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Magic: The Gathering fans consistently adopt tribe-based tactics — who has not assembled an elf strategy at some point? — while this upcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set brings back 2 beloved examples that match seamlessly to its theme.

Returning Tribal Mechanics

One initial ability, named "Allies," was introduced with the Zendikar which provides bonuses whenever additional permanents with this subtype come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrine" is another enchantment type that first appeared with Kamigawa. While not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain power when you controls more of them on the battlefield.

A Return of Allies Ability

While Shrine cards have appeared sporadically in newer releases, the Ally mechanic was far less common — but this ends with ATLA, in which this mechanic gets central.

Aang has to recruit a lot of allies on his quest to restore balance across the four nations, and there's no more fitting method to represent that in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Card Showcase

Following the first card reveal, below are a look of one Ally plus one Shrine cards from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character stands as one beloved minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from Earth Kingdom who lived at the Northern Air Temple following his home was ruined by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Due to his father's prowess with engineering, Teo is able to glide in the air using his glider, even challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

The card Teo reproduces Teo's passion for the skies along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders by letting you draw and discard each time a player attacks with a flying unit, while additionally pumping your creatures via counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Regarding Teo's dwelling, this appears in the card Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life when entering the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card furthermore removes one more point whenever another Shrine enters the field.

This looks like a powerful addition, given the card's cheap cost plus good ETB effect.

A big drawback for Shrine decks in formats besides Commander is the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is great in combination alongside another Shrine, that drains every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond products have been receiving a lot of hate from the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be exactly what MTG needs.

Spoiler season is already here, with the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.