🔗 Share this article

MTG enthusiasts often embrace tribal tactics — what player hasn't assembled an elf strategy before? — while the new ATLA Universes Beyond release revives 2 well-known mechanics that match perfectly with the theme.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first mechanic, called "Allies," first debuted in a Zendikar set and grants buffs each time additional permanents bearing the Ally type enter the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents another enchantment subtype that first appeared in Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribe, Shrines also become abilities as you has more Shrines in play.

A Return of Allies Mechanic

While Shrine cards have appeared sporadically in recent sets, Allies mechanic has been much rarer — but that changes in ATLA, in which this feature is heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit a lot of companions on his quest to restore balance to the four nations, and there's no better method to reflect this in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Exclusive Cards Preview

After the first set announcement, below are a look at one Allies and one Shrines cards from the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo: The Beloved Character

This character stands as a cherished supporting character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from the Earth Tribe who resided at the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his father's prowess in mechanics, Teo is able to glide in the air with a flying device, and challenges the Avatar to an aerial contest.

The card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his love for flying along with the Earth Tribe's reliance on flying machines through letting the player draw and discard each time you attack with an airborne unit, and also strengthening your creatures via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this is represented in the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total when coming into play, depending on how many of Shrines you control.

It also drains one more life whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It looks like a powerful card, considering its cheap cost and good ETB effect.

One big drawback of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides EDH are that these cards are always Legendary, however this card can be effective in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Timely Collaboration

Currently while crossover sets are garnering significant criticism from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar can be precisely just what MTG needs.

Preview period is already here, and the full set will be launched on Nov. 21.