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Magic: The Gathering fans consistently adopt tribe-based decks — who hasn't built an elf strategy once or twice? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set is reintroducing two popular mechanics that fit perfectly with the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial ability, known as "Ally," first debuted in the Zendikar which grants buffs whenever additional creatures bearing the Ally subtype enter the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents an enchantment subtype that originated with Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines likewise gain abilities as a player controls more of them in play.

The Comeback of the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared sporadically across recent releases, the Ally mechanic has been far less common — but that ends with ATLA, in which this mechanic gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang has to gather numerous companions during the quest to restore peace across the four nations, and there's no more fitting method to show that through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following the initial set reveal, below is previews at an Allies plus a Shrines card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Character

This character is a beloved minor figure from ATLA, a boy of the Earth Tribe who lived in the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined in a flood, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's prowess with mechanics, he can fly through the skies with his glider, even dares the Avatar in a flying contest.

The card Teo showcases Teo's fondness for flying and his tribe's reliance of gliders by letting the player loot each time you attack with a flying unit, while also boosting your creatures with counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his dwelling, this is represented in the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life upon coming into the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card furthermore drains an additional life whenever another Shrine enters the battlefield.

This appears to be a powerful card, considering the card's cheap mana cost plus good ETB effect.

One big drawback of Shrine-based decks outside of Commander is the fact that these cards are always Legendary, however Northern Air Temple can be great in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time while Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of hate by the community, a beloved franchise like Avatar can be exactly just what MTG needs.

Preview period has begun, with the full set set to be launched November 21st.