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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts often adopt tribal strategies — what player has not built a zombie deck once or twice? — and this new ATLA crossover release brings back 2 popular mechanics which match seamlessly with its theme.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The initial mechanic, named "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar set which provides boosts each time more permanents with this subtype come onto play.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment-based subtype which first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribe, Shrines also gain power as you controls additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have appeared here and there across newer releases, Allies subtype was seldom seen — until that ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must gather many companions on the journey to restore balance to the four nations, and there's no better way to reflect this in an Magic expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

Following its first set announcement, below is a look of one Allies and one Shrines card in the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Character

This character is one popular minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe who lived at an Air Temple after his village was ruined by a flood, an event that left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's expertise with mechanics, Teo can soar through the skies using his glider, even dares Aang in a flying contest.

This card Teo represents his passion for the skies and his tribe's use on gliders by allowing the player loot each time a player attacks using an airborne unit, and also strengthening your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his home, it is represented as a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life when entering play, depending on how many of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore removes one more life whenever a Shrine enters the battlefield.

It appears to be an impactful addition, given its cheap cost plus good enter the battlefield ability.

One big weakness for Shrine decks in formats besides EDH is that these cards are always legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

A Timely Crossover

Currently when crossover sets have been garnering a lot of criticism from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar could be exactly just what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, with the full set will be launched November 21st.