Top Avatar: The Last Airbender Commanders and How to Build Them

2025-10-14

Top Avatar: The Last Airbender Commanders and How to Build Them

Universes Beyond: Avatar arrives loaded with iconic heroes ready to headline your next Commander deck. With every card indexed locally, we can spotlight the sharpest legends, outline their primary win lines, and recommend upgrades you can grab right now. Whether you’re sleeving the bundle promo or cracking a full booster box, these builds will carry your playgroup through months of thematic battles.

Secure the Avatar Bundle for the foil Appa promo and a head start on staples | Stock up with the Avatar Play Booster Box for more legendary hits

1. Avatar Aang // Aang, Master of Elements (Jeskai)

  • Game plan: Control tempo through all four elements, then flip Aang into a planeswalker-like finisher that draws cards, protects itself, and ultimatum-burns the table.
  • Key set cards: Southern Air Temple, Sokka’s Haiku, Momo, Friendly Flier, Glider Kids.
  • Win lines: Use air (white) spells to create flying tokens, water (blue) instants to draw, earth (green splash from Treasures) to ramp via Cabbage Merchant, and fire (red) burn like Agni Kai to tick the flip condition. Once transformed, churn through loyalty to wipe boards while amassing a lethal Avatar State emblem.
  • Upgrades:
    • Narset’s Reversal and Teferi’s Protection lock games once Aang is flipped.
    • Ashling’s Command from the upcoming Lorwyn Eclipsed set preorders perfectly into this shell, adding reach and token production.

2. Toph, the First Metalbender (Naya)

  • Game plan: Convert artifacts into lands, animate them with earthbend 2, and swing with a steadily growing army of indestructible attackers.
  • Key set cards: Earth Village Ruffians, Earthbending Student, Metalbending Saboteur, Flopsie, Bumi’s Buddy.
  • Win lines: Combine earthbend triggers with sacrifice outlets—Treasure Vault, Zanikev Warlord, and Scapeshift—to generate explosive combat phases. Animated lands survive wraths thanks to the “return tapped” clause, letting you rebuild in seconds.
  • Upgrades:
    • Avenger of Zendikar and Ancient Greenwarden give each animated land extra counters.
    • Grab a box of Avatar boosters or the bundle for additional copies of Toph, the Blind Bandit as support.
    • Preorder Morningtide’s Light from Lorwyn Eclipsed for a mass-flicker that protects your animated mana base.

3. Fire Lord Zuko (Mardu)

  • Game plan: Play a noncreature-heavy multicolored shell, generate Treasure whenever you cast those spells, and leverage the tokens to fuel splashy finishers.
  • Key set cards: Azula’s Gambit, Combustion Man, Lightning Siege Tank, Boiling Rock Breakout.
  • Win lines: Chain noncreature spells to produce Treasures, then pump them into Avatar State: Inferno or Dragon Spirit of Roku for lethal. Goad effects push the table into chaos while you accumulate resources.
  • Upgrades:
    • Dockside Extortionist and Revel in Riches boost your Treasure theme.
    • Jeska’s Will and Seize the Spotlight maintain card advantage.
    • Serialized Fire Lord Zuko’s Dragonfire treatments from Play Booster boxes add short-print flair.

4. Katara, the Fearless (Bant)

  • Game plan: Tap into waterbend to convert creatures into mana sinks, then bounce opposing threats while untapping your board for value.
  • Key set cards: Watery Grasp, Flexible Waterbender, Northern Water Tribe Courtyard, Appa, Steadfast Guardian.
  • Win lines: Build a critical mass of waterbend spells, then set up loops with Master Pakku plus Curiosity effects. Every noncreature spell becomes a protection piece once Katara returns permanents to their owners’ hands.
  • Upgrades:
    • Seedborn Muse and Wilderness Reclamation let you waterbend every turn cycle.
    • Teferi, Temporal Archmage gives instant-speed waterbend triggers.
    • The Lorwyn Eclipsed preorder includes revamped Elemental support that doubles as vigilance enablers—perfect for tapping and untapping your squad.

5. Yue, the Moon Spirit (Azorius)

  • Game plan: Turn opposing mana usage into your advantage—whenever opponents tap lands on your turn, Yue draws cards and phases out your permanents to blank removal.
  • Key set cards: Moonlit Oasis, Spirit Oasis Adept, Sokka, Lateral Strategist.
  • Win lines: Encourage opponents to engage on your turn with rattlesnakes like Propaganda and Smothering Tithe. Use phase-out triggers to protect combo pieces such as Monastery Mentor, then close games with a swarm of flying Spirit tokens.
  • Upgrades:
    • Peregrine Drake and Deadeye Navigator loop infinite mana while Yue shields your board.
    • Expropriate offers a final swing once you’ve drowned the table in card advantage.
    • Serialized Yue’s Lunar Eclipse foils are rumored for the box toppers—watch those pack openings closely.

Buying Guide: Where to Find the Legends

  • Need all five commanders fast? Open the Avatar Play Booster Box for the highest mythic density and serialized upside.
  • Prefer curated accessories? The Avatar Bundle includes a guaranteed foil Appa, Steadfast Guardian that slots perfectly into Katara and Aang builds.
  • Planning for future upgrades? Lorwyn’s Elemental resurgence feeds Toph and Katara strategies, so locking in a preorder now preserves synergy inventory.

Avatar Bundle (foil Appa + 9 Play Boosters)
Avatar Play Booster Box (30 packs, serialized odds)
Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box (Elemental support for Avatar decks)

Power Level & Table Etiquette

  • Casual Pods: Focus on story moments—Aang flipping, Toph animating statues, Zuko embracing honor. Keep interaction balanced and save infinite loops for the finale.
  • High-Power Pods: Lean harder into mana engines (Dockside Extortionist, Smothering Tithe), interaction (Fierce Guardianship), and win-cons (Underworld Breach combos). Avatar legends scale surprisingly well.
  • Rule 0 Conversation: Clarify how much off-theme tech you’re running. Unlimited tutors can pull the decks away from the Avatar vibe, so give your table a heads-up.

Final Thoughts

Avatar legends are more than flavor callbacks—they bring fresh mechanics (earthbend, waterbend) and resource engines to Commander. Whether you pilot Aang’s elemental control, Toph’s animated lands, Zuko’s Treasure storm, Katara’s waterbend toolbox, or Yue’s phase-out fortress, each deck offers a distinct role that stays true to the series.

Sleeve them up, communicate expectations with your pod, and revel in bending battles that blur the line between nostalgia and competitive play. When the next set—Lorwyn Eclipsed—lands, you’ll already have the multi-color engines and Elemental synergies ready to evolve your Avatar builds even further.

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