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Magic: The Gathering fans often adopt tribe-based strategies — what player has not constructed a zombie deck at some point? — while the new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set revives 2 popular mechanics that fit seamlessly to the flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, named "Allies," first introduced in a Zendikar which gives bonuses each time additional creatures bearing this type enter the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents an enchantment subtype which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain abilities as a player owns more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Comeback of Allies Mechanic

Although Shrines have appeared sporadically across newer sets, Allies mechanic was seldom seen — until this changes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the mechanic is central.

Aang must gather many allies on his journey to bring back peace to the four nations, and there's no better way to represent this through a Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

After its initial set reveal, here is a look at an Allies and a Shrine card from the new ATLA release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

Teo is a popular minor character in ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom that resided in the Northern Air Temple after his village was destroyed by a disaster, which left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's skill in engineering, he is able to glide in the air using a flying device, and challenges the Avatar in an aerial race.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his fondness for the skies along with his tribe's reliance of flying machines through letting the player loot whenever you attack with a flying unit, while also strengthening your creatures with counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine

Speaking of his dwelling, it is represented in the card Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life when coming into play, depending on how many of Shrines you control.

The card also removes one more point anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

It appears to be a powerful card, considering its cheap mana cost plus good enter the battlefield ability.

One major drawback for Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander are that these cards are always Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is great in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

A Timely Crossover

Currently when Universes Beyond products are receiving significant hate from fans, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be precisely what MTG requires.

Preview period has begun, and the full set will be released on Nov. 21.