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MTG enthusiasts consistently embrace tribal strategies — what player has not built a goblin strategy before? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set brings back 2 popular mechanics which align seamlessly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first mechanic, known as "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar set which grants boosts whenever additional permanents with this subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment subtype which first appeared in Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments likewise become abilities as a player owns more Shrines in play.

The Comeback of Allies Mechanic

While Shrine cards have shown up here and there in newer releases, Allies subtype has been seldom seen — until this changes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature gets prominently used.

Aang must gather numerous companions during the quest to restore balance to the world, so there's no more fitting method to reflect that through an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

After the initial card announcement, below are a look of one Ally plus a Shrine cards from the new ATLA release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Fan-Favorite Character

This character is a popular supporting figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of the Earth Tribe that resided at an Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a flood, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's skill in mechanics, he can fly in the air with a flying device, and dares Aang in a flying race.

This card Teo reproduces his love for flying and his tribe's reliance of flying machines through allowing the player loot whenever you attack using an airborne creature, and also strengthening your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

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

The card furthermore removes an additional point anytime a Shrine enters the field.

This looks like a strong card, given its cheap cost plus good ETB effect.

One big drawback of Shrine decks outside of EDH is the fact that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple can be effective when paired alongside another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

A Timely Collaboration

At a time while Universes Beyond sets have been garnering significant hate by the community, a beloved series like Avatar could be exactly what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, and all cards will be released on Nov. 21.