🔗 Share this article

MTG enthusiasts consistently adopt tribal tactics — what player has not constructed a goblin deck at some point? — while the upcoming ATLA crossover release is reintroducing 2 beloved mechanics that match seamlessly with the theme.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

The initial mechanic, known as "Allies," was introduced with the Zendikar which grants boosts whenever additional creatures bearing the Ally type enter play.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents an enchantment-based subtype that originated with Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain strength when you controls additional Shrines on the battlefield.

The Comeback of Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have been shown up sporadically in newer releases, the Ally mechanic has been much rarer — until this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit a lot of friends on his quest to bring back peace to the world, so it's no more fitting method to represent this in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After the first set announcement, here is previews of one Allies plus a Shrines cards in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

This character stands as one cherished supporting character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe who lived in the Northern Air Temple after his home was ruined in a flood, which rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's prowess in engineering, Teo is able to fly through the skies using his glider, even challenges Aang in a flying contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's passion of flying and his tribe's use on flying machines by allowing you draw and discard whenever a player attacks with an airborne unit, and additionally pumping your team via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding Teo's dwelling, this appears in a card named Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life total upon coming into play, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

It also removes one more point whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It looks like a powerful card, given the card's low mana cost and valuable enter the battlefield ability.

A major drawback of Shrine-based decks in formats besides Commander is the fact that Shrines are always Legendary, however Northern Air Temple can be effective when paired alongside another Shrine, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond products have been receiving significant criticism by the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar could be precisely what MTG requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set will be released on Nov. 21.