the mechanics are intriguing all-around, there's one spell in particular that is sparking excitement for red players. Redirect Lightning could see play in Modern, but it's EDH fans who are most hyped for this spell, especially those who play competitively.
A flavorful card depicting Zuko catching and, well, redirecting lightning, Redirect Lightning is a red instant that lets you change the target of a spell or ability. But while we've seen this effect at two or three mana plenty of times, Redirect Lightning can be cast for only one - it's just that you take five damage when you cast it for this cheaper cost. Catching lightning is dangerous!
But in Commander, as well all know, life is a resource. Five is a big chunk of your life to sacrifice, but if you're using this to save your MTG commander or force your win condition through a counterspell, you'll pay the price with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.
It's a huge upgrade over something like Ricochet Trap, a redirect spell that can also (sometimes) cost one mana. Firstly, Ricochet Trap is highly dependent on what your opponents are playing and secondly, it can't hit abilities.
How does the new MTG Avatar The Last Airbender card compare to Deflecting Swat, the premier redirect spell in red, and a $50 staple? Well, it's not quite as good. While Deflecting Swat only becomes free once you have your commander in play, and without that is prohibitively costly, it really wins out when it comes to flexibility.
That's because Redirect Lightning only works on spells that have a single target. You couldn't use it on a Fire Covenant or a Decimate for instance. You'll still be able to deal with most threats like instant speed removal and counterspells, but there are some abilities and spells that you won't be able to handle.
In fact, for Deflecting Swat it doesn't even matter if the spell you target has no legal targets itself, or doesn't actually target at all. This might not matter in 99.9% of cases, but the 0.1% of the time where you want to cast it on a Thassa's Oracle trigger against a player with an Esper Sentinel to make them deck themselves, it will matter a lot.
Even if it is slightly weaker overall than Deflecting Swat, there will be some decks it's better for, and loads of red cEDH players will want a copy - especially mono red decks high on the cEDH tier list like Magda. These decks already run two mana redirects like Untimely Malfunction, or even spells like Return the Favor, so they'll be champing at the bit for more protection options.
A quick PSA: Redirect spells like Redirect Lightning and Deflecting Swat only require you to target the spell or ability you want to redirect when you cast them, not whatever you want to change the target to. You only have to decide the new target once the spell starts resolving, so don't let anybody try to force the answer out of you until everyone has declared they're letting the spell resolve.
Interestingly, Redirect Lighting is a Lesson spell. That won't matter in Commander but it could be important if the spell manages to break through in Constructed. Though it has several lesson cards, Avatar TLA apparently has no cards with the keyword Learn. That means you won't be pulling strong lessons from the sideboard in Limited, but with a Strixhaven set coming up on the MTG release schedule, there'll surely be consequences for 60-card formats next year.
What do you think of the new Avatar spoilers? Let us know at the Wargamer Discord. And for a rant on a UB card that's frankly too strong, here's why I think Vivi Ornitier needs to go.