Katara, Bending ProdigyKatara, Bending Prodigy | Illustrated by Mephisto

If there's one thing Magic: the Gathering players like more than drawing a card, it's drawing multiple cards, and doing so for (effectively) free. Katara, Bending ProdigyKatara, Bending Prodigy, arriving in the upcoming Avatar: Last Airbender set, will runneth over your card draw cup, turn after turn, until your hand is full, your board is flooded, and your thirst for enemy blood is finally quenched.

I entered into this deckbuilding excursion with next to no knowledge about Avatar but with the belief that convoke is one of the strongest abilities in Commander. Today, I emerge a disciple of Katara's water-bending ways and finally understand why they named a film Avatar: The Way of Water.

…maybe that's the wrong Avatar…

What Does Katara, Bending Prodigy Do?

Katara boasts the set's new waterbend ability that blends the payment-reduction of convoke and improvise into a rejuvenating concoction. Each creature and artifact you tap while paying a waterbend cost reduces the payment by one colorless mana. So, while Katara asks for a steep six-mana payment, it's rare that you'll actually pay full price; heck, you can tap Katara herself the turn she enters for an immediate discount on her card draw. She further incentivizes this line of play by adding a +1/+1 counter to herself if she remains tapped at the end of your turn, resulting in a draw engine that can also inflict serious water damage to opponents.

Katara's go-wide card draw style resembles a fair number of mono-blue commanders, many of which make an appearance in the below deck's 99. Azami, Lady of ScrollsAzami, Lady of Scrolls asks for very little to begin drawing cards, but she requires stricter deckbuilding that prioritizes Wizards over all else. Minn, Wily IllusionistMinn, Wily Illusionist seems to also adhere to a particular kindred spirit, but as I've found, a Minn deck running few Illusion creatures can still dish out some very real damage if you bring your own card draw sources. The Watcher in the WaterThe Watcher in the Water similarly trades tokens for card draw but will likely spend much of the game tapped, contributing to combat only from afar.

While these commanders prescribe their optimal play patterns, that's just not how Katara flows. Her decks can lean into creatures, artifacts, or both; her +1/+1 counter ability can read as either flavor text or a way to end games. Ultimately, I went with something in the middle of these axes that plays out like a whirlpool: starting slow, then expediting an advantage as the game ventures into the blimey deep.

Key Cards for Katara, Bending Prodigy

This take on Katara utilizes two types of token-producers to sail away with the W. To start, her waterbending ability doesn't care which sorts of artifacts or creatures you tap, so I began by filling the deck with cards that provide the highest number of upfront tokens for the lowest mana cost possible:

• Spyglass SirenSpyglass Siren and Hard EvidenceHard Evidence trade a single blue pip for two tappable permanents. Did it feel good to unironically slot Hard Evidence into this mix? You bet your waterbending behind.
• I wasn't wild about many of the two-mana options but went with Bumbleflower's SharepotBumbleflower's Sharepot because it can double as a straight-up removal spell, something rare for mono-blue.
• At three mana, I wanted the cards to either offer utility or produce multiple tokens at once. Not many cards fit the bill, but Aether ChannelerAether Channeler and Storm Fleet NegotiatorStorm Fleet Negotiator made the cut.
• I capped this section at four mana because by this point in the game, I'd hope to have one of my draw-based token-generator online to do the heavy lifting. Canoptek Scarab SwarmCanoptek Scarab Swarm, Ethereal InvestigatorEthereal Investigator, and Master of WavesMaster of Waves can provide enough bodies to instantly draw you a card off Katara with little additional support.

The deck's other token-generators trigger when cards are drawn, enabling you to escalate your card draw exponentially:

• Emrakul's MessengerEmrakul's Messenger, Mischievous MysticMischievous Mystic, Thopter FabricatorThopter Fabricator, Detective of the MonthDetective of the Month, Minn, Wily Illusionist, Alandra, Sky DreamerAlandra, Sky Dreamer, and Homunculus HordeHomunculus Horde create high-value tokens when you draw your second card for the turn.
• The Watcher in the WaterThe Watcher in the Water, Ominous SeasOminous Seas, and Chasm SkulkerChasm Skulker produce tokens via card draw, as well, but each carries its own restrictions.

This deck's selection of ramp spells doesn't include Sol RingSol Ring but does contain a few Sol Ring-esque effects to use in activating Katara's ability. Omen HawkerOmen Hawker, Training GroundsTraining Grounds, and James, Wandering DadJames, Wandering Dad reduce Katara's card draw cost by two; plus, James can overwhelm your board with Clues at instant speed. There were other options available, such as The Enigma JewelThe Enigma Jewel and Thran TurbineThran Turbine, but in playtesting, these often sat on the battlefield providing little value. In addition to the usual selection of mana rocks, I also wanted to run Dauntless ScrapbotDauntless Scrapbot as a way to snag a bonus token.

Katara provides plenty of card draw, but I wanted some additional sources to trigger my token-generators in the absence of Katara... and to, you know, draw more sweet, sweet cards:

• A few sources aligned themselves closely with Katara's strategy, like Toothy, Imaginary FriendToothy, Imaginary Friend, Defiler of DreamsDefiler of Dreams, Ghostly PilfererGhostly Pilferer, and Mechan NavigatorMechan Navigator fit the bill.
• Others were too strong to ignore, including Nezahal, Primal TideNezahal, Primal Tide, Teferi's Ageless InsightTeferi's Ageless Insight, SkullclampSkullclamp, and the new StarwinderStarwinder.
• Mystic ConfluenceMystic Confluence, Three Steps AheadThree Steps Ahead, and Season of WeavingSeason of Weaving fold modal card draw into a reliable source of removal.
• MulldrifterMulldrifter and NulldrifterNulldrifter are somewhat modal, as well, offering card draw and evasive bodies.
• Unstoppable PlanUnstoppable Plan lets you double your Katara triggers almost immediately.

How Does This Katara, Bending Prodigy Commander Deck Win?

Once Katara is online, this deck wants to overwhelm its opponents with card advantage and an ever-growing token army to either get in some damage or continue the windfall of card draw:

• Many of these tokens have flying, and cards like Eldrazi MonumentEldrazi Monument, Alandra, Sky DreamerAlandra, Sky Dreamer, Lyla, Holographic AssistantLyla, Holographic Assistant, and Proft's Eidetic MemoryProft's Eidetic Memory expedite their growth.
• WonderWonder, Reverse the PolarityReverse the Polarity, and Sun Quan, Lord of WuSun Quan, Lord of Wu push even more damage through with evasive anthem effects. I'm falling in love with Reverse the Polarity and can't wait to see how it fares in this deck.
• If all else fails, there's always Psychosis CrawlerPsychosis Crawler, a card I mostly dislike but one with no analogous effect outside of black.

All that said, this isn't the kind of deck that will win in a single alpha strike. Instead, it floods your hand, and the board, with resources, wearing your opponents down until they have no choice but to give into the riptide.

Katara, Bending Prodigy Commander Decklist

The Way of Water

This decklist is likely going to ebb and flow as previews for Avatar continue later this year. I'm sure there are plenty of waterbending cards on the horizon, including many support cards for this strategy. For the time being, this mid-power take on Katara can hang in Bracket 3 pods and can easily be powered up or down by adding/subtracting a few staples.

Let me know what you think! Does this deck do the character of Katara justice? What do you think of the new waterbend ability? Let's keep the convo going in the comments.