Exclusive: The Way Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender Expansion Revives 2 Fan-Favorite Tribal Mechanics

MTG enthusiasts frequently embrace tribal strategies — who has not built a zombie deck once or twice? — and the forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release is reintroducing 2 well-known mechanics that match perfectly with its theme.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The first mechanic, known as "Ally," was introduced in the Zendikar set and grants bonuses each time additional creatures with this subtype enter the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment type that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain power as you has additional Shrines in play.

The Comeback of the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have appeared here and there across newer releases, the Ally mechanic was far less common — but that ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the mechanic is prominently used.

Aang must gather a lot of allies during the journey to restore balance to the four nations, so it's no better way to reflect this in a Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following its initial set announcement, below is a look at one Ally plus a Shrine cards from the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

Teo is a beloved supporting figure from ATLA, a young man from Earth Kingdom that resided in an Air Temple following his village was ruined in a flood, which left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in mechanics, he can fly in the air with a flying device, even dares the Avatar in a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents Teo's love for flying along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of flying machines through letting you loot each time a player attacks using an airborne creature, while additionally boosting your team with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding his home, it appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life upon entering the battlefield, depending on how many of Shrines you have.

It furthermore drains an additional point anytime another Shrine comes onto the field.

It appears to be a powerful card, given its low cost plus good ETB ability.

One big drawback of Shrine strategies outside of EDH are the fact that these cards are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple is great when paired alongside another Shrine, that deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

A Welcome Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond products have been garnering significant backlash by the community, a beloved series such as Avatar could be precisely just what MTG requires.

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