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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts consistently adopt tribal decks — who has not assembled an elf deck before? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set revives 2 popular examples which fit seamlessly with its setting.

Returning Tribal Abilities

The initial mechanic, called "Allies," first debuted with the Zendikar set which provides boosts each time additional creatures with this subtype enter the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based type which first appeared with Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines also gain abilities when a player controls additional Shrines in play.

A Return of Allies Ability

While Shrines have been appeared here and there in newer sets, the Ally mechanic was much rarer — but this changes in ATLA, in which the feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must gather numerous allies during his quest to restore peace to the world, so it's no more fitting way to reflect that through an Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Card Showcase

Following the initial set announcement, below is previews at an Allies plus one Shrine cards from the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Character

Teo is a cherished minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom who lived in the Northern Air Temple following his home was ruined in a flood, which left him unable to walk.

Due to his father's skill with mechanics, he is able to soar through the skies with a flying device, even dares the Avatar in an aerial contest.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider represents Teo's love of flying along with his tribe's use of flying machines by letting the player draw and discard each time you attack using a flying creature, while additionally pumping your team via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his home, this is represented as a card named The Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total when coming into play, based on the number of Shrines you have.

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

It appears to be a powerful card, given the card's cheap mana cost plus good ETB effect.

A big drawback for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander is that Shrines are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be great when paired alongside another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

Currently when crossover products have been receiving a lot of criticism by fans, a beloved series like Avatar could be exactly what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Spoiler season is already here, with the full set set to be launched November 21st.