Exclusive: How Magic's Avatar Set Revives 2 Popular Tribe-Focused Mechanics

MTG enthusiasts often enjoy tribe-based strategies — who hasn't built a goblin deck once or twice? — while this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set is reintroducing two well-known examples which fit seamlessly to the flavor.

Returning Tribal Abilities

The first mechanic, called "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar set which provides buffs each time additional permanents with the Ally type come onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" represents an enchantment-based type which first appeared in Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise become power as you has more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Comeback of the Ally Mechanic

While Shrines have appeared here and there across recent sets, Allies mechanic was much rarer — but this ends in ATLA, in which this mechanic is central.

The protagonist Aang has to gather numerous companions on his journey to restore peace across the four nations, and there's no better method to represent that in a Magic set.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After the initial card reveal, below is a look of an Allies and a Shrines card in the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Character

Teo stands as a popular supporting character in ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom that resided in an Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a disaster, an event that left him unable to walk.

Because of his father's prowess with engineering, Teo is able to glide through the skies using his glider, and challenges Aang in an aerial race.

This card Teo reproduces his love for the skies and his tribe's reliance on flying machines through allowing the player loot whenever a player attacks with a flying unit, and additionally strengthening your creatures with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding Teo's home, it is represented in the card The Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life when entering play, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

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

It appears to be a strong addition, given its cheap mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield ability.

A major drawback of Shrine decks in formats besides Commander are the fact that Shrines are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination with another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

At a time while crossover products have been receiving a lot of hate from fans, an iconic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely just what MTG requires.

Spoiler season has begun, with all cards will be released on Nov. 21.

Tiffany Rice
Tiffany Rice

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast who loves sharing insights on game patches and updates.

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