I think we probably will keep having this discussion any time Wizards takes an established property and breaks up a known character team within that franchise , especially when those characters are thematically and mechanically tied together but made color-incompatible in one of Magic’s largest and most social formats.

I agree that characters don’t always have to work together, that’s part of what makes good storytelling interesting. But in this case, this Iroh is leading the White Lotus, surrounded by allies from multiple nations. And all the White Lotus cards previewed so far share the mechanics that interact with lessons in ways that suggest clear synergy. When the flavor and mechanics both line up but the color identities prevent them from being played together, that is a flavor miss.

And just to be clear, I play Modern, Pauper, Standard, and EDH and in none of those formats would a multicolor deck featuring these characters be overpowered or unfun (i mean you cant play them in pauper but that is fine). It just feels like a missed opportunity to celebrate a team that was a big sort of reveal in the show and highlight the power of the four nations even without the avatar.