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Magic: The Gathering fans often adopt tribe-based decks — what player hasn't constructed an elf deck before? — and this upcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set brings back two beloved mechanics which match perfectly to the flavor.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The first mechanic, named "Ally," first debuted in a Zendikar set which provides buffs whenever additional permanents with this type come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based subtype which originated with Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines also become power as you controls additional Shrines in play.

A Return of the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have shown up occasionally in recent sets, Allies subtype has been much rarer — but this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang must assemble a lot of friends on his journey to bring back balance across the four nations, and it's no better way to reflect this through a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Showcase

Following the initial set reveal, here are a look of one Allies plus one Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Fan-Favorite Figure

Teo stands as a beloved minor figure in ATLA, a boy of the Earth Tribe that resided at the Northern Air Temple following his village was ruined by a disaster, which rendered him paraplegic.

Due to his father's prowess with engineering, Teo is able to soar in the air with his glider, even dares Aang in a flying contest.

This card Teo showcases Teo's love for flying and his tribe's reliance on flying machines through letting you draw and discard each time a player attacks using a flying unit, while also boosting your creatures with +1/+1 counters in the process.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine

Regarding Teo's home, it appears as a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you have.

It furthermore removes an additional point whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This appears to be an impactful addition, given the card's cheap cost and good ETB effect.

One big weakness of Shrine decks outside of Commander is that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but this card is effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently when crossover sets are garnering a lot of backlash from fans, a beloved franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Preview period has begun, with the full set will be launched on Nov. 21.