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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts consistently embrace tribal decks — who has not constructed an elf deck at some point? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set brings back 2 popular mechanics that align perfectly to its setting.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One first mechanic, called "Allies," was introduced with a Zendikar which provides buffs whenever additional permanents bearing the Ally subtype come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment subtype that first appeared with Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise gain strength as a player owns more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Return of the Ally Mechanic

While Shrine cards have been appeared sporadically across newer sets, Allies mechanic was much rarer — but this changes in ATLA, where this mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang must gather numerous allies during the journey to bring back balance to the world, so there's no better way to reflect this through an Magic expansion.

Exclusive Card Showcase

Following the initial set announcement, below is a look at one Allies and a Shrines card in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure

This character is one beloved minor character from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided at an Air Temple after his village was ruined in a disaster, which left him unable to walk.

Because of his dad's expertise in engineering, Teo can soar through the skies using his glider, even challenges Aang to a flying race.

The card Teo represents his love for the skies and the Earth Tribe's reliance on flying machines by letting the player draw and discard whenever you attack using a flying creature, while also boosting your team with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his home, this appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you have.

It furthermore removes one more life whenever a Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like a powerful addition, considering its cheap mana cost plus valuable ETB effect.

A major weakness of Shrine decks in formats besides EDH is that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is great in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.

The Welcome Crossover

Currently when Universes Beyond products are garnering a lot of criticism from the community, a beloved series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering needs.

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