Although Magic: The Gathering's Spider-Man set is next in line, with a release date of September 26, many fans already have their eyes on the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set, which is instead scheduled for a November launch. There have already been several spoilers for Magic: The Gathering's Avatar set, and much like its other Universes Beyond counterparts, it's divided into two via Avatar: The Last Airbender (TLA) and Avatar: The Last Airbender Eternal (TLE), with the latter only containing cards eligible for play in Eternal formats. This matters more than ever with the Jumpstart Boosters making a comeback, and it's from these that players will be able to get one of the best commanders ever printed.
One could argue that this is a rather ironic outcome for the Avatar set, as it doesn't include Commander decks like most UB releases, which instead Final Fantasy did. However, Magic: The Gathering's Spider-Man set is also forfeiting Commander decks in favor of "Welcome Decks," which are meant to be a good way for new players to get the hang of the game, and that is also an important part of Universes Beyond. Among the cards revealed for TLE so far is Katara, Waterbending Master, and this is likely going to be an amazing card for cEDH (competitive Commander), be it as a commander or in the 99.
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Magic: The Gathering's Avatar Set Adds an OP Blue Commander
Katara, Waterbending Master, ironically doesn't have the waterbend mechanic from MTG's Avatar set, despite its name, but it's an incredibly powerful creature. It costs 1 generic and 1 Blue mana for a 1/3, and it makes players gain an experience counter whenever they cast a spell during an opponent's turn, which can happen fairly frequently in Commander games. Then, whenever Katara attacks, the player draws one card for each experience counter they have, and then they discard a card.
Considering that most Commander decks in Magic: The Gathering contain a few cheap tricks to interact with opponents, especially in Blue decks, it can be fairly easy to both protect Katara and gain experience counters. For example, Fierce Guardianship is a counterspell that can be cast for free if one has their commander on the field, and Swan Song is a counterspell for enchantments, instants, and sorceries that only costs 1 Blue. This kind of support for Katara can make players gain several experience counters per turn cycle, meaning that Katara can then attack and draw a lot of cards regardless of the board state.
It's worth noting that Katara's experience counter ability triggers with all kinds of spells, so even creatures with flash count, for example. This can be great with cards like Orcish Bowmasters.
An important part of why Katara, Waterbending Master, can be an OP card in Magic: The Gathering is that the experience counters it generates are placed on the player, not the creature itself, meaning that they remain even after it's destroyed. Having it in the command zone means that one can always have Katara at the ready to generate counters and draw, especially considering that it can hypothetically be played as early as turn one due to its CMC of 2.
Why MTG's Katara, Waterbending Master is OP in Commander
Most Blue decks favor drawing cards due to the high potential this has for getting all the necessary combo pieces needed to win, so Katara, Waterbending Master, already has an edge over other commanders. In this case, one can simply play the various extra turn cards in Blue, or maybe even Thassa's Oracle, to instantly win even without the usual cEDH combo with Demonic Consultation. Yet, this strategy can be achieved with Katara in the 99 of any commander that has both Blue and Black, with a great candidate for cEDH being Tymna/Kraum.
In the 99, Katara can also be fetched from the deck with various tutors, which makes it relatively easy to play it at some point. As a commander, though, it's an incredibly cheap, consistent, and fast asset for drawing one's deck out as fast as possible. While there is still a hand-size limit in MTG Commander games, one can discard down to size and keep the most important pieces to win. As such, Katara can potentially surpass even Urza, Lord High Artificer, as the best Blue commander and become one of the best regardless of colors.
Magic: The Gathering
- Original Release Date
- August 5, 1993
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- Richard Garfield
- Player Count
- 2+
- Age Recommendation
- 13+