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Magic: The Gathering fans often adopt tribe-based tactics — who has not constructed a zombie deck once or twice? — and this new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release is reintroducing 2 well-known examples which align perfectly with the theme.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The first mechanic, known as "Ally," first debuted in the Zendikar and gives boosts whenever more permanents bearing this type enter the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents an enchantment type that first appeared in Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain abilities when a player has more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Return of the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have shown up occasionally in newer releases, the Ally subtype has been much rarer — until that ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang has to gather a lot of friends on the journey to bring back peace to the world, and there's no better method to show that through a Magic expansion.

Exclusive Card Preview

Following its initial card announcement, below is previews at one Ally plus a Shrine card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Character

Teo stands as a beloved minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom that resided in an Air Temple after his home was ruined in a flood, which left him unable to walk.

Due to his dad's skill with engineering, he can glide in the air using his glider, and dares Aang in an aerial contest.

This card Teo reproduces his passion for the skies along with his tribe's use on flying machines through allowing you draw and discard whenever you attack using a flying creature, and also strengthening your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's dwelling, it is represented in a card named The Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life total when coming into play, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card also removes an additional point whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It appears to be an impactful card, considering the card's cheap mana cost and valuable enter the battlefield effect.

One major weakness for Shrine strategies outside of Commander is the fact that these cards are always legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

A Timely Collaboration

Currently when crossover products have been garnering a lot of hate from the community, a beloved franchise like Avatar could be precisely just what MTG needs.

Preview period is already here, with the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.