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Magic: The Gathering fans frequently adopt tribe-based strategies — who has not assembled an elf deck before? — while the upcoming ATLA Universes Beyond release is reintroducing 2 popular examples which align seamlessly to the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One first mechanic, known as "Allies," was debuted with the Zendikar which grants boosts whenever more permanents with this subtype come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents another enchantment-based type that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise gain power when you owns more of them on the battlefield.

The Return for Allies Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have shown up occasionally across recent releases, Allies subtype was far less common — but that changes with ATLA, in which the mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang must assemble many companions on his quest to bring back peace across the world, so there's no better method to represent this in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

Following its first card reveal, below is a look at one Allies plus one Shrine cards in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

This character stands as one beloved supporting figure in ATLA, a young man of the Earth Tribe who resided at the Northern Air Temple following his village was destroyed by a flood, which rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's expertise in engineering, he can fly through the skies with his glider, even challenges Aang in an aerial contest.

The card Teo represents Teo's passion of flying and the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines by letting you loot whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, while also strengthening your creatures with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine

Speaking of his home, it appears as a card named Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life when coming into the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you control.

The card also drains an additional life whenever a Shrine enters the field.

It looks like an impactful card, given the card's cheap cost plus good enter the battlefield ability.

One major weakness of Shrine strategies outside of EDH is the fact that these cards are always Legendary, however this card can be effective when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

Currently while Universes Beyond products have been receiving significant backlash by fans, a beloved series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, with all cards set to be released on Nov. 21.