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Magic: The Gathering fans often adopt tribe-based strategies — what player hasn't assembled an elf strategy once or twice? — while the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release revives two beloved examples that fit seamlessly to the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first mechanic, called "Ally," was introduced in the Zendikar set and gives buffs whenever additional creatures bearing the Ally subtype come onto play.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" is an enchantment subtype which first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain power when a player has more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Comeback for the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have been shown up occasionally across recent sets, Allies subtype was far less common — until that ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this mechanic is central.

The protagonist Aang must gather many friends during the quest to bring back balance across the world, so there's no more fitting way to show this in an Magic set.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following the initial set reveal, here is previews at an Allies and one Shrines cards in the new ATLA set.

Teo: The Beloved Character

This character is a beloved supporting figure in ATLA, a young man from the Earth Tribe that lived in the Northern Air Temple following his village was destroyed in a flood, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's skill in engineering, he is able to fly in the air with a flying device, even challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

The card Teo represents his love for flying and the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders through allowing you loot each time a player attacks with an airborne unit, while additionally pumping your team with counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine

Regarding Teo's dwelling, it appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life upon coming into play, based on the number Shrine cards you control.

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

It appears to be a powerful addition, considering its cheap mana cost plus good enter the battlefield ability.

A major drawback of Shrine strategies outside of Commander is the fact that these cards are always Legendary, but this card can be effective when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.

The Timely Crossover

At a time while Universes Beyond products are receiving a lot of criticism by fans, an iconic series such as Avatar could be precisely what Magic: The Gathering requires.

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