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MTG players consistently embrace tribal tactics — what player has not assembled a goblin deck once or twice? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing 2 well-known examples which match perfectly with its setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The initial mechanic, known as "Ally," first debuted in the Zendikar set which gives buffs whenever additional creatures with this subtype enter the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based subtype which originated with Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, Shrines also gain power as a player controls additional of them in play.

The Return for the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have shown up here and there in recent sets, the Ally mechanic was much rarer — until this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit many companions during the journey to restore balance across the four nations, so there's no more fitting method to reflect this through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

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

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character stands as a popular supporting figure from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom who resided in an Air Temple after his village was ruined in a flood, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's prowess with mechanics, he can soar in the air with his glider, and dares the Avatar in a flying race.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases his love of flying along with his tribe's use on flying machines through letting the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks with an airborne unit, and also boosting your team via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life upon coming into play, based on the number Shrine cards you have.

The card also removes an additional point anytime another Shrine enters the field.

This looks like a powerful addition, considering the card's low mana cost and valuable ETB ability.

A major weakness for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card can be effective in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that drains every opponent during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond sets are receiving a lot of hate by fans, an iconic series like Avatar could be precisely what MTG needs.

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