Exclusive: How Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender Expansion Revives Two Popular Tribal Gameplay Features

Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts frequently embrace tribal tactics — what player hasn't constructed an elf deck before? — while this forthcoming ATLA crossover set revives two popular mechanics that fit perfectly with its theme.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One initial mechanic, called "Ally," first debuted with a Zendikar which provides bonuses each time more permanents bearing this type come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is an enchantment subtype which first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribe, Shrines likewise gain abilities as you controls additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have been appeared sporadically in newer sets, the Ally subtype was seldom seen — but that ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must gather a lot of allies on the journey to restore peace across the four nations, so there's no more fitting way to represent this through a Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following the initial card reveal, here is previews at an Ally plus one Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

This character stands as a popular supporting figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom that lived at an Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a flood, which rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's prowess with engineering, Teo can glide in the air with his glider, and challenges Aang in an aerial contest.

The card Teo represents Teo's fondness of flying and his tribe's reliance of flying machines by allowing the player loot each time you attack with an airborne unit, while additionally boosting your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine

Speaking of Teo's home, this appears in the card Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total upon entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card furthermore drains an additional point whenever a Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like a strong addition, considering the card's cheap cost plus good ETB ability.

A big drawback for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander are that these cards are always Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is effective when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond sets have been receiving a lot of backlash by fans, a beloved franchise like Avatar can be exactly just what MTG requires.

Preview period is already here, with the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.