Flopsie, Bumi's Buddy | Illustration by Alexandr Leskinen
It can be daunting to jump into a new Draft set like Avatar: The Last Airbender. What do you take for your first pick? You’re looking at 13-14 brand new cards with a lot of text to read through, and you know you’ll probably pick something that ends up being bad.
Here are my picks for the best commons and uncommons in each color to arm you with a bit of extra information as to what you should take in your drafts. As the TLA format progresses and we learn more about it, these will absolutely change, so take these picks with a pinch of salt.
Let’s get started.
Commons
It'll Quench Ya! | Illustration by Nathaniel Himawan
White
#3. Airbending Lesson
Airbending Lesson is hard to evaluate on account that airbending is such a new mechanic. However, the fact that it draws a card means it could end up eerily similar to Repulse. I’m sure it won’t be quite that good, but that potential is enough to guarantee it a spot among TLA’s best white commons for now.
#2. Kyoshi Warriors
Two creatures in one card is always a high priority if you’re building a go-wide deck. Kyoshi Warriors is going to be a perfect curve-filler for both red/white and green/white, both of which look to do exactly that.
#1. Path to Redemption
Path to Redemption is the cleanest removal spell that white has access to. It does have its downsides, as Pacifisms often do, but you can’t beat the efficiency of 2 mana to deal with basically anything.
Blue
#3. It’ll Quench Ya!
It'll Quench Ya! is such a simple spell that’s bound to catch plenty of people off guard. In the early game, this answers basically anything while it puts a lesson into the graveyard, and you can’t ask for much more than that out of a 2-drop.
#2. Forecasting Fortune Teller
Forecasting Fortune Teller follows in the footsteps of classic 1-drops like Novice Inspector and Thraben Inspector. It may cost twice as much, but it’s still a defensive creature that replaces itself with a Clue. It’s also important that it’s two permanents in one, which helps with waterbending costs.
#1. Rowdy Snowballers
Blue looks uncharacteristically aggressive in The Last Airbender, and a tempo swing like this is exactly what it needs. Rowdy Snowballers takes one opposing creature out of combat for basically two turns and is a prime target for airbending to keep triggering it.
Black
#3. Azula Always Lies
Two-for-one swings are at a premium, and it’s very rare to find one at the common level. Azula Always Lies does just enough to influence combat and trade for at least one creature while it sometimes trades for two, and it’s worth playing just for access to that option when it comes up.
#2. Swampsnare Trap
The most efficient common removal spells always make their way onto this list, and Swampsnare Trap is the best common one that black has to offer.
#1. Callous Inspector
Callous Inspector is basically the black version of Thraben Inspector. It may make the Clue when it dies, but this is still an incredible deal nonetheless. This is one of my favorite commons in the whole Avatar set, and it’s the card I’ll most want to pick up if I draft black.
Red
#3. Boar-q-pine
This spot among red’s best commons could be one of a few different cards that all go into very specific decks. I’ve simply chosen Boar-q-pine because it should be a staple of the red decks I’ll enjoy drafting the most, the lesson-based ones!
#2. Lightning Strike
Lightning Strike is a classic burn spell that has basically always been among the best commons in any set in which it’s been printed. Not only is 3 damage for 2 mana a good rate, but it also helps to finish off an opponent in a pinch.
#1. Firebending Lesson
As the cheaper of the two best common burn spells, Firebending Lesson takes the top spot. It can kill a bigger range of creatures while it’s a lesson that’s also castable for 1 mana.
Green
#3. Badgermole
Back in Final Fantasy, I think many of us were surprised at just how good Summon: Fat Chocobo was. Five mana for a 4/4 plus a 2/2 as well as trample to some of your creatures has proven to be well worth the cost. Better yet, Badgermole doesn’t go away after a few turns.
#2. Raucous Audience
Mana dorks are always good, and Raucous Audience has more potential than your average one. With the right curve, it can double-ramp you on turn 4.
#1. Rocky Rebuke
Rocky Rebuke is a perfect, clean answer to just about any creature you need to remove. As an instant, it’s a lot more flexible than a typical Rabid Bite, and there are even deathtouch creatures to help guarantee that you can kill anything.
Uncommons
White
#4. Momo, Playful Pet
I learned some time ago never to underestimate a Suntail Hawk with upside. Momo, Playful Pet is exactly that but it also perfectly slots into all of white’s four draft archetypes. On top of that, white is very aggressively slanted in TLA, so 1-drops are going to have a lot of extra utility.
#3. Water Tribe Rallier
Good 2-drops are going to be at a premium in a set where white is as aggressively slanted as it is here. Water Tribe Rallier isn’t the most proactive 2-drop, but it provides you with inevitability in the late game, something that such cheap creatures usually can’t do.
#2. Team Avatar
Team Avatar is a cheaper Angelic Exaltation, which would already be fantastic. But it also has an alternate mode of Kabira Takedown tacked on for good measure, so what’s not to love?
#1. Earth Kingdom Jailer
I feel like this choice is going to come back to bite me. Banisher Priests are always good, but the fact that Earth Kingdom Jailer can’t hit tokens or earthbent lands is bound to hold it back, right? Eh, I’m sure it’s still busted.
Blue
#4. Accumulate Wisdom
Given how Ancestral Recall is one of the game’s best ever cards, it follows that a 2-mana version would still be incredible. Accumulate Wisdom can do just that with just a little bit of support. Multiple copies even help to fuel each other, since all you need is lessons in the graveyard.
#3. Knowledge Seeker
You can’t beat a simple, good value 2-drop like Knowledge Seeker. Even outside of a dedicated blue/black deck, it should be able to grow every now and again, trade off for something good, and leave a Clue token behind for later.
#2. Serpent of the Pass
Tolarian Terror is easily one of my favorite recent cards to draft around, so it makes me very happy indeed to see a card like Serpent of the Pass in The Last Airbender. Flash is a huge upgrade over the original, and I can’t wait to surprise someone with it.
#1. Invasion Submersible
Man-o'-War is among the best tempo plays you can make in Limited, and Invasion Submersible is Avatar’s variant. It may not be a creature at first, but that might actually be an advantage in some cases. Say, when it gets to trigger Boar-q-pine.
Black
#4. Azula, On the Hunt
Azula, On the Hunt is going to be rough to play against. It basically draws you a card every time it attacks, and it’s big enough that blocking it isn’t a trivial matter. Your opponent needs to answer it as soon as possible or it’ll run away with the game.
#3. Epic Downfall
When we play removal spells, we mostly want to remove big creatures anyway, so the fact that Epic Downfall can only do that isn’t much of a downside. It sucks that you can’t hit an earthbent land, but it can answer just about anything else.
#2. Joo Dee, One of Many
Any deck can be happy with Joo Dee, One of Many just as a 2-drop that can surveil each turn. But of course, what we really want is the ability to sacrifice some inferior creatures and turn them into more copies of Joo Dee. Sacrifice decks look like they might lack ways to sacrifice things, and Joo Dee might actually be the best option.
#1. Heartless Act
Heartless Act is one of the cleanest removal spells we’ve ever seen. It may not destroy creatures with counters on them, but most of those creatures will be 0/0s anyway, so removing three counters from them is often more than enough.
Red
#4. Zuko, Exiled Prince
Much like Azula, Zuko’s sister, Zuko, Exiled Prince is going to be difficult to play against. It essentially draws you a card every time it attacks, which means that you need to answer it sooner rather than later or it’ll just bury you in card advantage.
#3. The Cave of Two Lovers
Four mana gets you a 3/3, two 1/1s, and a free Mountain, so what’s not to love? The Cave of Two Lovers isn’t flashy or anything, just pure value on a nice saga.
#2. Iroh’s Demonstration
Iroh's Demonstration is nice and simple. Four damage for 2 mana is fantastic, and it lets you destroy a lot of Avatar’s creatures for very little investment. Also, don’t sleep on the Blazing Volley mode. With so many 1/1 spirit and ally tokens scattered throughout TLA, you never know when you might get a nice blowout with it.
#1. Combustion Technique
Red burn spells tend to peter out as the game goes on. As efficient as 4 damage for 2 mana can be, it’s not much use against a 6/6. Combustion Technique is a burn spell that, in the right shell, can scale up as the game goes on and potentially destroy any creature, which makes it one of the best payoffs for blue/red lessons.
Green
#4. Toph, the Blind Bandit
You really can’t go wrong with a 2/3 plus a 2/2 for just 3 mana. Toph, the Blind Bandit merely starts out at this rate, but further earthbending even lets Toph trade up for much bigger creatures.
#3. Allies at Last
Allies are so prevalent in Avatar that Allies at Last is going to cost just 1 mana quite a lot of the time. The best part about that is that even at full cost, it’s still a great card. When you don’t even need the built-in cost reduction on a card, you know it’s going to be powerful.
#2. Flopsie, Bumi’s Buddy
Flopsie, Bumi's Buddy is an extremely powerful 6-drop that seems to have some applications in basically all of green’s archetypes. It distributes +1/+1 counters, it’s a payoff for when you’re going wide, and it makes your biggest creatures a lot harder to block, so it just does something great in any deck.
#1. Bumi, King of Three Trials
Avatar: The Last Airbender is full of good ramp spells, and Bumi, King of Three Trials looks like the best non-rare payoff in the set. You need to have lessons to support it, but that’s not too difficult to accomplish with how many excellent lesson cards there are in the set.
Wrap Up
Momo, Playful Pet | Illustration by Awanqi (Angela Wang)
I hope this helps even just a little bit. TLA looks pretty incredible to draft, and I can’t wait to try it out for myself. What are you looking forward to drafting the most?
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