🔗 Share this article

MTG fans consistently enjoy tribal tactics — what player hasn't built a zombie strategy once or twice? — while this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set brings back two popular mechanics which align perfectly to the theme.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The initial mechanic, named "Ally," was debuted with the Zendikar and provides buffs whenever additional permanents with this type come onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is an enchantment-based type which originated with Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain power when you owns additional of them in play.

The Return of the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared here and there in recent releases, the Ally mechanic was much rarer — until this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature gets central.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble many allies during the journey to bring back peace across the world, and there's no better method to reflect this in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After the initial set reveal, here is a look at an Allies and one Shrines card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: A Beloved Character

Teo is a cherished supporting figure from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom that resided at an Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a disaster, which rendered him paraplegic.

Because of his father's expertise with mechanics, he is able to soar in the air using a flying device, even challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's love of the skies along with his tribe's use on gliders through letting you loot whenever a player attacks with a flying creature, while also boosting your team via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine

Regarding Teo's home, this appears as the card Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life when coming into the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

It furthermore removes one more point anytime a Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like a powerful card, considering the card's low mana cost plus valuable ETB effect.

One major drawback for Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is great in combination with another Shrine, which drains every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

A Timely Crossover

At a time when crossover products have been garnering a lot of backlash by fans, an iconic series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, and the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.