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Magic: The Gathering fans consistently enjoy tribal decks — who hasn't constructed an elf strategy at some point? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing two well-known mechanics which match seamlessly with the theme.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One initial mechanic, known as "Ally," was introduced with a Zendikar set which provides buffs each time additional creatures with this type enter play.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment-based type which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribe, Shrines also become abilities when a player has additional Shrines in play.

A Return for the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have appeared occasionally in newer releases, the Ally mechanic was much rarer — but this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic gets central.

Aang must recruit numerous allies during the quest to bring back peace to the world, so it's no better way to reflect that in an Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Cards Showcase

After the initial set announcement, here are a look at one Allies plus one Shrine cards from the new ATLA set.

Teo: The Beloved Character

Teo is a beloved minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe that lived in the Northern Air Temple after his village was destroyed by a disaster, an event that left him paraplegic.

Because of his father's skill with engineering, he can soar in the air with his glider, even dares Aang to a flying contest.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his passion for flying along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders by allowing the player loot each time a player attacks with an airborne creature, and also pumping your team via +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding his home, this is represented as a card named Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life upon coming into the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card also drains an additional life anytime a Shrine enters the battlefield.

It appears to be a powerful card, given the card's cheap cost and valuable ETB ability.

One major weakness for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is great when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents during the start of your turn.

A Welcome Collaboration

At a time while Universes Beyond products have been receiving a lot of hate from the community, an iconic series such as Avatar could be precisely what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Preview period has begun, and all cards set to be launched on Nov. 21.