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MTG enthusiasts frequently embrace tribe-based tactics — who has not assembled a zombie deck before? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release revives 2 well-known mechanics which align perfectly to its setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The first ability, called "Allies," first introduced with the Zendikar set and gives buffs each time additional permanents with the Ally subtype come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribe, these enchantments likewise become abilities as a player has additional Shrines in play.

A Return for Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have appeared here and there across recent sets, the Ally mechanic has been much rarer — until this ends with ATLA, where the feature gets heavily featured.

Aang has to recruit numerous allies during his quest to bring back balance to the four nations, so there's no more fitting way to show that in an Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Card Showcase

Following its first set announcement, here are previews of an Ally and one Shrines card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure

This character stands as a popular minor character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom who resided in an Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a flood, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's expertise in engineering, Teo can fly through the skies using a flying device, and challenges the Avatar to an aerial contest.

This card Teo represents his love for the skies and the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines by letting you loot each time a player attacks with an airborne unit, and also boosting your team with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his dwelling, it appears in the card Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life when coming into play, based on how many Shrine cards you control.

It furthermore removes an additional point anytime a Shrine comes onto the field.

This looks like a powerful card, given its cheap mana cost and good ETB effect.

A big weakness of Shrine-based strategies outside of EDH are the fact that these cards are always legendary permanents, however this card can be great in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

A Welcome Collaboration

At a time when crossover sets are receiving a lot of backlash by fans, a beloved franchise such as Avatar can be precisely what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, and the full set will be released November 21st.