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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts consistently adopt tribe-based tactics — what player has not assembled an elf deck at some point? — and the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing two popular examples that align perfectly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The initial mechanic, named "Allies," was introduced in a Zendikar and grants bonuses each time more permanents with this type come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents another enchantment-based subtype which first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain strength when a player controls more of them on the battlefield.

A Return of Allies Mechanic

While Shrines have appeared here and there across newer sets, the Ally mechanic has been far less common — but this ends in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic is central.

Aang must assemble a lot of friends on his journey to bring back balance to the world, and it's no better method to show this in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Cards Showcase

After its first card announcement, below is previews at one Ally and a Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character stands as a beloved minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from the Earth Tribe who resided in the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a flood, which rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's skill in mechanics, he can glide through the skies using a flying device, even challenges the Avatar in a flying race.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases his passion of flying and his tribe's reliance of gliders through allowing the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks using an airborne creature, and additionally pumping your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Strong Shrine

Regarding Teo's dwelling, this is represented as the card Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total upon entering play, based on the number of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore removes one more life whenever another Shrine enters the battlefield.

This appears to be a powerful card, considering the card's cheap mana cost plus valuable ETB ability.

One major weakness of Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander is the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great in combination with another Shrine, which deals damage to every opponent during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently when crossover products have been garnering significant hate from the community, an iconic series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and all cards will be launched on Nov. 21.