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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts frequently enjoy tribe-based strategies — what player has not assembled a zombie strategy at some point? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set is reintroducing two beloved mechanics that match perfectly with its theme.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One first mechanic, called "Ally," first introduced in the Zendikar set which gives bonuses each time additional creatures bearing this subtype come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrine" is another enchantment-based type which originated with Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, Shrines also gain abilities as you owns more of them on the battlefield.

The Return for Allies Ability

Although Shrines have been shown up occasionally in recent releases, Allies mechanic was far less common — until this ends in ATLA, in which the feature gets heavily featured.

Aang has to assemble a lot of allies on the journey to bring back balance to the world, so there's no better way to represent that through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

After the initial set announcement, below are previews of one Allies plus a Shrine card in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Figure

Teo is one cherished minor figure from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe who resided at the Northern Air Temple following his home was ruined by a disaster, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Because of his father's prowess in engineering, he is able to fly through the skies with his glider, even dares Aang to a flying contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his fondness of the skies and the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines through letting the player loot each time a player attacks using an airborne creature, while also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his home, this appears as a card named The Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life total when entering play, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card furthermore drains an additional life anytime another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This appears to be a powerful addition, considering the card's low mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield ability.

One major drawback for Shrine strategies outside of Commander are that these cards are always legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is great in combination with another Shrine, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Collaboration

At a time when Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of criticism by the community, a beloved series like Avatar could be precisely what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Preview period is already here, with all cards set to be launched on Nov. 21.