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MTG fans frequently adopt tribal strategies — what player hasn't built an elf strategy at some point? — while this upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set brings back 2 popular mechanics that match perfectly with the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One initial mechanic, known as "Allies," was introduced in a Zendikar set which provides bonuses whenever more permanents with the Ally type come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrine" represents an enchantment subtype which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribe, these enchantments also become abilities when you controls more of them in play.

A Return for the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrines have been shown up here and there across newer releases, the Ally subtype has been far less common — but that changes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this mechanic gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must gather numerous companions during the journey to bring back balance to the four nations, so there's no more fitting way to show this in an Magic set.

Exclusive Cards Preview

After its initial set announcement, below are previews at an Ally and one Shrines cards in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character is one popular supporting figure from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom who lived at the Northern Air Temple after his village was destroyed by a disaster, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his father's prowess in engineering, Teo is able to fly in the air with a flying device, and dares Aang in an aerial race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his fondness of flying and his tribe's reliance on gliders through allowing you draw and discard each time a player attacks using a flying creature, while also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his dwelling, this is represented in the card Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life total upon entering play, based on how many of Shrines you control.

The card also removes an additional point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

This appears to be a strong addition, given the card's cheap cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

One big weakness of Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple is effective when paired with another Shrine, that drains all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time while crossover products have been receiving significant hate from fans, a beloved series like Avatar can be exactly what MTG needs.

Preview period is already here, with the full set set to be launched on Nov. 21.