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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts frequently embrace tribal strategies — what player has not built an elf strategy once or twice? — and the new ATLA Universes Beyond release revives two well-known examples that align perfectly with its setting.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

One initial mechanic, known as "Allies," first introduced with the Zendikar set and provides buffs each time more creatures with the Ally type enter the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment type that first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain power as a player has more of them on the battlefield.

The Return of the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have shown up sporadically across newer releases, Allies subtype has been much rarer — but this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature gets prominently used.

Aang must gather a lot of companions during his quest to bring back peace across the four nations, and there's no more fitting way to represent this in an Magic set.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After its initial set announcement, below is a look of an Allies and a Shrine cards in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Figure

Teo stands as a cherished supporting figure in ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom who lived in an Air Temple after his home was ruined by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Due to his dad's skill with mechanics, he is able to soar through the skies with a flying device, and dares Aang to a flying contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's love of flying along with his tribe's reliance of flying machines by allowing the player loot whenever a player attacks using an airborne unit, and also strengthening your team with +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this is represented in a card named The Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life when coming into the battlefield, based on the number Shrine cards you control.

The card furthermore removes one more life whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

This looks like an impactful addition, considering the card's cheap mana cost and good enter the battlefield ability.

One big drawback of Shrine strategies in formats besides Commander is the fact that Shrines are always legendary permanents, but this card is great in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

A Timely Collaboration

Currently while crossover sets have been receiving a lot of criticism from the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Preview period has begun, and all cards will be launched November 21st.