Magic: The Gathering’s ‘Avatar’ Set Features Unexpectedly Hilarious Card Reprint

A new reprint of the Magic: The Gathering card “Cruel Tutor” within the upcoming “Avatar: The Last Airbender” set has garnered attention for its unusual artwork – a massive, close-up image of the villain Fire Lord Ozai’s grinning face.

The “Avatar” set, releasing November 21, continues Wizards of the Coast’s “Universes Beyond” series, which incorporates intellectual property from other franchises into the trading card game. Like previous sets featuring Final Fantasy and Spider-Man, “Avatar” includes a bonus sheet of alternate art cards utilizing source material from the represented universe; in this case, screenshots from each episode of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” “Cruel Tutor” is a historically rare card to reprint, with this being only the fourth printing in Magic’s history. The image used is taken from the episode “Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King,” depicting Ozai outlining his plan for world domination.

The choice of artwork has been met with amusement and some criticism from fans, who note the grainy, cropped nature of the screenshot and the sheer size of Ozai’s face dominating the card. Some have compared it to a meme or a player-created proxy card. This development comes as some Magic players have expressed concern over the increasing amount of crossover content, arguing it detracts from opportunities for new artwork on frequently requested reprints. You can explore more about the history of Cruel Tutor on the MTG Fandom wiki.

Wizards of the Coast has not commented on the specific artistic choice, but the set is expected to offer a wide range of cards with original artwork alongside the bonus sheet reprints. Fans can view the full card gallery on the official Magic: The Gathering website.