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Magic: The Gathering fans often embrace tribal tactics — who has not constructed a zombie strategy once or twice? — and the new ATLA Universes Beyond set revives 2 popular examples which fit perfectly to its theme.

Returning Tribal Mechanics

The first mechanic, known as "Ally," was introduced in the Zendikar set and provides boosts whenever additional permanents with this type enter play.

On the other hand, "Shrine" is an enchantment type which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise become abilities as a player controls additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback of the Ally Ability

While Shrines have appeared sporadically across recent sets, the Ally subtype was far less common — but this ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble many allies during his journey to restore balance across the four nations, so there's no more fitting way to represent that in an Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

After its first set announcement, here are previews of one Allies and one Shrines cards in the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Figure

This character stands as a beloved minor character in ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom who resided in an Air Temple after his village was ruined in a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's skill with mechanics, Teo can glide in the air using his glider, even challenges the Avatar to a flying contest.

This card Teo reproduces Teo's passion for flying along with the Earth Tribe's use of gliders through letting you loot each time you attack with an airborne unit, and also pumping your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's home, this is represented in the card Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life total upon entering play, based on how many of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore drains one more point anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

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

One major weakness for Shrine-based decks in formats besides Commander are the fact that Shrines are typically Legendary, but this card can be effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Collaboration

At a time when crossover sets have been garnering significant criticism by the community, a beloved series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender could be exactly just what MTG needs.

Preview period has begun, and all cards set to be launched on Nov. 21.