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MTG fans frequently embrace tribal decks — who hasn't assembled an elf strategy once or twice? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set revives two popular examples which align seamlessly with its setting.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One first mechanic, known as "Allies," was introduced with a Zendikar and grants boosts each time more creatures with this type come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents an enchantment type that originated in Kamigawa. Although not exactly creature-based tribe, these enchantments likewise become power when a player has additional of them in play.

The Return for Allies Ability

While Shrines have shown up sporadically across newer sets, Allies mechanic has been much rarer — but this changes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this mechanic is central.

Aang has to gather many allies on the quest to bring back peace across the four nations, so there's no more fitting way to show this through a Magic expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

Following the first card reveal, below are previews of one Allies and one Shrines card in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: The Beloved Character

This character is a beloved minor figure from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom that lived at an Air Temple following his village was destroyed in a flood, which rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's expertise in mechanics, he is able to fly in the air with his glider, and challenges Aang to a flying contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents Teo's passion for flying and his tribe's reliance of gliders by allowing the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks using an airborne creature, while additionally boosting your creatures with counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his dwelling, it appears in a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total upon coming into play, depending on how many of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore removes an additional point whenever a Shrine enters the battlefield.

It looks like an impactful addition, given its cheap cost and good enter the battlefield effect.

One big weakness of Shrine strategies in formats besides EDH is that these cards are always Legendary, however this card is effective in combination alongside another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Timely Collaboration

At a time while crossover sets are garnering a lot of criticism from the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar can be exactly just what MTG requires.

Preview period is already here, with the full set will be launched November 21st.