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MTG fans consistently embrace tribe-based decks — what player has not assembled a zombie strategy at some point? — and the new ATLA crossover set revives 2 beloved examples which match seamlessly to its setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One initial mechanic, known as "Ally," first introduced in a Zendikar which grants buffs each time additional permanents with the Ally subtype enter the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" represents another enchantment-based type which originated in Kamigawa. Although not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also gain abilities when a player has additional Shrines in play.

A Return of Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have been appeared sporadically across newer sets, Allies subtype has been seldom seen — until this ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the feature gets heavily featured.

Aang has to recruit a lot of friends during his quest to restore balance to the four nations, so there's no better method to reflect that in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Preview

After the initial card announcement, below are a look of an Allies and a Shrines card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character stands as a popular minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom that lived in the Northern Air Temple following his village was ruined in a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's expertise with engineering, Teo is able to soar in the air with his glider, and challenges Aang in a flying race.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases his fondness of flying and his tribe's reliance of gliders through letting the player loot each time a player attacks using an airborne creature, and additionally pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding his dwelling, it appears as a card named Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life when coming into the battlefield, based on the number of Shrines you have.

The card also removes one more point whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This appears to be a powerful card, given its low cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

One big weakness for Shrine-based decks outside of EDH is the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is great in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to every opponent during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond products are garnering significant hate from fans, an iconic franchise such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely what MTG needs.

Preview period is already here, and the full set will be launched November 21st.