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MTG fans consistently adopt tribe-based decks — what player hasn't assembled a goblin deck before? — while this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back two popular examples which align seamlessly to the theme.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, named "Ally," was debuted in the Zendikar set which provides bonuses whenever more creatures bearing this type come onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type which first appeared with Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain power as a player has more of them in play.

A Comeback for Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have been shown up sporadically across recent releases, Allies mechanic was much rarer — until that ends with ATLA, in which this feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must gather many friends on his journey to bring back peace to the world, so it's no more fitting method to represent this in a Magic expansion.

Revealed Card Preview

After its initial set announcement, here is previews at an Allies and one Shrines cards from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character is one beloved minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe who lived at the Northern Air Temple after his home was ruined in a flood, which left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's expertise with engineering, Teo is able to glide in the air using a flying device, and dares Aang to an aerial contest.

This card Teo represents Teo's love of the skies and his tribe's use of gliders by letting the player draw and discard each time a player attacks using a flying unit, and additionally strengthening your team via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's home, it is represented in the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life when coming into play, depending on the number of Shrines you have.

It also drains an additional point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like an impactful addition, given its cheap mana cost and valuable ETB effect.

One big drawback of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander is the fact that these cards are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be great in combination alongside another Shrine, that drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Collaboration

At a time when crossover sets are garnering significant backlash from the community, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set set to be released November 21st.