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Magic: The Gathering players consistently enjoy tribal strategies — who hasn't constructed a goblin strategy once or twice? — and this new ATLA Universes Beyond set brings back two popular examples which align perfectly to the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The first mechanic, known as "Ally," was introduced in the Zendikar set which provides boosts whenever more permanents bearing the Ally type come onto play.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not creature-based tribe, Shrines likewise gain power as you owns additional of them on the battlefield.

The Comeback of Allies Mechanic

Although Shrines have shown up sporadically across newer sets, Allies mechanic was much rarer — until that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the mechanic is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang has to gather a lot of friends during the journey to restore balance to the four nations, so there's no better method to show that through an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Card Showcase

Following its first set reveal, below are a look at one Allies plus a Shrine card in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Figure

This character is one cherished supporting character from ATLA, a young man from the Earth Tribe who lived in an Air Temple after his home was ruined by a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's skill with mechanics, Teo can fly through the skies with a flying device, and challenges Aang to an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents Teo's fondness for the skies along with his tribe's reliance on flying machines through allowing you loot each time a player attacks with an airborne creature, and also pumping your team via counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his home, this appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total upon coming into play, based on how many of Shrines you control.

It furthermore drains one more point anytime a Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like a powerful addition, given the card's low cost plus good ETB ability.

One major weakness of Shrine-based decks outside of Commander are the fact that these cards are always legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great in combination with another Shrine, that drains all opponents during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond products are garnering a lot of backlash by the community, a beloved franchise such as Avatar could be precisely what MTG needs.

Spoiler season is already here, and the full set will be released on Nov. 21.