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MTG fans consistently enjoy tribe-based tactics — who has not constructed a goblin deck at some point? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back 2 popular examples which fit seamlessly with the theme.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first ability, called "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar and grants buffs whenever more creatures bearing this type enter play.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based subtype that originated in Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines also gain power as you owns more of them in play.

The Return for the Ally Mechanic

While Shrine cards have shown up occasionally in newer releases, Allies subtype was seldom seen — until this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang must recruit a lot of companions during the quest to restore balance to the world, and there's no better method to reflect that through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

After the first card reveal, here are previews of one Allies and one Shrine cards in the new ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Character

This character is a beloved supporting character in ATLA, a young man of the Earth Tribe who resided in an Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a flood, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's skill in mechanics, Teo can fly in the air using a flying device, even dares Aang in an aerial contest.

The card Teo showcases his love for the skies along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of flying machines through allowing the player draw and discard each time a player attacks with a flying unit, while additionally boosting your creatures via counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his dwelling, it is represented in a card named The Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total upon entering play, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card furthermore drains one more point anytime a Shrine enters the field.

This appears to be an impactful card, considering the card's low mana cost and valuable ETB ability.

One big weakness for Shrine strategies in formats besides EDH is that these cards are always Legendary, however this card can be effective in combination with another Shrine, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

The Timely Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond products are receiving significant hate by the community, an iconic series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering needs.

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