Scoop: The Way Magic's Avatar Set Reintroduces 2 Fan-Favorite Tribe-Focused Mechanics

Magic: The Gathering players frequently adopt tribal decks — who has not assembled a zombie deck before? — and the forthcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set is reintroducing two beloved mechanics which fit perfectly to the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The first mechanic, known as "Allies," first introduced with a Zendikar set which gives bonuses whenever additional creatures with this type come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment-based type which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribe, Shrines likewise become strength when a player controls more of them on the battlefield.

A Return of the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have shown up sporadically in newer releases, the Ally mechanic has been much rarer — but this changes in ATLA, where the feature is central.

Aang must assemble a lot of companions on the quest to restore peace across the world, so there's no better method to reflect that in an Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Card Showcase

After its first card reveal, below are a look of an Allies plus one Shrine cards from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

Teo is a popular minor figure in ATLA, a boy of Earth Kingdom that lived at an Air Temple after his village was ruined by a disaster, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his father's skill in engineering, Teo is able to glide through the skies with a flying device, and dares the Avatar to an aerial contest.

This card Teo represents Teo's fondness of flying along with his tribe's reliance on flying machines through letting you draw and discard each time a player attacks with an airborne unit, and also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this appears as a card named Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life total when coming into play, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card also removes an additional life anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

It looks like an impactful card, considering its low cost and good ETB effect.

A big weakness for Shrine strategies in formats besides Commander is the fact that Shrines are typically Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is effective in combination with another Shrine, that drains all opponents during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently while crossover sets are receiving a lot of hate from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, with the full set will be launched November 21st.