Hei Bai, Forest GuardianHei Bai, Forest Guardian | Art by TAPIOCA | The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant | Art by Patrick Gañas | Katara, Waterbending MasterKatara, Waterbending Master | Art by Yueko | Toph, Earthbending MasterToph, Earthbending Master | Art by Phima | Sokka and SukiSokka and Suki | Art by Brian Yuen
Hey, nerds! Today we're having fun ranking all of the rare and mythic Avatar Eternal commanders.
Of course, each person's definition of fun differs, so I might rate a commander lower or higher than you. That doesn't mean I think it's bad or that you're bad for playing them, and, to be clear, this is for casual Commander only. Also, I won't be covering any uncommon commanders here.
And make sure to check out EDHREC's Avatar: The Last Airbender deck techs to see how to play many of these commanders.
The ranks are as follows:
- Want to Build: I'm interested in building these commanders. Their effect could be unique or a new take on an old mechanic I like.
- Fun: These are close to wanting to build, but I'm not going out of my way to brew a list for myself.
- Could Be Fun: These commanders are powerful and don't pull you in a single direction, but because of that, it allows you to build weird strategies with a powerful engine, or have unique build paths that could work.
- Fun in the 99: Sometimes commanders are printed for 60-card Magic or to support a theme. I don't want to call them not fun, since they usually are fun. But just not fun as the leader of a deck.
- Not Fun: This is usually reserved for older commanders who are seven-mana vanilla creatures, something way too jank, or are too salt-inducing for my taste.
Aang, Airbending MasterAang, Airbending Master
A powerful mono-white token or blink commander that reminds me a bit of Abdel Adrian, Gorion's WardAbdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward. You can airbend blink creatures like FlickerwispFlickerwisp, which let you blink Aang to airbend Flickerwisp again.
Fun Rank: Fun
Aang, Air NomadAang, Air Nomad
Despite having powerful keywords, the buff it provides is marginal at best.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Appa, the VigilantAppa, the Vigilant
A Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth style effect for Ally decks. I'm not interested in a seven-mana mono-white Ally commander. I am interested in trying it in the 99 of Ally decks. It's also a great target for airbending.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Jet, Rebel LeaderJet, Rebel Leader
Cheating creatures into play is both fun and powerful. Generally, you want to cheat on bigger creatures, but I love the mana value restriction.
This works better in the 99 of decks where you can sneak creatures like Abhorrent OculusAbhorrent Oculus into play. But I could see this at the helm of his own deck.
Fun Rank: Fun
Monk GyatsoMonk Gyatso
Well, pick up your ShukoShuko now. With any two-cost reduction and Shuko, you'll easily go infinite. Notably it's other creatures, so Gyatso can be removed unless you keep an Appa, Steadfast GuardianAppa, Steadfast Guardian in exile to protect him. And with Nomads en-KorNomads en-Kor, you can airbend Appa with Gyasto's while Appa's ability is on the stack.
Fun Rank: Want to Build
Sokka, SwordmasterSokka, Swordmaster
I love Equipment decks that promote going wide instead of tall. It won't be hard to cast three or four drop Equipment for free regularly with Sokka. The biggest issue is the number of playable Allies in mono-white.
The aforementioned Aang, Airbending MasterAang, Airbending Master and Appa, Steadfast GuardianAppa, Steadfast Guardian would be amazing in this deck.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Suki, Courageous RescuerSuki, Courageous Rescuer
I was getting excited reading Suki, until I got to the end. I don't love when an ability can only trigger once each turn. And on top of that, this ability is restricted to only your turn. Sadly, she'll be relegated to the 99 of decks instead of at the helm.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Suki, Kyoshi CaptainSuki, Kyoshi Captain
Great in the 99 of a Warrior deck, but that's about it. There are many more interesting mono-white commanders. You could build mono-white Warriors, but you can do better than this.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Katara, Waterbending MasterKatara, Waterbending Master
If you love drawing cards, Katara is a great commander. Load up on cheap instants like BrainstormBrainstorm, OptOpt, and ConsiderConsider. Then attack on your turn to refill your hand.
She also works great in the 99 with commanders like Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus who generate experience counters.
Fun Rank: Fun
Cooper Gottfried's deck tech here
The Blue SpiritThe Blue Spirit
I wish this had flash so it could draw from its own ability. I could see this as a mono-blue flash commander or Ninjas.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Nicholas Lucchesi's deck tech here
The Terror of Serpent's PassThe Terror of Serpent's Pass
It's a vanilla creature that goes into Serpent decks.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Ezra Sassaman's deck tech here
Tui and La, Moon and OceanTui and La, Moon and Ocean
I'm 100% certain there are several infinite combos with these Fish. But if you want to do something interesting, try mono-blue Vehicles.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Wan Shi Tong, All-KnowingWan Shi Tong, All-Knowing
The payoff isn't limited to once a turn, and you get two pseudo-unblockable tokens. It also triggers from cards going into anyone's library, not just yours.
I can already see people going infinite with Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top and Future SightFuture Sight.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Azula, Ruthless FirebenderAzula, Ruthless Firebender
Don't love her as a standalone commander since she wants players to discard. Notably she is mono-black, so you'd be limited in what kind of wheels you could run. Even if you'd want to run discard, her payoff is underwhelming in Commander.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Fire Lord OzaiFire Lord Ozai
Unlike some other firebending creatures we've seen, Fire Lord Ozai is actually a Rakdos commander. His ability reminds me of Greven, Predator CaptainGreven, Predator Captain, where you'll play bad creatures with high power.
Fun Rank: Fun
Lo and Li, Royal AdvisorsLo and Li, Royal Advisors
A commander built for Persistent PetitionersPersistent Petitioners. You get access to black, so you can play Phenax, God of DeceptionPhenax, God of Deception. I'm already not a fan of mill or discard in commander.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Nyla, Shirshu SleuthNyla, Shirshu Sleuth
I'd love to build Nyla as a mono-black Artifact commander. It's easy to get large artifact creatures like FrogmiteFrogmite and Sojourner's CompanionSojourner's Companion into the yard to exile. Then you can use Krark-Clan IronworksKrark-Clan Ironworks to sacrifice the Clues for mana.
My only complaint is Nyla has to enter to trigger.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Avatar Roku, FirebenderAvatar Roku, Firebender
Getting six mana whenever anyone attacks is insane. You can pump your opponents' creatures, save the mana for later with Horizon StoneHorizon Stone, or charge Fire Nation TurretFire Nation Turret.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Cooper Gottfried's deck tech here
Chong and Lily, NomadsChong and Lily, Nomads
I'm happy to see Saga support in new colors. And if you've ever wanted to build Bard kindred, now you can. The biggest concern I have is how to recur Sagas in mono-red. Skull of OrmSkull of Orm won't get you very far.
Fun Rank: Fun
Fang, Roku's CompanionFang, Roku's Companion
A great addition to any Dragon or Legendary-Matters deck. I could see Fang as a Combat Trick deck that sneaks lethals out of nowhere.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Iroh, Dragon of the WestIroh, Dragon of the West
Mono-red counters sounds like a fun deck-building puzzle. I'd want to use the mana to generate tokens or add counters to my creatures.
Fun Rank: Fun
Smellerbee, Rebel FighterSmellerbee, Rebel Fighter
A great go-wide aggro commander that wants a ton of cheap creatures to refill your hand. The biggest issue is his lack of haste. Also makes a great discard commander.
Fun Rank: Fun
Zuko, Avatar HunterZuko, Avatar Hunter
If you love casting red spells, Zuko is great. A straightforward commander, but that isn't a bad thing. He'll be great for new players, but I like commanders that're a bit more complex.
Fun Rank: Fun
Avatar Kyoshi, EarthbenderAvatar Kyoshi, Earthbender
Big green commander that does big green things. For eight mana, I'd like to earthbend on every combat, but you can't have it all.
Fun Rank: Could be Fun
Bumi, Eclectic EarthbenderBumi, Eclectic Earthbender
Works great with Ashaya, Soul of the WildAshaya, Soul of the Wild and all the new earthbend cards. I'd rather have this in the 99 of decks to get access to more colors.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Cooper Gottfried's deck tech here
The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant
It's like Mystic RemoraMystic Remora, but not incredibly annoying and a bit weaker. I could see this commander doing work at higher-powered tables, while being a fun Food commander at lower-powered tables.
Fun Rank: Fun
Toph, Earthbending MasterToph, Earthbending Master
Much like the other experience counters on this list, Toph works great with already established commanders. I'm excited to try her in a Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth to sacrifice the land creatures for more experience counters.
Fun Rank: Fun
Toph, Greatest EarthbenderToph, Greatest Earthbender
She gets around commander tax, kind of. Giving your land creatures double strike is no joke. A single cast of Toph and an Inkmoth NexusInkmoth Nexus can one-shot someone if unblocked. And if you airbend her, you'll get to earthbend 2 each time you cast her from exile, so I'd be happy to try her in a five-color Ally deck.
Fun Rank: Fun
Mai and ZukoMai and Zuko
We've seen several interactions of flash artifact commanders. I like that you can also cast Allies with flash, but I'd rather put this in the 99 of a five-color Ally or artifact deck.
Fun Rank: Fun in the 99
Aang and KataraAang and Katara
I've been wanting to build a Bant commander, and this jumped to the top of the list. They're straightforward, but provide such an insane amount of value. And they benefit from having a bunch of mana dorks.
Fun Rank: Want to Build
Sokka and SukiSokka and Suki
Despite having three Jeskai decks, Sokka and Suki are easily in the want to build tier. I've been looking for an Equipment deck that doesn't go tall, but goes wide. Sokka, Tenacious TacticianSokka, Tenacious Tactician fits perfectly into the deck, and I'm excited to build my fourth Jeskai deck.
Fun Rank: Want to Build
Kara Blinebry's deck tech here
Hei Bai, Forest GuardianHei Bai, Forest Guardian
I like that Hei Bai isn't a generic enchantment commander like Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin. Its ability specifically cares about legendary enchantments and finds you Shrines.
Fun Rank: Fun
Jesse Barker Plotkin's deck tech here
Conclusion
Overall, Avatar Eternal is an absolute home run. There are great upgrade options for decks and powerful new commanders. I'm glad this set has a lot of options if you love Avatar, but it isn't so impactful that you can't ignore it.
My biggest gripe with the set is how simple it is, but that isn't a bad thing. It's meant to be onboarding for newer players, and gives me commander options that won't melt the brain.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new set down below. What commanders are you excited to build or have already built?
Read More:
The Over/Under - Predicting the Popularity of Multicolor Avatar Commanders by Kyle Massa
How Fun Are All of the Avatar: The Last Airbender (TLA) Commanders? by Benjamin Levin
Benjamin Levin
Ben has been playing Magic since 2012 and started creating Magic the Gathering content in October of 2022 on YouTube under the name BathroomBrewsMTG (YouTube.com/@BRBMTG). Primarily focusing on budget EDH content. When he isn't thinking or talking about MTG, he is usually playing video games, spending time with his wife or playing with his two cats. You can find him on Twitter @BathroomMTG.
Your opinions are welcome. We love hearing what you think about Magic! We ask that you are always respectful when commenting. Please keep in mind how your comments could be interpreted by others. Personal attacks on our writers or other commenters will not be tolerated. Your comments may be removed if your language could be interpreted as aggressive or disrespectful. You may also be banned from writing further comments.