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MTG enthusiasts often adopt tribal strategies — what player has not assembled an elf strategy at some point? — while the new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set revives two well-known mechanics that align seamlessly with the setting.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One initial ability, known as "Ally," was debuted in the Zendikar set and provides buffs each time additional permanents with this type come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is another enchantment-based type which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly creature-based tribe, these enchantments also become power as a player owns additional of them in play.

The Comeback of the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have been shown up here and there across newer releases, the Ally subtype has been seldom seen — until this changes in ATLA, where this mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang must assemble numerous friends during his journey to bring back balance to the four nations, and there's no better method to represent this through a Magic set.

Revealed Card Showcase

After the initial card reveal, here are a look at one Allies plus a Shrine card from the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure

This character is a beloved supporting character from ATLA, a young man from Earth Kingdom that lived at an Air Temple following his village was ruined in a flood, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's expertise in engineering, Teo can fly in the air using his glider, and dares Aang to a flying race.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his love of flying along with his tribe's reliance on flying machines by letting the player loot whenever you attack using a flying unit, while also pumping your creatures with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's home, this is represented in the card The Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life total upon coming into the battlefield, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card also removes one more point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

This looks like a strong addition, considering the card's cheap cost and good ETB effect.

One big drawback for Shrine decks in formats besides EDH are that Shrines are always Legendary, but this card can be effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to every opponent during the start of your turn.

A Timely Collaboration

Currently when crossover sets are garnering a lot of hate from fans, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly what MTG needs.

Preview period has begun, and the full set set to be released on Nov. 21.