As we enter week two of Avatar: The Last Airbender previews now, things aren’t slowing down. Last week, we saw a ton of exciting cards, including some genuine constructed contenders. Naturally, with so many strong reveals, a few gems got lost in the shuffle. One card that was somewhat overlooked at the tail end of last week was Avatar’s Wrath, one of the most exciting board wipes MTG has seen in years.
Avatar’s Wrath MTG
- Mana Value: 2WW
- Type: Sorcery
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Text: Choose up to one target creature, then Airbend all other creatures.
Until the end of your next turn, your opponents can’t cast spells from anywhere other than their hands.
Exile Avatar’s Wrath.
Essentially, Avatar’s Wrath is a temporary board wipe that spares one creature of your choice. By using the Airbending mechanic, all players can re-cast the other creatures for two mana at a later date. The catch, however, is that all your opponents will have to wait for at least a turn cycle for this privilege.
At the very least, this gives you a clear board to attack into, allowing your Commander or chosen creature to wreak havoc. This makes it an absolute dream for Voltron brews, as you could easily take out a couple of opponents with it in a deck like Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice. On top of this, it’s also fantastic with cards that synergize with casting things from exile. Thunder Junction’s Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius, for example.
Beyond the synergy you can exploit yourself, Avatar’s Wrath is also a fantastic temporary disruption tool against opponents. Even if your opponents put their Commanders back in the command zone, they can’t cast them while this is in effect. They also can’t cast spells from the graveyard, so Flashback and Harmonize are also out.
Should you cast Avatar’s Wrath later on in the game when your opponent’s hands are near empty, this could be devastating. That said, if your opponents have plenty of mana available, they could bounce back after the turn cycle spent waiting. Thankfully, if this is a concern, there are a few exploitable synergies that make Avatar’s Wrath even stronger.
Got It On Lock
One of the first things MTG players noticed about Avatar’s Wrath was its potential for total board lockdowns. While the exile clause is intended to prevent such circumstances, there are a couple of clever ways around it. Both require the use of cards on the Game Changers list, mind you, so they’re strictly for bracket three and above.
The easiest of these is definitely Drannith Magistrate. For two mana, this creature keeps the second clause on Avatar’s Wrath around permanently. If you cast it after Wrath resolves, your opponents will need to deal with it first before they can get their creatures back. This isn’t a huge deal, since Magistrate is only a 1/3. It can definitely lead to scenarios where your opponents are totally locked out, mind you.
If you’ve got a bit more mana to spare, you can always Imprint Avatar’s Wrath on a Panoptic Mirror instead. This costs nine mana in total, but it’ll let you cast Wrath every single turn. This is a better lock than Magistrate offers, since it also deals with any future creatures your opponents play. Nine is a lot of mana, of course, so this is probably only viable in green decks with access to ramp. That said, it’s a much more resilient and powerful lock than the Magistrate one, so it’s well worth considering for grindy decks.
However you decide to use Avatar’s Wrath, it’s clearly a brilliant new board clear. Between this and Day of Black Sun, players who hate creatures are eating well this set.
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