Exclusive: How Magic's Avatar Set Revives Two Popular Tribe-Focused Gameplay Features

Magic: The Gathering fans often adopt tribal strategies — what player hasn't constructed a goblin deck at some point? — and the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing two well-known mechanics which align perfectly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One initial ability, known as "Allies," was introduced with the Zendikar set and provides boosts whenever more creatures bearing the Ally type come onto the field.

On the other hand, "Shrine" is another enchantment-based type that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise gain power when you has more of them on the battlefield.

A Return for the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have been appeared here and there across recent releases, the Ally subtype was seldom seen — until this ends with ATLA, where this feature is central.

The protagonist Aang must gather numerous allies during his quest to restore peace to the world, so there's no more fitting way to represent this in a Magic expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

Following the first set reveal, here is a look of one Ally plus a Shrine card in the new ATLA release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

Teo stands as one cherished minor character from ATLA, a young man from the Earth Tribe that lived at an Air Temple following his village was ruined by a flood, which left him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's prowess with mechanics, he is able to fly through the skies with a flying device, even dares Aang to a flying contest.

This card Teo represents his fondness of flying and the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders through letting you loot each time you attack with an airborne unit, while additionally boosting your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his home, it appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total upon entering play, depending on the number of Shrines you have.

The card furthermore drains one more point anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

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

One big drawback for Shrine decks in formats besides Commander are the fact that these cards are always Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is great in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.

A Timely Crossover

Currently while Universes Beyond products have been garnering a lot of criticism from fans, an iconic series like Avatar can be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, with all cards set to be launched November 21st.

Erik Jordan
Erik Jordan

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in slot mechanics and player psychology.