Reveal: How Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender Set Brings Back Two Popular Tribe-Focused Gameplay Features

MTG fans frequently enjoy tribal decks — what player hasn't assembled a goblin strategy at some point? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing 2 popular examples that match perfectly to the flavor.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

The initial ability, known as "Allies," first introduced in the Zendikar which grants boosts whenever additional creatures with this type come onto the battlefield.

Alternatively, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based subtype that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise become strength when a player has more of them on the battlefield.

The Comeback of the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrines have appeared sporadically across recent releases, Allies subtype was far less common — until that changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature is central.

The protagonist Aang must gather numerous allies during his journey to bring back peace to the world, and there's no better method to represent that in a Magic set.

Exclusive Card Showcase

After the first set announcement, below are previews of an Allies and a Shrines cards from the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Character

This character stands as a beloved supporting character in ATLA, a boy of the Earth Tribe that lived in the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a disaster, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Due to his father's prowess in mechanics, he is able to glide in the air using his glider, even dares the Avatar in an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his fondness of flying and the Earth Tribe's use of gliders by allowing the player loot whenever a player attacks using a flying unit, while also pumping your creatures via counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine

Speaking of his home, it appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total when coming into play, based on how many of Shrines you have.

It also removes an additional point anytime another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This appears to be a powerful addition, considering the card's cheap cost plus valuable ETB effect.

A major drawback of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander is that Shrines are typically Legendary, but this card can be effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents during the start of your turn.

A Welcome Collaboration

Currently when Universes Beyond products have been receiving a lot of hate by the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, and the full set set to be released on Nov. 21.

Virginia Hughes
Virginia Hughes

A wellness coach and writer passionate about holistic health and empowering others through mindful living.