🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering players consistently enjoy tribal strategies — what player hasn't assembled an elf strategy before? — while the forthcoming ATLA crossover set revives two popular examples that fit perfectly with the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial ability, known as "Allies," was introduced in the Zendikar which grants buffs each time more creatures with this subtype enter play.

Alternatively, "Shrines" represents another enchantment subtype that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise become power when you controls additional of them on the battlefield.

The Comeback of Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have shown up occasionally in newer releases, Allies mechanic has been seldom seen — but that changes in ATLA, where the mechanic is prominently used.

Aang must assemble a lot of allies during the quest to bring back peace to the four nations, so there's no better way to reflect this in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Preview

After the initial card announcement, below are previews at one Ally plus one Shrine cards in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Character

This character is a cherished minor character in ATLA, a boy from the Earth Tribe who lived in an Air Temple after his home was ruined in a flood, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's skill with engineering, Teo can soar through the skies with a flying device, even dares Aang in a flying race.

The card Teo showcases Teo's love for flying along with his tribe's reliance of gliders through letting you draw and discard whenever a player attacks with a flying unit, and also strengthening your creatures via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, it appears as a card named The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you have.

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

This looks like a strong addition, given the card's low mana cost and good ETB effect.

A big weakness of Shrine strategies in formats besides EDH are that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination with another Shrine, which drains every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond sets have been garnering a lot of criticism from the community, an iconic series like Avatar could be precisely just what MTG requires.

Spoiler season is already here, with all cards set to be released November 21st.