Exclusive: The Way Magic's Avatar Set Revives 2 Popular Tribe-Focused Mechanics

Magic: The Gathering players consistently enjoy tribal tactics — what player hasn't constructed a zombie deck at some point? — and the new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back 2 beloved examples that match perfectly with the setting.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, known as "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar set which gives bonuses whenever additional creatures bearing the Ally type come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrine" represents another enchantment type which first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not creature-based tribe, these enchantments likewise gain strength as you has more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Return for Allies Ability

While Shrines have been appeared sporadically in newer sets, the Ally subtype was seldom seen — until that ends in ATLA, in which the mechanic gets central.

The protagonist Aang must gather many companions on his quest to restore balance across the four nations, so there's no better method to reflect that through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

Following the initial set announcement, here is a look of an Allies and a Shrine cards in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Character

This character is a cherished supporting character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from Earth Kingdom who lived in an Air Temple after his village was destroyed by a disaster, an event that left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in engineering, Teo can fly in the air using a flying device, and challenges Aang in an aerial race.

The card Teo showcases his fondness of the skies along with his tribe's reliance of flying machines by letting the player loot whenever a player attacks using an airborne unit, and additionally strengthening your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Speaking of his dwelling, it appears in a card named Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life upon entering play, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

It furthermore removes one more point whenever a Shrine enters the battlefield.

This looks like an impactful card, considering the card's cheap mana cost and valuable ETB effect.

A big drawback of Shrine decks in formats besides EDH are that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but this card can be great when paired with another Shrine, that deals damage to every opponent during the start of your turn.

A Timely Crossover

At a time while Universes Beyond sets have been garnering a lot of criticism by the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar can be precisely just what MTG requires.

Preview period is already here, with all cards will be released on Nov. 21.

Dr. Donna Hobbs
Dr. Donna Hobbs

A passionate gaming enthusiast and tech writer, Elara specializes in reviewing gaming tools and sharing actionable tips for players of all levels.