Fire Lord OzaiFire Lord Ozai | Art by Ryuichi Sakuma

Dawn of the Final Week

Hello, and welcome back to this mini-series! Here, I would've said let's open another seven packs. However, there's a problem with that. This article would come out on the 26th, and everyone would be out on holidays for that week, let alone before. So, to make things easier on us (also, perhaps to the misery of the editors), we're opening the other half of the box here. Yup, we're going through 12 packs!

Also, as this is the last pack-opening part of the mini-series, I will reveal my true intentions. However, if you're a sleuth, and have been paying attention, you might've figured it out by now.

Shall we begin?

Day Thirteen

Well, well, well. We begin with a banger: The Phoenix King himself! Except, this is Ozai when we first saw him, shadowed out like some menacing figure in the shadows. While Ozai, the Phoenix KingOzai, the Phoenix King is a strong card, do not sleep on this iteration. Paying that steep six-mana cost is easier than you think, especially when you sacrifice a big enough creature. Or lots of firebending? Both?

In addition, we have some decent removal here, like Deadly PrecisionDeadly Precision, and a Heartless ActHeartless Act that'll be sure to rip out your heartstrings. I never mentioned the card earlier, but Callous InspectorCallous Inspector isn't a bad card to sacrifice, mostly because you get to crack the Clue out of it.

Unfortunately, half of the deck has been misprinted (the backs are very smeared with ink), but I won't take action for it. Misprints can be valuable to have.

Day Fourteen

Speaking of the Fire Nation (all hail), we get our first pack centered on firebending itself. With two rares, no less! The first of these is Firebender AscensionFirebender Ascension, which does a nice Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One impression once fully charged. The token that you get from the enchantment can help you get there, too.

Secondly, I must make a confession. When I first read Reckless BlazeReckless Blaze, I thought it targeted one creature, never realizing it was a wipe until I looked at the card again. This is especially good against those pesky token decks, which tends to flood the board fast. Even better, you get a red mana for each of your creatures killed this way, meaning more spells for you to cast!

Day Fifteen

Yeesh, what's with all the red decks? Is the Fire Nation coming out in force or something? This time, we have Iroh, Dragon of the WestIroh, Dragon of the West, who's actually really good with earthbending. That scenario is like a make-your-own Radha, Heir to KeldRadha, Heir to Keld, but in multiples. He'll also help bolster the smaller creatures with his mentor ability. However, he only triggers at the beginning of combat, not when you attack, which is a mistake I tend to make.

We also get two solid reprints in Bolt BendBolt Bend and Fiery ConfluenceFiery Confluence. The former is nice if you don't want to shell out your lunch money on a Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat. In addition, Confluence is actually a neat spell to have. Wipe boards, soften opponents, blow up troublesome artifacts, or maybe some combination! That cycle is a favorite of mine for good reason.

Now, can we pull some blue, pretty please?

Day Sixteen

Welp, and so begins the duplicates...except this is actually another variant. I won't spend too much time on duplicates, but we did pull the other version as our very first pack. To begin, Curious Farm AnimalsCurious Farm Animals is essentially targeted removal stapled to a dinner plate full of food. We blow up something, and gain some life. Simple.

We also get our first wipe in white with Destined ConfrontationDestined Confrontation, which is akin to Slaughter the StrongSlaughter the Strong. Outside of those, nothing much else. Next!

Day Seventeen

...and we're back with red yet again. Le sigh. That said, we do get a good rare in Smellerbee, Rebel FighterSmellerbee, Rebel Fighter, who wheels our hand equal to the number of attacking creatures. Neat card draw if we're planning to go wide. This deck actually makes me wonder about the secondary theme to red in this set as a whole. We obviously have firebending, but what would be a good fit for the other? Aggro? Stompy, like green? What do you think?

Day Eighteen

Ok, time for a creepypasta story. Weeks ago, I had an intrusive thought that didn't go away. The thought essentially declared that I pulled both Toph and Azula. Considering I pulled the former last week, and now I pull Azula... creepy stuff.

Anyway, I find Azula, Ruthless FirebenderAzula, Ruthless Firebender the trickiest to accrue experience counters for within an ATLA-only premise, since it relies on you to run certain cards to hit as many opponents as you can. We do get Dark DealDark Deal, so that helps. At the very least, we can discard cards ourselves to get a counter per turn, but that isn't saying much.

I'll admit I also underestimated Lo and Li, Twin TutorsLo and Li, Twin Tutors in the same context. I'd say there's a fair chance we'll be running enough Lesson cards to make them work. Also, they can tutor for Azula herself. Flavor!

Day Nineteen

Darn. I was hoping for the version that had Guru PathikGuru Pathik, but here we are. That said, we do get to see Master's GuidanceMaster's Guidance again, and I already shared my impressions of the card last week. Having a second one might be useful...but I digress. We also get a nice recursion card in True AncestryTrue Ancestry, which is nice, being a Lesson card and all. Beyond these, nothing much else to it.

Day Twenty

Oooh boy, the other green mythic pack. Weird how I got the mythic packs for both green and black. Avatar Kyoshi, EarthbenderAvatar Kyoshi, Earthbender is a powerhouse...if we can reach that enormously steep mana cost. Beware that she will draw removal the moment her pseudo-hexproof shield is down, so be ready to protect her. Turning our lands into 8/8 monstrosities is nothing to scoff at, especially when she untaps that land, and said monstrosities have haste.

The rare, Tectonic SplitTectonic Split carries a hefty price, but we could sacrifice our weaker earthbended lands to it, so they'd come back onto our board tapped. Neat way to bypass it.

Another nifty card I was hoping to pull is Allies at LastAllies at Last, because it doesn't have you fight your opponent's creature, but deal damage to it instead.

Day Twenty-One

This, to me, is one of the weaker rare themes to pull. Yes, we get Suki, Kyoshi CaptainSuki, Kyoshi Captain, but Warriors aren't a prominent enough type to make a mark unless you venture outside of the set. That said, Suki's better off in the 99 of Warrior decks. Valorous StanceValorous Stance is nice, and will be put to good use.

Day Twenty-Two

After opening the Toph theme, and now this one, there's one thing that's really starting to get on my nerves. There was talk of Earthbending StudentEarthbending Student being found in Jumpstart packs, and that the lists we got were incorrect. However, I've yet to see it. If I pull the other variant of this theme, and don't find it, then this would confirm that the card can indeed only be found in Collector Boosters.

Speaking of the Toph theme, both Solid GroundSolid Ground and Tale of Katara and TophTale of Katara and Toph make a reappearance, which is nice to see.

Day Twenty-Three

It's about time we got another blue theme. We have a couple of standouts here. The first is the reprint of Frantic SearchFrantic Search, which is a nice card to have. The other is the rare for this pack, Yue, the Moon SpiritYue, the Moon Spirit. Being able to cast any noncreature spell for that waterbending cost is a strong ability, especially for something expensive and worth casting for free (somewhat).

Day Twenty-Four

We arrive on our Christmas Eve pack, and we go out with a wimper. Like the Warriors theme before it, there isn't too much to glean from this pack. Inspired InsurgentInspired Insurgent is one thing, and our rare, Tale of MomoTale of Momo isn't bad. But we're not getting much else out of this pack, save for that Glider StaffGlider Staff.

The Final Review

Blue! You were the chosen one! You were supposed to have more representation, not less!

Anyway, besides the obvious drought of blue themes (ba dum tiss), we do get several more mythic rare themes, like Kyoshi and Azula. Despite its major misprinting, the Ozai deck is the standout for this article. I've warmed up to this iteration since I saw it in action a couple of times. Like I said, six mana is easy to achieve, especially when you take his triggered ability into account.

I won't say much else at this point, because it's time to reveal my hand.

The Endgame Revealed

As you read through this article, and the previous two, I'm sure you picked up some heavy hints along the way. You might've even figured it out before you reached this point. Why was I so focused on the hybrid legends? The focus on Commander more then Limited? Well, I have two words for you:

Commander Jumpstart.

You read that right. We'll be breaking apart our pulls, adding stuff from outside ATLA Jumpstart, and Commence the EndgameCommence the Endgame. Return next time, where we assemble half-decks, designed with Commander in mind. As a bonus, every card in them will be from ATLA, so that'll give you something to look forward to.

In the meantime, stay safe, and Happy Holidays!