The Walls of Ba Sing Se – Avatar
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 2.67
Casual: 4.08
Limited: 3.20
Multiplayer: 3.50
Commander [EDH]: 3.67
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
You’d have to be pretty burned out for your jaw not to hit the floor when you read this card’s statline. As far as I’m aware, this is the highest power or toughness number printed on a non-silver-bordered card; and it’s not even an Eldrazi. Instead, it’s a sort of ultimate, universal, color-blind “sweep and keep” enabler – well, almost, since you have to keep it alive. That fact is flavorful, but it does make it a little hard to play with (along, of course, with the very high mana cost for constructed). It’s both a creature and an artifact, which means more chances for your opponents to get rid of it and a couple more restrictions on how you use it. Still, it’s almost sure to show up in casual play: walls and/or defenders are an established fun theme deck, and there’s something stylish and hilarious about using powerful cards like Reanimate and Vesperlark to get a wall into play.
Constructed: 2
Casual: 4
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5 (it’s a second pseudo-Avacyn)
it’s so…
big
The Walls of Ba Sing Se got a fair bit of attention from the outset for…well, that comically colossal toughness. 30 toughness is the highest base toughness printed on a single tournament-legal card, and when you consider that the highest printed power is 18, that says a fair bit. It’s also not just a big body, as it also affords everything else indestructibility. Keep in mind that it’s other things…the walls can fall, and while they’ll protect things for a while, a well-aimed kill spell will expose what’s inside.
Still, as a colorless way to forfend your board, this certainly is tempting, and being a defender does open up angles with “toughness matters” decks in formats like Commander. I will say that The Walls of Ba Sing Se feel like they need such a payoff to really shine, though; spending 8 mana just to not lose is not a great investment, and there are plenty of ways to bring the walls down besides.
Constructed: 3 (I don’t think the payoffs are there in Standard, but there could be a jank deck somewhere that abuses this to hilarious effect on account of that 30 toughness)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 3 (this Limited doesn’t have great ways to capitalize on its body)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4 (Arcades, the Strategist is salivating)
Thijs
It’s the big one!
Recent sets have all had a ‘gimmick’ card, at least, that’s what I call it. There was the giant cactus from Final Fantasy and now there is a MASSIVE wall, that gives all your other permanents indestructible.
Is it good? Yes. I mean, a wall with 30 toughness comes in handy. Giving your other permanents indestructible comes in handy.
Is it removable? Very. There are tons of good and cheap removal spells around, so getting rid of this thing won’t be a very big deal. Add to that the fact that it can’t deal combat damage and what you’re left with is, well, a gimmick card.
But Thijs, it gives indestructible! Yes, so does Avacyn. But not to itself. And that’s the problem. Remove the walls and all is equal again.
It’s a fun card, it’s a cool card, but I’m afraid it won’t see much play. Still, fun to have in the collection, right?
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Limited: 3,6 (an 8 mana spell in your limited deck must be a killer)
Multiplayer: 3,5
Commander [EDH]: 3,5
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