Overall, this set was a banger. I got everything on my Christmas list AND MORE because I got to prerelease with several friends from Commander playgroup. What this provides is great memories AND an opportunity to compare what I already know about their playstyles with the draft decks they picked.
I’ll review mine first: here’s the Moxfield link for my Avatar Prerelease Deck > > >
Of these cards, the card I want to talk about most is Airbender’s Ascension.
I tried to enter this prerelease blind… And failed miserably. I looked up a number of Prerelease Guides on Youtube and started bingeing. But I think the possibility of Airbending as a mechanic is kind of lost amid the noise. It is by far one of the strongest mechanics in this set, but it perfectly captures the creativity of the Airbenders depicted in the show, especially Aang.
Airbending a creature can allow us another ETB trigger for the cost of four mana, the cost of Airbender Ascension and what you must pay to cast an Airbended creature. But this ability can also be used offensively, against opponents. I understand now how Aang disposed of opponents with ease, because that’s how it felt to airbend a creature token into nonexistence.
None of the Bender Ascension cards are anything to sneeze at, but the free End Step blink that Airbender’s Ascension gives is incredible. I used an Earth Kingdom Jailer with Airbender’s Ascension to choose new removal targets at will. By blinking Earth Kingdom Jailer, you can change targets as you gain new forms of removal, like Airbending Lesson.
Aaand that’s your bonus card! Observe Airbending Lesson’s targeting of nonland permanents, which is really just a variable for a number that is ALWAYS INCREASING because Wizard’s keeps making new permanents.
You could play Airbender Ascension, to remove a creature, use Airbending lesson to Airbend the Ascension, play it again, and remove another creature. When paired with one of the most basic bombs in this set:
That’s been my experience with the Avatar prerelease. Let me know what fun interactions you had by responding to this email or commenting on this post!