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MTG enthusiasts frequently enjoy tribal tactics — what player has not built a goblin deck before? — while this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release is reintroducing 2 well-known examples that match seamlessly with the flavor.

Returning Tribal Abilities

One initial ability, known as "Allies," first debuted with the Zendikar which grants boosts each time additional creatures bearing this subtype come onto play.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment subtype that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise become power as a player controls additional Shrines on the battlefield.

The Return of the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have appeared here and there across recent sets, Allies mechanic has been much rarer — but that ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang must recruit many companions during his quest to bring back balance to the four nations, so there's no better method to represent this through an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

After its first card reveal, here is a look of an Allies and one Shrines cards from the new ATLA release.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character stands as one popular minor character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of the Earth Tribe who resided in the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a disaster, which rendered him paraplegic.

Because of his dad's prowess with engineering, he can glide through the skies with his glider, even dares the Avatar to a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his love for the skies along with the Earth Tribe's use of flying machines by letting you draw and discard whenever a player attacks with a flying unit, while additionally strengthening your creatures via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this is represented as a card named Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total when coming into play, depending on how many of Shrines you control.

It furthermore removes one more life whenever another Shrine enters the field.

This looks like a strong addition, given its cheap cost and good ETB ability.

One major drawback of Shrine strategies outside of Commander is that these cards are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be effective when paired with another Shrine, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your turn.

The Timely Crossover

Currently when Universes Beyond products are garnering a lot of backlash from fans, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely what MTG needs.

Preview period is already here, with the full set will be released November 21st.