Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender | Illustrated by Eilene Cherie

Avatar: The Last Airbender fans have yet another reason to celebrate! A few days ago, Fire Lord Azula breached the Top 100 Most Popular Commanders list on EDHREC. Today, Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender has reached #99 on that same list. Read on for an explanation of what Toph does in this iteration, as well as what cards serve as her competition on her ascent in the ranks!

What's so Good About Toph?

In a Toph, the First Metalbender deck, Toph is typically a linchpin, used to cement the 99 together. Toph decks will earthbend artifacts to protect them from harm while still mounting an offensive front with those same artifact cards. Cards like The Stasis CoffinThe Stasis Coffin and MindslaverMindslaver have special emphasis in these Toph decks because, when earthbent, they can be reused to great and terrible effect.

Furthermore, Toph decks can often rely on cards like Liquimetal CoatingLiquimetal Coating, Liquimetal TorqueLiquimetal Torque, and Mycosynth LatticeMycosynth Lattice to turn anything and everything (short of tokens) into artifacts to exploit Toph's earthbending capabilities. Decks like this are geared towards keeping combo pieces heavily protected so that they can win through an avenue such as one of the cards previously mentioned.

Finally, when all else fails to break through the walls of the opposition, board wipes are a super-powerful way to get in without compromising certain vital cards. The new card Avatar's WrathAvatar's Wrath is quite potent, as are the classics, Wrath of GodWrath of God and Day of Judgment.

But Wait, There's More!

Many players have stumbled onto an interesting interaction between earthbend effects and WorldfireWorldfire, a previously-banned card. Earthbending lands like the dual-color providing Desert cards from Outlaws at Thunder Junction or Sunscorched DesertSunscorched Desert from Amonkhet protects these cards, naturally. However, it also means that when casting Worldfire, they return to the battlefield, where they can deal the final point of damage to an opponent.

The efficacy of these cards in conjunction with Toph, the First Metalbender can't be overstated and is another good possible reason why Toph is now in the Top 100 Commanders.

Toph's Current Ranking

As of the time of writing, Toph is at a slightly shaky rank of 99, only having eight more decks than Etali, Primal ConquerorEtali, Primal Conqueror. Put into numbers, Toph has 12,879 decks, while Etali has 12,871. This is a hard place to be, because at any second, Etali could regain the #99 placement. However, given that Toph had a placement in the 120s when we went over Azula's entry into the Top 100, it's clear that Toph is growing very popular, very quickly.

As for what Tohp has ahead of her in terms of ranking higher, she's currently contending with Morophon, the BoundlessMorophon, the Boundless (with 12,900 decks), Magus Lucea Kane (12,916 decks), and Fynn, the Fangbearer (13,035 decks) to get to the same spot we reported Azula in a few days ago. This seems promising because, perhaps save for Morophon, who leads a Secret Lair precon that came out in 2025, these commanders aren't currently in the limelight. Toph is, since she's new and in the most recent set, so there's certainly hope for her yet.

Where Is Azula?

As for our favorite unhinged evil fireslinging Noble, Fire Lord AzulaFire Lord Azula is sitting pretty in Rank #85. She currently has a formidable 14,354 decks, which beats out Galadriel, Light of ValinorGaladriel, Light of Valinor by 24. There is little risk that Azula will drop off of the Top 100 list any time soon. However, there is always a chance that Toph, the First Metalbender might creep past her in time.

And now, let's open the floor to you, dear readers! Are you running a Toph, the First Metalbender deck now? Where do you see her in terms of peak ranking in the Top 100? Do you think she can get past Fire Lord Azula in the rankings? Sound off in the comments below!