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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts frequently enjoy tribal strategies — who has not assembled a goblin deck once or twice? — and the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back two popular examples that fit perfectly with the flavor.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One initial mechanic, known as "Ally," was debuted with a Zendikar and gives buffs whenever additional permanents bearing the Ally subtype come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based type that first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain strength when a player owns more of them on the battlefield.

The Return for the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have been shown up sporadically across newer sets, the Ally subtype was far less common — until that ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature is heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang must recruit a lot of companions on his quest to restore balance across the world, so there's no better method to represent that through a Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

After its first card reveal, here is a look of one Ally and a Shrines cards from the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character

Teo is a beloved supporting figure from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom that resided in an Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a disaster, an event that left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's skill with engineering, he can glide in the air using a flying device, even dares Aang in a flying race.

This card Teo showcases his love for the skies and the Earth Tribe's use of flying machines by letting you draw and discard whenever a player attacks with a flying creature, while also strengthening your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, it appears in the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total when entering the battlefield, based on the number of Shrines you have.

It furthermore removes an additional point anytime a Shrine enters the battlefield.

This looks like a strong addition, given the card's cheap cost plus good enter the battlefield effect.

A big drawback of Shrine strategies outside of Commander are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be effective when paired with another Shrine, that drains all opponents during the start of your turn.

A Timely Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond sets are garnering significant backlash from the community, a beloved series like Avatar could be exactly just what MTG requires.

Spoiler season is already here, and all cards will be launched November 21st.