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Magic: The Gathering players consistently enjoy tribe-based tactics — what player has not built a goblin strategy at some point? — while this upcoming ATLA crossover set is reintroducing two popular examples that match perfectly to the flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, called "Allies," was debuted with a Zendikar which grants buffs each time more creatures bearing the Ally type come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based subtype which first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribe, Shrines likewise gain abilities when a player owns additional of them in play.

The Comeback for the Ally Ability

While Shrines have shown up sporadically across recent releases, the Ally subtype has been much rarer — until that ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this mechanic is central.

Aang has to gather a lot of companions on the quest to restore peace to the four nations, so there's no better way to represent this through an Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following its first set announcement, below are previews at one Allies and a Shrines cards from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

This character stands as a cherished minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from Earth Kingdom who lived in the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's prowess with engineering, Teo can glide through the skies with a flying device, and challenges Aang to a flying race.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's fondness for the skies along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of flying machines by allowing you loot whenever you attack with an airborne creature, and also pumping your team via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's dwelling, this is represented as the card The Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, based on the number Shrine cards you control.

The card also removes an additional life whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This appears to be a strong card, considering the card's cheap cost and valuable ETB ability.

One big weakness of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander is the fact that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but this card can be great when paired alongside another Shrine, that deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

At a time while crossover products have been garnering a lot of backlash by fans, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be exactly just what MTG requires.

Preview period has begun, with all cards set to be released November 21st.