Potential Commander Staples in Avatar: The Last Airbender
History, Restapled: To Airbend Is Human
Welcome back for another History, Restapled, a Commander-focused column that attempts to validate a newer card’s status as a staple by looking at how cards that are similar, synergistic, or competing have fared in the past financially.
But lest we forget,
There’s still plenty to discover about Avatar, and I’m here to aid these efforts with some cards worth price-tracking before others catch on. Here are some cards well worth picking up.
Phoenix Fleet Airship - $3.50
YouTube streamer Aspiringspike has been testing Phoenix Fleet Airship in Modern since it was first previewed, and has marveled at how quickly the card pops off, sometimes with only a Fetchland or two. Often, the card comes down just before the end step, copying itself moments later to increase its resiliency right away. It’s hard to believe that the full potential of this card in Modern has already been realized.
Though Commander remains the game’s most popular format and primary price-driver, Modern often causes cards that might be graded a B+ in Commander to hold stronger financial value than might be warranted in a multiplayer format. Recent examples include
Phoenix Fleet Airship is absolutely one of these cards. It maintains strong potential to proliferate across a board state thanks to the plethora of sacrifices that occur during a typical Commander game, but feels a bit more fragile in a format where mass artifact removal is quite common. Still, the card is a brewer’s paradise that’s likely to become more expensive if it starts putting in real results in Modern. It’s well worth grabbing at least a playset for speculation purposes.
STATUS: Niche staple with potential to grow
| Phoenix Fleet Airship | ||
| Phoenix Fleet Airship (Borderless) |
Fire Nation Palace - $2.50
Of Avatar’s cycle of lands that enter untapped if we control a basic, Fire Nation Palace is one of the weakest. It can’t compete with the utility of
At its core, it represents a small ritual effect so long as we use the mana within our attack step. Sounds difficult, but consider that Commander contains plenty of abilities begging to be activated at instant speed, plus plenty of actual instant spells to cast. This ritual effect feels more usable when we look at the actual cards we’re running.
Fire Nation Palace’s $2.50 price feels accurate for the moment, but give it time. It offers free mana, ultimately the secret to winning Commander games, and unlocks the card’s potential to crawl up in financial value.
STATUS: Staple-in-waiting
| Fire Nation Palace | ||
| Fire Nation Palace (Extended Art) |
Firebender Ascension - $1.50
Wizards of the Coast knows many Commander players want to win via combat, which is why they print so many powerful cards with attack triggers, especially in Mardu colors; of the top 10 Mardu commanders, eight of them have to do with the attack step.
If your deck is red and you care about attacking, Firebender Ascension is the staple you’ve been waiting for. It produces a token that triggers when it attacks, then the card can start doubling attack triggers right away with the right board state. It’s insane just how much value can be accumulated by this two-mana enchantment. ETB, eat your heart out.
Considering
STATUS: Attack staple
| Firebender Ascension | ||
| Firebender Ascension (Borderless) |
The Mechanist, Aerial Artisan - $0.25
Good god, this card is ridiculously undervalued. Creating a Clue token each time we cast a noncreature spell is bonkers in blue, a color known for cheap cantrips and zero-mana artifact payoffs. And, lest we forget,
The Mechanist’s second ability, which transforms an artifact token into a 3/1 flyer until end of turn, doesn’t seem like much, but can be a great defensive move. Also, all those Clue tokens become deadly with
In short, The Mechanist can end games, which isn’t something most bulk rares can claim. The opportunity cost for speculating on this card is very low.
STATUS: blue artifact staple
| The Mechanist, Aerial Artisan | ||
| The Mechanist, Aerial Artisan (Extended Art) |
Dark Side of the Moon
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Steve Heisler
Steve Heisler is a writer and pop culture journalist covering comedy, games, television, film and the tech industry. His work has been published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Variety, The AV Club, Fast Company and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began collecting Magic cards during Fourth Edition and plays Commander and Modern primarily. He also enjoys tennis, the Dark Souls family of video games and supporting live comedy. He lives in Chicago with his cat, Rosie.