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MTG players frequently adopt tribal tactics — who has not assembled a zombie strategy before? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set brings back two beloved examples which fit perfectly with the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The first mechanic, named "Ally," was debuted in the Zendikar set and provides boosts whenever additional permanents bearing this subtype enter the field.

Alternatively, "Shrines" represents an enchantment subtype which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also become abilities as a player owns more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Return for Allies Mechanic

Although Shrines have shown up here and there across newer sets, Allies mechanic was much rarer — but that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature gets heavily featured.

Aang has to recruit numerous friends during the journey to restore balance to the four nations, so there's no more fitting way to represent this through an Magic expansion.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After its first set reveal, below is a look at one Allies plus one Shrines cards in the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Figure

This character stands as a beloved minor character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from the Earth Tribe who resided in an Air Temple following his village was destroyed in a flood, which rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's skill in mechanics, Teo is able to glide through the skies using his glider, and challenges Aang in a flying contest.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's fondness of the skies and his tribe's reliance of gliders through allowing you loot each time a player attacks with a flying unit, while also strengthening your creatures with counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Regarding his home, it is represented in a card named Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total upon entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card furthermore removes an additional life anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

It appears to be an impactful addition, given its low mana cost plus good ETB effect.

One major weakness of Shrine-based decks in formats besides EDH are that these cards are always Legendary, however this card can be great in combination alongside another Shrine, which drains every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Crossover

Currently while crossover products have been garnering a lot of backlash by fans, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be precisely what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Spoiler season is already here, and the full set set to be released November 21st.