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Magic: The Gathering players frequently enjoy tribe-based decks — who has not built a zombie strategy before? — and the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set revives two beloved mechanics that fit perfectly to the theme.

Returning Tribal Abilities

One first ability, named "Allies," was introduced with a Zendikar which provides buffs whenever more creatures bearing the Ally subtype come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrine" represents another enchantment-based type that originated in Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise become power as you owns more of them on the battlefield.

The Comeback for the Ally Ability

While Shrines have appeared here and there in newer sets, Allies subtype was far less common — but that ends with ATLA, where this feature is prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must assemble a lot of friends during the journey to restore peace to the world, and there's no more fitting method to represent this in a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

After the initial set announcement, below are a look of an Allies and one Shrine cards in the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

Teo is a cherished minor character from ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom that lived in an Air Temple after his home was ruined in a flood, which left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's prowess with engineering, Teo can glide in the air using a flying device, even dares Aang in a flying contest.

The card Teo showcases Teo's passion of the skies and his tribe's reliance on flying machines by letting the player loot whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, and also boosting your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, it appears as a card named The Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life total upon coming into play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.

The card furthermore removes an additional point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

This appears to be a powerful addition, considering its low mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

One major weakness of Shrine strategies in formats besides Commander are the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but this card is effective in combination alongside another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

A Timely Crossover

At a time while crossover sets have been receiving significant criticism by fans, an iconic series like Avatar can be exactly what MTG requires.

Spoiler season has begun, and the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.