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If you were a kid in the 2000s, chances are you watched Avatar: The Last Airbender at some point. For many younger millennials and older Gen Zers, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the one true pop culture fixture worthy enough of being referred to simply as "Avatar." (Sorry, James Cameron.) Now, with the franchise still going strong, some of these former Avatar kids are getting the chance to work on collaborations with their favorite childhood show in the here and now. 

On Magic: The Gathering's website, game designer and lead for the Avatar: The Last Airbender set, Chris Mooney, revealed their journey from being a fan of the show in their childhood to designing the Universes Beyond set. Mooney noted that growing up in Hawai'i as an Asian American kid made the cultural influences of Avatar: The Last Airbender feel relevant for them. But their love of the show flew to new heights when they discovered Magic: The Gathering. 

Mooney wrote, "The game was fun, it had a lot of history, and (most exciting for me) there was a lot of writing online about how it was made. I loved reading [lead game designer] Mark Rosewater's articles about Magic design and started to design my own cards for fun. Naturally, I combined my favorite show with my favorite game and made my own Magic cards based on its world and characters. And though my passion as a kid was great, I had a lot to learn before I was ready to make games for anyone. You can imagine how it felt, fifteen years later, to get to make Avatar: The Last Airbender Magic cards as part of my job! To say it was a childhood dream come true would be an understatement."

Chris, if you still have any of those original Avatar Magic cards that you created as a kid, we would love to see them. Clearly, Mooney and the rest of the design team put an immense amount of thought into the mechanics of the Avatar: The Last Airbender set, and seeing Mooney's origins as a game designer would be sweet. 

Magic: The Gathering x Avatar: The Last Airbender is available now. 

Whether you are a Commander player, a regular at your local game shop's FNM event, or simply love collecting Magic: The Gathering cards, you've landed in the right place. From Universes Beyond to the furthest reaches of the Magic Multiverse, we've got you covered here at Popverse. 

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