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Magic: The Gathering players frequently adopt tribal strategies — who has not assembled a goblin strategy once or twice? — while the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release is reintroducing two popular examples which align seamlessly to the theme.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One initial ability, named "Ally," was debuted with the Zendikar which grants bonuses each time more creatures bearing the Ally subtype come onto play.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents another enchantment-based subtype that originated in Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also gain abilities when a player has more Shrines in play.

The Return of the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared here and there in recent sets, the Ally mechanic has been far less common — until that changes with ATLA, where this mechanic is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must assemble many companions on his journey to bring back balance across the four nations, and it's no more fitting method to represent that through an Magic set.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following its first card announcement, here is previews of an Allies and a Shrines cards from the new ATLA release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character is a popular supporting figure from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom that resided at the Northern Air Temple after his home was ruined in a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in mechanics, Teo is able to glide in the air with his glider, even challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

The card Teo represents his love for the skies along with his tribe's reliance of gliders through letting you draw and discard each time a player attacks with a flying creature, and additionally boosting your team with counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's home, this appears as the card Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, depending on the number of Shrines you have.

It furthermore removes one more point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

It appears to be a strong addition, given its low mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield ability.

A big drawback for Shrine-based decks outside of Commander is that these cards are typically legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

A Timely Crossover

Currently when Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of hate from the community, a beloved series like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely what MTG requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.