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Magic: The Gathering players frequently embrace tribal tactics — what player has not assembled an elf strategy at some point? — and the upcoming ATLA crossover set revives two beloved mechanics which match perfectly with its flavor.

Returning Tribal Mechanics

One initial mechanic, named "Ally," first debuted with the Zendikar and provides boosts whenever additional creatures bearing the Ally type come onto play.

Alternatively, "Shrine" represents an enchantment type that originated in Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain abilities as a player owns additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback of Allies Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have been appeared here and there in recent releases, the Ally mechanic has been much rarer — until this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to gather a lot of allies on the journey to bring back peace across the world, so it's no better way to represent this in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Cards Preview

Following the initial set announcement, below are previews of an Allies plus one Shrine cards in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Figure

This character is one beloved minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of the Earth Tribe that resided at the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined by a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's prowess in engineering, he is able to soar in the air using his glider, and challenges the Avatar to an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's fondness of the skies and the Earth Tribe's use of flying machines by letting the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks using a flying unit, while additionally strengthening your team via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding Teo's home, it appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life upon entering the battlefield, depending on the number Shrine cards you control.

It also drains one more point anytime another Shrine comes onto the field.

This appears to be an impactful addition, considering its low mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

A major drawback of Shrine strategies outside of EDH are that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination with another Shrine, which drains every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

A Timely Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond products have been receiving significant criticism from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar could be precisely what MTG requires.

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