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Magic: The Gathering players frequently enjoy tribal strategies — who has not built a goblin strategy before? — and this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set brings back 2 beloved mechanics which align perfectly with the theme.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One initial mechanic, named "Ally," was debuted with the Zendikar and provides buffs whenever additional creatures with this type enter play.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" represents an enchantment subtype that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribe, Shrines likewise become abilities as a player has additional Shrines in play.

A Comeback for the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have been shown up occasionally in newer sets, Allies subtype was far less common — until that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the feature gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit a lot of allies during the quest to restore balance across the four nations, and there's no more fitting method to reflect that in a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

After its first card reveal, here are previews of one Allies plus a Shrine card in the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

This character is one popular minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of the Earth Tribe that resided at an Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a disaster, an event that left him paraplegic.

Because of his dad's prowess with engineering, Teo can soar in the air using a flying device, even challenges the Avatar in a flying contest.

The card Teo reproduces his love for the skies along with his tribe's use on gliders through allowing the player draw and discard each time a player attacks with an airborne creature, while also pumping your team with +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his home, it is represented in a card named Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total when entering play, depending on the number Shrine cards you control.

The card furthermore drains an additional point anytime another Shrine comes onto the field.

It appears to be an impactful card, given the card's low mana cost and good enter the battlefield ability.

One big weakness of Shrine strategies outside of EDH is the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but this card is effective when paired with another Shrine, which drains every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently when crossover sets have been receiving significant hate by the community, an iconic series like Avatar could be exactly just what MTG needs.

Preview period has begun, with all cards set to be launched November 21st.