Coat of ArmsCoat of Arms | Art by Scott M. Fischer

What Is a Typal Card?

I’ve recorded 70+ episodes of a creature type-based podcast, Quote of Arms, so I’ve seen a huge array of typal decks. When I look at spoilers for a new set, I tend to scan for cards that specifically reference a creature type, especially those that provide a new commander, direction, or signpost card for an existing type. This approach helps me sift through the deluge of new cards and avoid product fatigue.

The primary type to get a face-lift in the Avatar: The Last Airbender set is Allies. You’d think it’d be Avatars, but, despite several incarnations of Aang, as well as a few flip Sagas and some one-off previous incarnations, none of them provide specific references to the type.

Warriors and Soldiers get some incidental support, however, and there’s even a universally-powerful card that can fit in just about any typal deck!

Hakoda, Selfless CommanderHakoda, Selfless Commander

Hakoda is a strong card advantage engine for Allies, letting us cast them off of the top of the library. Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel is a beast of a card - a literal Game Changer - and having one that slots into a typal deck is a massive boon. He can even pop himself to save our board from a wipe, and several of the decks I’ve built have dedicated slots to specifically that.

Heck, Hakoda would make a solid commander (even has it in his name!), but being limited to one color and not being able to capitalize off of ETB effects are limiting factors.

The Spirit OasisThe Spirit Oasis

Shrines are an enchantment subtype that have had little support outside of Kamigawa-related sets. Still, they do reference each other, and getting another cycle of them will help them get to enough playable cards.

In particular, they have gained a card advantage engine that is guaranteed to cantrip at a minimum and act as an enchantress effect at a maximum.

Boiling Rock RioterBoiling Rock Rioter

While the set has provided plenty of reasons to shave colors from Allies, and black tends not to pull its weight in Allies, the Rioter is a house of a card.

It’s solid on-rate, acts as graveyard hate, and can provide some recursion for our Allies. It even firebends to pay for the cost of recasting Ally spells, which includes changelings like Nameless InversionNameless Inversion.

Lo and Li, Twin TutorsLo and Li, Twin Tutors

I’ve written an article specifically about Lo and Li, so I’ll keep it short here. A tutor in the command zone allows Lessons to function close to how they were intended, and Nobles haven’t received specific support until now.

Trying to unite the two was a fun challenge!

Ran and ShawRan and Shaw

The true firebending masters are just as mysterious as their approach to bending is. They require Dragons or Lessons to be in the grave, although they reward Dragons more than Lessons by giving double FirebreathingFirebreathing to all of our Dragons.

Interestingly enough, Dragon's ApproachDragon's Approach cares about Dragons and graves, so maybe there’s something there?

Great Divide GuideGreat Divide Guide

Not only is it better than a Grizzly BearsGrizzly Bears, the Guide has an incredibly powerful ability. It acts as a combination of Joiner AdeptJoiner Adept and Cryptolith RiteCryptolith Rite, making it a staple for any Ally deck with green, fixing the colors and adding explosive potential.

While Rite is a better card than Adept, having both in one card is special, and, ordinarily, the mana would be contained to casting or activating Allies, but the Guide isn’t.

Kyoshi Island PlazaKyoshi Island Plaza

Like The Spirit OasisThe Spirit Oasis, Kyoshi Island PlazaKyoshi Island Plaza is a major boon for Shrine decks. Those decks tend to be five-color, in order to fit as many Shrines as possible. The Plaza is a four-mana Rampant GrowthRampant Growth at worst, which would help open up a bad hand. At best, however, it gets X basics where X is the number of Shrines and adds a Rampant GrowthRampant Growth to each Shrine we put out!

Ostrich-HorseOstrich-Horse

Birds have changed substantially with the introduction of Chocobos in Final Fantasy. While some are still in the familiar Azorius skies paradigm, Birds are now Bant-based () and with a new game plan.

The new-look Birds are largely flightless and synergize with landfall. Ostrich-HorseOstrich-Horse fits this new look by milling cards and returning a land to hand, ensuring that landfall is hit.

Earth King's LieutenantEarth King's Lieutenant

The Lieutenant is a signpost Ally, doing everything an Ally deck wants. It puts counters on all Allies on ETB, and then gains counters from subsequent Allies entering. It’s perfect for decks that can maximize creatures entering, like adding Blink effects or PanharmoniconPanharmonicon to Ally builds.

Guru PathikGuru Pathik

Pathik supports Lessons, Sagas, and Shrines, finding them with his ETB and growing creatures when they’re cast. Shrines likely need to stay in five-color for now, but Lessons and Sagas could definitely use support, especially Sagas. Sagas have struggled to find solid leadership, with Satsuki, the Living LoreSatsuki, the Living Lore and Assassin’s Creed providing a few disappointing options. Putting them in the same colors as clones and counter manipulation is big game, indeed!

Katara, the FearlessKatara, the Fearless

I’ve written at length about Katara here, but what I put for Earth King's LieutenantEarth King's Lieutenant applies here: Allies are built around ETBs, so doubling them is about the best thing an Ally deck can be doing. Katara feels like the gold standard for Ally decks going forward, solidifying the strategy and giving it a powerful leader.

Sokka, Tenacious TacticianSokka, Tenacious Tactician

Katara is not the only member of her family capable of strong leadership, however. By the end of the series, Sokka had gone from comic relief to a powerful, menacing fighter with battle prowess of his own, and both menace and prowess are what he grants to our board, as well.

He also provides a stream of Allies with a Young PyromancerYoung Pyromancer effect, which can trigger our other Allies.

Jasmine Dragon Tea ShopJasmine Dragon Tea Shop

The Tea Shop reminds me strongly of Sliver HiveSliver Hive, as both tap for a generic mana, a mana of any color to cast a spell of a specific type, or, for five mana, tap to make a 1/1 token of the specific type. The Hive is a $10 card for a reason, and, while the Tea Shop likely won’t be worth as much, it’s just as powerful for Ally decks, even monochromatic ones, as a mana fixer and mana sink.

White Lotus HideoutWhite Lotus Hideout

White Lotus Hideout provides the same color fixing that the Tea Shop does, making this a staple for Lesson and Shrine decks, especially those in three or more colors. Entering untapped is a tremendous advantage, especially given that the Hideout is an uncommon card.

White Lotus TileWhite Lotus Tile

Ah, the piece de resistance. While the negative comparisons to Nyx LotusNyx Lotus are as inevitable as Thanos, the Tile has uses that the Lotus does not.

The Lotus requires nontoken permanents, or, at least, permanents with mana symbols on them. The Tile just requires creatures of the type, so tokens will work, as will colorless creatures, like Eldrazi. And, if there’s one thing Commander players should be scared of, it’s Eldrazi players getting a huge boost of mana!

Conclusion

For a set that’s not specifically designed around typal strategies, unlike, say, Onslaught or OG Lorwyn, there are a lot of strong typal cards in the Avatar set. They occupy a range of roles, from commanders to signposts to staples.

In particular, Allies have recaptured the explosion and excitement they used to have in Zendikar-block Standard, where their ability to trigger each other and grow stronger together was amazing, but couldn’t quite translate to Commander, curtailed by a five-color manabase and figurehead commanders. If that were all this set did, that would have been enough, but it does so much more!

But which Avatar cards are going into your typal decks? And what are the cards you’re looking to pick up?