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MTG players consistently enjoy tribal tactics — what player has not assembled a zombie strategy at some point? — and this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release revives 2 beloved examples that align perfectly to the flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first mechanic, known as "Allies," was introduced in a Zendikar set which provides boosts whenever additional creatures with this type come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrine" is an enchantment type that originated in Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines likewise gain abilities as you has additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for Allies Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared occasionally across newer releases, Allies subtype has been seldom seen — until that ends with ATLA, in which this feature gets central.

The protagonist Aang must assemble a lot of allies during his journey to restore peace to the world, so there's no more fitting method to represent this through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

After its first set reveal, below are a look of one Allies and a Shrine cards from the new ATLA release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

This character stands as one popular supporting figure in ATLA, a boy of the Earth Tribe who lived at an Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a flood, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's skill in engineering, he can fly in the air with a flying device, and dares the Avatar in a flying race.

This card Teo showcases his fondness of flying along with his tribe's reliance of flying machines by allowing the player loot each time a player attacks using an airborne unit, and additionally strengthening your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his home, it appears as the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life upon coming into play, based on the number of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore drains one more life anytime a Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like an impactful addition, considering the card's low mana cost plus good enter the battlefield effect.

A big drawback of Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander are that Shrines are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond sets are garnering significant hate from the community, a beloved series like Avatar can be precisely what MTG requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set set to be released on Nov. 21.