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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts frequently enjoy tribe-based strategies — what player has not assembled a goblin deck before? — while this upcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set revives two popular mechanics which match perfectly to the theme.

Returning Tribal Mechanics

The initial ability, called "Ally," was introduced with a Zendikar set and grants bonuses each time additional permanents with the Ally subtype come onto the field.

Alternatively, "Shrine" represents another enchantment-based subtype which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribal theme, Shrines also become abilities when a player owns additional of them in play.

The Return of Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have been shown up sporadically across newer sets, the Ally mechanic has been seldom seen — but that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature is central.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit numerous companions on his journey to restore peace across the world, and it's no better way to reflect that through an Magic set.

Exclusive Card Preview

Following its first set announcement, below are a look of an Ally and one Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Figure

Teo is one popular supporting character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom that lived in the Northern Air Temple after his home was ruined by a disaster, which rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's skill in engineering, Teo is able to fly in the air using a flying device, and challenges the Avatar in a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases his fondness of flying and his tribe's use of gliders through letting the player draw and discard each time you attack with an airborne unit, and also pumping your team with +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's home, it is represented in a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life total when entering the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.

It furthermore drains one more point whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This appears to be a powerful card, considering its low cost plus good ETB ability.

A major drawback of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides EDH is that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that drains every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Timely Crossover

At a time while Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of backlash by the community, a beloved franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly what MTG requires.

Preview period is already here, with all cards set to be released November 21st.