🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering players frequently embrace tribe-based tactics — what player has not built a zombie deck before? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back 2 beloved examples that fit seamlessly to the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The initial ability, called "Allies," was introduced in a Zendikar set and grants boosts whenever more creatures with the Ally type come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment subtype that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain power when you has more of them in play.

A Return of Allies Ability

Although Shrines have appeared occasionally across recent releases, the Ally subtype has been seldom seen — but that ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble numerous friends on his quest to bring back peace across the four nations, so there's no better way to represent that through an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

Following the initial set announcement, below is previews at one Ally plus one Shrine card from the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character stands as one popular minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from the Earth Tribe that resided in an Air Temple following his village was ruined by a disaster, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his father's expertise in mechanics, he can fly in the air with a flying device, and dares Aang in an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his fondness of flying and his tribe's reliance of flying machines through letting the player loot each time you attack with an airborne creature, and also boosting your team via counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine

Speaking of Teo's home, it is represented as the card Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, depending on how many of Shrines you control.

It furthermore drains one more life anytime a Shrine enters the battlefield.

It appears to be a strong card, given its cheap mana cost plus good ETB effect.

One major drawback for Shrine-based decks outside of Commander are that Shrines are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be great when paired with another Shrine, which deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Crossover

Currently when crossover products have been receiving significant criticism from the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar could be precisely just what MTG requires.

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