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Magic: The Gathering fans often embrace tribal strategies — what player has not built a goblin strategy once or twice? — and the forthcoming ATLA crossover release brings back 2 well-known mechanics that align perfectly to the theme.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The first ability, called "Allies," was debuted in the Zendikar set which gives bonuses whenever more creatures bearing this subtype come onto play.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is another enchantment-based subtype that originated with Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribal theme, Shrines likewise become abilities as a player has more Shrines in play.

A Return for Allies Mechanic

Although Shrines have been shown up sporadically in newer sets, the Ally mechanic has been seldom seen — until this changes in ATLA, where this feature is heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang must assemble numerous allies on the journey to restore balance across the four nations, so there's no more fitting method to show this in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

Following the initial set reveal, here are previews at one Allies plus one Shrine card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

This character is a beloved supporting figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from Earth Kingdom that lived in the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a disaster, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his father's expertise with engineering, he is able to glide through the skies using his glider, and dares the Avatar to a flying contest.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's passion for the skies and his tribe's use on gliders through allowing the player draw and discard each time a player attacks with a flying creature, and additionally boosting your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Regarding his home, this is represented in a card named Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life upon entering the battlefield, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card also removes an additional life anytime a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It looks like a strong addition, given its low mana cost plus good ETB ability.

One big weakness of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander is the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card can be effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Collaboration

At a time while Universes Beyond products have been garnering significant backlash by the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar could be precisely what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season has begun, with all cards will be released on Nov. 21.