Scoop: How Magic's Avatar Set Revives 2 Popular Tribe-Focused Mechanics

MTG players often embrace tribal strategies — what player has not built a zombie deck once or twice? — and the upcoming ATLA crossover set revives two popular examples which align seamlessly to the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

The first ability, named "Ally," was introduced with a Zendikar which grants bonuses whenever more creatures with the Ally subtype come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is another enchantment type which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribal theme, Shrines also become power when you controls more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Return for the Ally Ability

Although Shrine cards have shown up occasionally in newer releases, the Ally subtype has been far less common — but this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must assemble a lot of friends during the quest to restore balance across the four nations, and it's no more fitting method to represent this through a Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following the first set reveal, below is previews at an Allies and one Shrine card in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: The Beloved Character

Teo stands as a cherished supporting character from ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom who lived at the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's prowess with mechanics, Teo is able to soar through the skies using a flying device, even dares Aang in a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents Teo's fondness for flying along with the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines by letting you draw and discard each time a player attacks with a flying creature, and additionally pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Regarding Teo's home, it appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total when entering play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.

The card furthermore removes one more point whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It appears to be an impactful addition, considering the card's low cost and valuable ETB ability.

One big drawback of Shrine decks in formats besides EDH are that these cards are always Legendary, however Northern Air Temple can be great in combination with another Shrine, that deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Timely Collaboration

At a time when crossover sets have been receiving significant backlash from the community, a beloved franchise such as Avatar can be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Preview period is already here, with the full set set to be launched November 21st.