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MTG fans frequently embrace tribal tactics — who has not assembled an elf strategy before? — while the upcoming ATLA crossover release revives two well-known examples that match seamlessly with its setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One first ability, called "Allies," was debuted with the Zendikar set and provides buffs each time more creatures bearing the Ally subtype come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also become strength as you has more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Return for Allies Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have shown up here and there across recent sets, Allies mechanic was seldom seen — but this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the feature gets central.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble many friends during his journey to restore balance to the four nations, so there's no better method to reflect this in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

Following the initial set announcement, here is a look at an Ally and a Shrine card in the upcoming ATLA release.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

This character stands as one beloved minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of the Earth Tribe who lived in an Air Temple following his village was ruined by a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's expertise in engineering, he can fly in the air with his glider, even challenges the Avatar to an aerial race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his love for the skies along with the Earth Tribe's use on gliders by letting you draw and discard whenever a player attacks using an airborne unit, and additionally boosting your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his home, it appears in the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life total when entering play, depending on the number Shrine cards you control.

It furthermore removes one more life whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This looks like an impactful card, considering its cheap cost plus good ETB ability.

A big weakness of Shrine decks in formats besides Commander are that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is effective in combination alongside another Shrine, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Timely Collaboration

Currently while crossover products are garnering significant backlash by fans, a beloved franchise such as Avatar could be exactly what MTG requires.

Preview period has begun, and the full set will be released November 21st.