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MTG fans consistently adopt tribal strategies — who hasn't constructed a goblin deck before? — while the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release is reintroducing 2 well-known mechanics which align perfectly with the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first ability, named "Ally," was debuted in a Zendikar set which gives boosts whenever more creatures with this type enter the field.

Alternatively, "Shrines" represents an enchantment-based subtype that originated with Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribe, Shrines also become strength as you has additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrines have been shown up sporadically across newer releases, Allies mechanic has been much rarer — but this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature is central.

The protagonist Aang has to gather numerous allies during the journey to restore balance to the four nations, and there's no more fitting method to reflect this in an Magic set.

Revealed Cards Preview

Following its first set reveal, here are previews at an Allies plus a Shrine card from the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character stands as a popular minor character in ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom that resided in an Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a flood, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's expertise with mechanics, he is able to soar through the skies using his glider, even challenges the Avatar in a flying contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his fondness for the skies and his tribe's use on flying machines through allowing you draw and discard whenever you attack using a flying creature, while also strengthening your team via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his home, this appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card furthermore removes an additional point whenever another Shrine enters the field.

This looks like an impactful addition, given the card's low cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

A big drawback of Shrine-based decks in formats besides EDH is the fact that these cards are typically legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is great when paired alongside another Shrine, that drains every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently while crossover products have been garnering significant backlash from the community, a beloved franchise such as Avatar can be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Preview period is already here, with all cards will be released on Nov. 21.