{"id":11671,"date":"2025-08-13T10:50:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T10:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bignox.com\/blog\/noxplay17550534433ESQoPJl9z1A2Dy8MdE7T"},"modified":"2025-08-13T10:50:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T10:50:44","slug":"noxplay17550534433ESQoPJl9z1A2Dy8MdE7T","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bignox.com\/blog\/noxplay17550534433ESQoPJl9z1A2Dy8MdE7T\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s How Bending Mechanics Work In The Magic: The Gathering – Avatar: The Last Airbender Set"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wizards of the Coast has officially revealed the first look at cards from the upcoming Magic: The Gathering – Avatar: The Last Airbender expansion<\/a>. Along with new cards showing off many fan-favorite ATLA characters like Toph, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko, the First Look livestream showed off the expansion’s new Bending mechanics: unique abilities attributed to the airbending, earthbending, firebending, and waterbending powers synonymous with the Avatar series.<\/p>\n

Each element’s bending ability gives the same basic benefit to the player using it, though the size of the benefit depends on the card being cast. Here, though, is a brief explainer on each of the four core element’s bending abilities, and examples of cards that will utilize bending abilities in their overall strategies.<\/p>\n

Airbending<\/h3>\n
\"Appa,<\/a>
Appa, Steadfast Guardian <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Airbending allows you to exile–the Magic term for “remove from the game”–a certain number of permanents on your side of the battlefield. You can return those permanents later in the game by paying two generic mana rather than the card’s actual mana cost.<\/p>\n

The example card is Appa, Steadfast Guardian<\/strong>, which allows you to airbend as many permanents as you wish as soon as the Bison Ally is cast. Then, whenever you’re ready, you can bring back those permanents for that two-mana airbending cost–and, if Appa is still around, you’ll get a bonus 1\/1 Ally creature for each one you bring back.<\/p>\n

Earthbending<\/h3>\n
\"Earthbending<\/a>
Earthbending Lesson <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earthbending allows you to “animate” a land–basically, it turns any land you control into a creature, which can then attack or block as normal creatures do. It also grants haste, which means the land can attack even if it’s the turn it entered the battlefield. And if your land creature should take damage and “die,” it will simply be returned to the battlefield as an ordinary land.<\/p>\n

What’s key to focus on is the number next to the word Earthbending, like the four in the above exampled card, Earthbending Lesson<\/strong>. That number dictates how powerful the newly animated land will be upon becoming a creature–the higher the Earthbend number, the more +1\/+1 counters will be placed on the land. Earthbending Lesson, then, would make the animated land a 4\/4 creature from the jump, and that can be a handful for an opponent.<\/p>\n

Firebending<\/h3>\n
\"Fire