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Magic: The Gathering fans consistently enjoy tribal decks — what player hasn't built an elf deck once or twice? — and this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing 2 beloved mechanics that fit seamlessly to the theme.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The first mechanic, named "Allies," was debuted with a Zendikar which gives buffs each time additional creatures bearing the Ally subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents an enchantment-based subtype that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments also gain strength as you owns more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Comeback for the Ally Ability

Although Shrine cards have shown up sporadically across recent releases, Allies mechanic has been seldom seen — but this changes in ATLA, in which the mechanic is central.

Aang must recruit a lot of allies on his quest to bring back peace to the world, and there's no better method to show that in a Magic expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

Following the initial card announcement, here is a look at an Ally and one Shrines card in the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character is a cherished minor figure in ATLA, a young man of the Earth Tribe who lived at the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a flood, which rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his dad's skill with mechanics, he is able to glide in the air with his glider, and challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

The card Teo reproduces his fondness of the skies and his tribe's use of flying machines by letting you draw and discard whenever a player attacks using an airborne creature, while additionally strengthening your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's dwelling, it appears in a card named Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, depending on the number of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore removes one more life whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It looks like a strong card, given the card's cheap cost and good enter the battlefield effect.

One big drawback for Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander is the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Timely Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond products are garnering a lot of criticism from the community, a beloved series like Avatar can be exactly what MTG needs.

Preview period has begun, and all cards will be released November 21st.