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Magic: The Gathering players often enjoy tribal strategies — what player hasn't constructed a zombie strategy once or twice? — and the new ATLA crossover set revives two well-known mechanics that align perfectly to its setting.

Returning Tribal Abilities

The first ability, known as "Allies," was debuted with a Zendikar which provides bonuses each time more permanents with this subtype enter the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrines" is an enchantment subtype which first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribe, these enchantments likewise become power when a player has more Shrines in play.

A Comeback for the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared sporadically across newer releases, the Ally subtype has been far less common — until this ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit many companions during his journey to restore peace across the four nations, so it's no better method to reflect that through a Magic set.

Revealed Card Showcase

After its first set reveal, here are a look at an Ally plus a Shrines cards in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

This character is a popular supporting character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe that resided in the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a flood, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in mechanics, he is able to soar through the skies using his glider, and dares Aang in an aerial race.

This card Teo showcases Teo's love of flying along with the Earth Tribe's use of gliders by letting the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks using a flying unit, while additionally pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, it appears in a card named Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life when entering play, based on the number Shrine cards you control.

The card also removes an additional life whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

This appears to be an impactful card, considering the card's cheap mana cost and good enter the battlefield ability.

A big drawback for Shrine-based decks in formats besides Commander is that these cards are typically Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is great in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that drains every opponent during the start of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

Currently when Universes Beyond sets are receiving a lot of criticism from the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be exactly just what MTG requires.

Spoiler season is already here, and all cards will be released on Nov. 21.