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Magic: The Gathering fans consistently adopt tribal strategies — what player has not built a goblin deck before? — and this new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release revives two well-known examples that align perfectly with the setting.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The initial ability, known as "Allies," was introduced in the Zendikar which provides buffs whenever more permanents with the Ally subtype come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents an enchantment-based subtype which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments also gain power when you controls more of them on the battlefield.

A Return for the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have shown up sporadically across newer releases, the Ally subtype has been far less common — until this ends in ATLA, where this feature is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must assemble numerous friends on the journey to bring back balance across the four nations, and it's no more fitting way to show that through an Magic expansion.

Exclusive Card Showcase

Following its initial set reveal, below is previews of one Ally plus a Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure

This character stands as a popular minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom who lived at the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a flood, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's expertise with engineering, he can glide through the skies with a flying device, and dares Aang in an aerial contest.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his passion for flying along with the Earth Tribe's use of gliders by letting the player draw and discard each time a player attacks using a flying unit, and also boosting your team via counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine

Regarding his dwelling, it is represented as a card named Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life upon entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you control.

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

This appears to be an impactful addition, given its low cost plus good enter the battlefield ability.

One big weakness for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides EDH are the fact that these cards are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination alongside another Shrine, which drains all opponents during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond products have been receiving a lot of criticism from the community, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be exactly what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set will be released November 21st.