🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering fans frequently adopt tribal tactics — what player has not constructed an elf strategy at some point? — and this forthcoming ATLA crossover set is reintroducing two popular examples that match seamlessly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, called "Allies," was debuted in a Zendikar set and gives bonuses each time additional permanents with the Ally type come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrines" is another enchantment subtype which first appeared with Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines also become power when a player owns additional of them on the battlefield.

The Comeback for the Ally Ability

Although Shrine cards have been shown up sporadically in recent releases, the Ally mechanic has been seldom seen — until this changes in ATLA, in which the feature gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang has to gather a lot of companions during the journey to bring back balance across the four nations, and there's no better way to show that in a Magic set.

Revealed Card Showcase

After its initial card announcement, here is a look of an Ally plus one Shrine card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Figure

This character stands as a popular supporting character in ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom that lived in the Northern Air Temple following his village was ruined in a flood, which left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's prowess with engineering, Teo can fly through the skies with his glider, even challenges the Avatar in an aerial race.

This card Teo represents Teo's fondness of the skies and the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders through letting you loot whenever a player attacks with a flying unit, and also pumping your team via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this is represented as a card named Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life upon entering the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore removes an additional point whenever another Shrine enters the field.

It looks like a strong card, considering its cheap cost plus valuable ETB ability.

One major drawback for Shrine strategies outside of Commander are the fact that these cards are typically legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that drains every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

Currently while crossover products have been receiving significant criticism from fans, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely just what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, and all cards set to be released November 21st.