🔗 Share this article

MTG players often adopt tribal tactics — who has not assembled a goblin strategy at some point? — while the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set revives 2 beloved examples that align seamlessly with its flavor.

Returning Tribal Mechanics

The first mechanic, known as "Ally," was debuted with a Zendikar which gives boosts whenever additional permanents bearing this subtype come onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment-based subtype that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribal theme, Shrines likewise become power as a player owns more of them in play.

The Return for the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have appeared occasionally across newer sets, Allies mechanic has been far less common — until that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit numerous allies during his quest to restore peace to the four nations, and it's no better way to represent that in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After the first set announcement, here are a look of one Ally plus one Shrines cards from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Fan-Favorite Character

Teo stands as one cherished minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from the Earth Tribe who resided in the Northern Air Temple after his home was ruined in a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his father's skill in engineering, Teo is able to fly through the skies using his glider, and challenges the Avatar in a flying race.

The card Teo represents his fondness for flying along with his tribe's use of gliders through allowing you draw and discard whenever you attack with a flying unit, while additionally strengthening your creatures with counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding his home, this appears in a card named The Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life upon coming into the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

It also drains one more life whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This looks like a powerful card, given the card's cheap mana cost and valuable ETB ability.

A major weakness of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides EDH is the fact that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great in combination alongside another Shrine, that deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Timely Crossover

At a time while crossover products have been garnering a lot of hate by fans, an iconic series such as Avatar can be exactly what Magic: The Gathering requires.

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