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MTG enthusiasts often adopt tribal decks — who has not constructed a goblin deck once or twice? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set revives two well-known examples that fit perfectly to its theme.

Returning Tribal Mechanics

One first mechanic, named "Ally," first introduced in a Zendikar which gives bonuses each time more permanents bearing this subtype come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is another enchantment type that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also gain abilities as a player controls more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Return of Allies Mechanic

While Shrine cards have been shown up occasionally in recent releases, Allies mechanic was far less common — until that changes with ATLA, where the mechanic gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to gather a lot of companions during the quest to restore balance across the four nations, and there's no more fitting way to show this in an Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

Following its first set announcement, below is a look of an Ally and a Shrines cards from the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: The Beloved Character

This character is a beloved supporting figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided in the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a flood, an event that left him unable to walk.

Due to his dad's prowess in engineering, he can soar through the skies with a flying device, and challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

The card Teo represents Teo's fondness for flying and the Earth Tribe's use of flying machines by letting the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks with a flying creature, while also boosting your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his home, it appears as the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life when entering the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore removes one more life anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

This looks like a strong card, given its low mana cost plus valuable ETB effect.

A major drawback of Shrine strategies in formats besides Commander is that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is great in combination with another Shrine, which drains every opponent during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

At a time while crossover sets are garnering a lot of backlash by fans, a beloved franchise such as Avatar: The Last Airbender could be exactly what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, and all cards set to be launched on Nov. 21.