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MTG players consistently enjoy tribal strategies — what player has not constructed a goblin deck at some point? — and the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set is reintroducing two beloved examples that match perfectly to the setting.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The first ability, called "Allies," first introduced with the Zendikar set which grants boosts each time additional permanents with this subtype enter the field.

Alternatively, "Shrines" represents another enchantment subtype which originated with Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain strength when you has more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Return for the Ally Ability

While Shrines have been appeared sporadically in recent sets, Allies mechanic has been seldom seen — until that ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the mechanic is heavily featured.

Aang must gather many allies on his quest to bring back balance across the four nations, and there's no better method to represent that in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Card Preview

After the first card reveal, here are previews at one Ally plus a Shrines cards from the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

Teo stands as a beloved minor figure from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided in the Northern Air Temple following his village was destroyed by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his dad's skill in engineering, he can glide in the air with his glider, and dares the Avatar in a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases his fondness for flying and the Earth Tribe's use of gliders through allowing you draw and discard each time you attack with a flying unit, and additionally strengthening your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Regarding his dwelling, it appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life total when entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you control.

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

This appears to be an impactful addition, given the card's cheap cost and good enter the battlefield ability.

A big weakness for Shrine decks outside of EDH are the fact that Shrines are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple is effective in combination alongside another Shrine, which deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Timely Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond products have been garnering a lot of backlash by the community, a beloved franchise such as Avatar: The Last Airbender could be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season has begun, with the full set set to be released November 21st.