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MTG enthusiasts consistently embrace tribal strategies — who hasn't assembled a goblin deck once or twice? — while this new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set revives 2 beloved examples that match perfectly with the theme.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The initial mechanic, known as "Allies," first debuted in the Zendikar which provides buffs whenever additional permanents with the Ally subtype come onto play.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents another enchantment type which first appeared with Kamigawa. While not creature-based tribe, Shrines also become power as you controls additional of them in play.

A Return for the Ally Ability

While Shrines have been appeared here and there across newer releases, the Ally subtype was much rarer — but this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature is central.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble a lot of allies during the journey to bring back peace across the world, and it's no better way to represent that in a Magic set.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

Following its initial set announcement, below are previews of an Ally plus one Shrine card in the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure

Teo stands as one beloved supporting character from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided in an Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a disaster, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's skill with engineering, Teo can soar through the skies with his glider, even dares Aang in a flying race.

This card Teo reproduces his love of the skies and his tribe's use of gliders by allowing the player draw and discard whenever you attack using a flying creature, and additionally boosting your team with +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's home, it appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life upon coming into the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore drains an additional point whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It looks like a strong addition, given its cheap mana cost plus good ETB effect.

A major weakness for Shrine decks outside of EDH are that Shrines are typically Legendary, but this card can be great when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your turn.

The Timely Crossover

At a time while Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of criticism by the community, an iconic series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Preview period has begun, with the full set will be released November 21st.