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MTG enthusiasts frequently adopt tribal strategies — who has not constructed a zombie strategy at some point? — while this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing two beloved mechanics that match seamlessly with the theme.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, known as "Allies," was debuted in the Zendikar and gives boosts whenever additional creatures with this subtype come onto play.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents an enchantment type that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, Shrines likewise gain power as a player controls more of them on the battlefield.

A Return for the Ally Ability

While Shrines have been shown up occasionally in recent releases, the Ally mechanic has been much rarer — until that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang must gather a lot of friends on his journey to bring back balance to the four nations, and it's no better method to reflect that through an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Card Preview

Following its initial card reveal, below are previews of an Ally plus one Shrines card in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Figure

Teo is one beloved supporting figure from ATLA, a boy of Earth Kingdom that resided in the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined in a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Due to his father's prowess with mechanics, Teo can fly through the skies using a flying device, and dares Aang to a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's passion for flying and his tribe's reliance of gliders by letting the player draw and discard each time a player attacks using an airborne creature, while also pumping your team via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's dwelling, it is represented as a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life when coming into play, based on how many of Shrines you have.

The card also drains one more life anytime a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This looks like an impactful addition, considering its low cost plus valuable enter the battlefield ability.

A big drawback for Shrine-based decks in formats besides EDH is the fact that these cards are always legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple can be great when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

A Timely Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of criticism by the community, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly what MTG needs.

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