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MTG fans consistently embrace tribal tactics — what player hasn't built a zombie deck at some point? — while this new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set revives two popular mechanics that align seamlessly with its theme.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The first mechanic, called "Ally," was introduced with a Zendikar which gives buffs whenever more permanents bearing the Ally type enter the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type that first appeared with Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, Shrines also become strength when a player has more of them on the battlefield.

A Return for the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have appeared sporadically in recent sets, the Ally mechanic has been far less common — until that changes with ATLA, where this feature gets central.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit a lot of companions on his journey to restore peace to the world, so there's no more fitting way to show that in a Magic expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

After its first card reveal, here is previews of an Ally and a Shrines cards from the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character

Teo stands as a popular supporting figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from Earth Kingdom who resided in an Air Temple after his home was ruined by a flood, which rendered him unable to walk.

Due to his father's expertise in engineering, he is able to glide through the skies with a flying device, even dares Aang to an aerial contest.

The card Teo showcases Teo's love for flying and the Earth Tribe's use on gliders through allowing you loot whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, and also pumping your team with counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine

Speaking of Teo's home, this is represented as a card named The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total upon entering the battlefield, based on the number Shrine cards you control.

The card furthermore removes an additional life whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

It looks like a strong card, given the card's cheap mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

A big weakness for Shrine-based decks outside of Commander are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, but this card can be effective in combination alongside another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your turn.

The Timely Collaboration

Currently when crossover products are receiving a lot of backlash by fans, a beloved franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, with all cards will be released November 21st.