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Magic: The Gathering players often enjoy tribe-based decks — who has not built an elf deck at some point? — while this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set brings back two beloved mechanics that align seamlessly to the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The first ability, called "Ally," was debuted in a Zendikar which gives boosts whenever additional permanents bearing this subtype come onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" represents an enchantment subtype that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments likewise become abilities as you controls more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Comeback of Allies Ability

Although Shrine cards have shown up sporadically in newer releases, Allies subtype was seldom seen — but that ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this mechanic is central.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit many friends on his quest to restore peace across the world, so there's no more fitting method to represent that through a Magic expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

Following its first card announcement, here is previews at one Allies plus one Shrine card from the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: A Beloved Character

Teo is one popular minor character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom that lived in the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Due to his dad's expertise with mechanics, he can glide through the skies with his glider, even dares Aang to a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his love of flying along with the Earth Tribe's reliance on flying machines through allowing the player loot each time a player attacks using a flying unit, while additionally pumping your team with counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine

Regarding his dwelling, it appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life upon coming into play, based on the number of Shrines you control.

It furthermore drains an additional life whenever another Shrine enters the battlefield.

This looks like an impactful addition, considering its cheap mana cost and valuable ETB ability.

One major drawback for Shrine-based strategies outside of EDH are that these cards are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple is great when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent during the start of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

Currently when Universes Beyond products are garnering significant criticism from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar could be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, and all cards will be launched November 21st.