Exclusive: The Way Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender Set Revives Two Popular Tribal Mechanics

MTG fans consistently embrace tribal decks — what player hasn't constructed a zombie strategy once or twice? — while the forthcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set revives 2 beloved examples that align seamlessly with its theme.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

The first mechanic, called "Ally," was introduced with the Zendikar which gives boosts each time more permanents with the Ally subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents an enchantment subtype which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also become strength when you has additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for Allies Ability

While Shrines have shown up here and there in newer releases, the Ally subtype has been far less common — but this changes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble a lot of allies on the quest to restore balance to the world, so there's no better method to represent that in an Magic expansion.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After the first card announcement, below are previews of one Ally plus a Shrine card in the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character is one cherished minor character from ATLA, a boy from the Earth Tribe who resided in the Northern Air Temple following his village was ruined in a disaster, an event that left him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's skill with engineering, Teo is able to glide through the skies using his glider, even dares Aang to an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's fondness for the skies along with his tribe's reliance on flying machines by allowing the player loot each time a player attacks with an airborne creature, and also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his dwelling, it is represented as a card named The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life when coming into the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card also removes an additional point whenever a Shrine enters the field.

This appears to be a powerful addition, considering the card's cheap cost and valuable enter the battlefield ability.

A big weakness for Shrine strategies in formats besides Commander is that Shrines are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple is great in combination with another Shrine, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

Currently while Universes Beyond products are garnering a lot of hate from fans, a beloved series like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be exactly what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.