MTG Avatar cards haven’t even been available on Magic Online for a week yet, and we’re already seeing multiple incredible powerhouses show up in older formats. Many well-established archetypes, including Boros Energy in Modern and Mono-Black Scam in Vintage, have begun adopting new tools like The Legend of Roku and Mai, Scornful Striker, respectively.
Interestingly, though, it isn’t just cards from the main set that are having an impact right out of the gates. One particular Jumpstart two-drop has emerged as a potent threat in Legacy and Vintage alike, and it even has cEDH potential.
Katara, Waterbending Master in Legacy and Vintage
Even though legends that reference experience counters most commonly only show up in Commander, Katara, Waterbending Master is on a whole different level. Its sheer efficiency makes it a strong addition to Eternal formats, and it doesn’t take long before Katara threatens to run away with the game by generating tons of card advantage.
The key to making Katara work is to pair it with tons of cheap instants. In a Legacy setting, there’s no better way to do this than by playing playsets of Daze and Force of Will in a tempo shell. Not only can these spells be cast on the same turn cycle that you jam Katara, but they also help protect her from any removal spells your opponent has at the ready.
From there, cheap kill spells like Fatal Push work to maximize this legend while simultaneously clearing a path for her to attack. Throw in Brainstorm and some Flash creatures such as Orcish Bowmasters, and soon enough, you’ll be drowning in extra cards. Once you have three experience counters, a single attack threatens to transform Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, too.
If that weren’t enough, Katara even provides extra value as a discard outlet. With Entomb now banned in Legacy, other strong methods of getting Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Archon of Cruelty into the graveyard are at a premium. Some Dimir Reanimator decklists are also incorporating Abhorrent Oculus, so having a way to keep fueling the graveyard is nice.
Meanwhile, in a Vintage environment, your wealth of free mana sources enables you to cast Katara turn one pretty reliably. The presence of Lurrus of the Dream-Den then makes it trivial for Dimir Lurrus shells to rebuy Katara from the graveyard. Remember, any experience counters you accumulate over the course of the game stay with you, so Katara remains a massive threat after getting recast or reanimated.
Katara in Commander
As you might expect from a legend with so much upside, Katara also has a ton of Commander appeal. If you choose to build around here, besides simply playing a bunch of cheap spells, you’ll also want to be on the lookout for Proliferate cards. Flux Channeler, for example, is a premium inclusion in any Katara deck and will accelerate your experience level very quickly.
As good as Katara is as a build-around option, it gets even better in the 99 of some decks. Most notably, any other Commanders that pay you off for upping your experience counters automatically make great use of Katara. Following the recent printing of Atreus, Impulsive Son and Kratos, Stoic Father as Partner Commanders, Katara has some extra appeal.
Furthermore, this past weekend, Katara made an appearance as one of the few creatures in a Mizzix of the Izmagnus deck at a big cEDH tournament, putting its power on full display. Mizzix does a great job reducing the costs of your instants, which in turn synergize with Katara once you get her in play. It’s unusual to see a Jumpstart card with this high of a ceiling, and so far, it’s certainly living up to the hype.
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