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Magic: The Gathering fans often enjoy tribal decks — who hasn't assembled an elf deck once or twice? — and the new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set brings back 2 beloved examples that match perfectly with the setting.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first mechanic, known as "Allies," was debuted in a Zendikar which provides boosts whenever more creatures bearing this type come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrines" is another enchantment-based type that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain strength as you has more of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for the Ally Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared occasionally in newer sets, the Ally subtype has been seldom seen — but that changes in ATLA, in which this mechanic gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang has to recruit a lot of friends during the journey to bring back balance to the world, and there's no better method to reflect that in a Magic set.

Exclusive Cards Preview

Following the initial set reveal, here is a look of one Allies plus one Shrine cards from the new ATLA release.

Teo: A Beloved Figure

Teo stands as a beloved minor figure in ATLA, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided in the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a flood, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in engineering, Teo is able to soar through the skies using his glider, and challenges the Avatar to an aerial contest.

This card Teo represents his love of flying and the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders through allowing you draw and discard each time a player attacks using a flying unit, while also pumping your creatures via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine

Speaking of Teo's dwelling, this appears in a card named Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life when entering play, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card furthermore drains one more point whenever a Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This looks like a powerful addition, given its cheap cost plus good enter the battlefield ability.

A big drawback of Shrine-based decks outside of EDH are the fact that Shrines are always Legendary, but Northern Air Temple can be effective in combination with another Shrine, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Timely Collaboration

Currently when Universes Beyond sets have been garnering significant criticism by the community, a beloved franchise like Avatar could be exactly just what MTG needs.

Spoiler season is already here, with all cards will be launched on Nov. 21.