🔗 Share this article Exclusive: The Way Magic: The Gathering's Avatar Set Brings Back 2 Fan-Favorite Tribe-Focused Gameplay Features Magic: The Gathering players consistently enjoy tribe-based strategies — what player has not assembled a zombie strategy at some point? — and the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set brings back two well-known mechanics that align seamlessly to the setting. Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities One initial mechanic, named "Allies," first introduced with the Zendikar and gives boosts whenever more permanents with this type enter play. On the other hand, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based type which first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments likewise become strength as you controls more of them on the battlefield. A Return for the Ally Mechanic While Shrines have shown up occasionally in recent releases, the Ally subtype was much rarer — until this ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this feature is prominently used. Aang must recruit a lot of friends during the journey to restore peace across the four nations, and it's no more fitting method to reflect this through an Magic set. Revealed Cards Showcase After the initial card reveal, here is previews of an Allies and a Shrine card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set. Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Character This character is one popular minor figure from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom that resided at an Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a disaster, an event that left him paraplegic. Due to his dad's prowess in mechanics, he can fly in the air with his glider, even dares the Avatar in an aerial race. This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's passion for flying along with his tribe's use of gliders by allowing you draw and discard whenever a player attacks using a flying creature, and also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process. The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment Speaking of Teo's dwelling, it appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, depending on the number Shrine cards you have. It furthermore removes one more life anytime a Shrine comes onto the field. This appears to be a powerful addition, given the card's low cost and valuable enter the battlefield ability. One big weakness of Shrine decks outside of Commander is the fact that Shrines are always legendary permanents, but this card can be effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn. A Welcome Collaboration At a time while Universes Beyond sets are garnering significant hate by fans, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be precisely just what MTG needs. Preview period is already here, with all cards set to be launched on Nov. 21.