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Magic: The Gathering fans frequently adopt tribal tactics — what player hasn't built an elf strategy once or twice? — while the forthcoming ATLA Universes Beyond release is reintroducing two beloved examples which fit perfectly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One first mechanic, called "Allies," first debuted with a Zendikar which grants boosts each time additional permanents with the Ally type enter the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrines" represents an enchantment subtype which first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, these enchantments also gain strength when a player owns additional of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback for Allies Ability

While Shrine cards have been shown up occasionally in recent sets, Allies subtype was seldom seen — until this ends in ATLA, in which this feature gets prominently used.

The protagonist Aang must recruit many allies during his journey to bring back peace to the world, so there's no more fitting way to show this in an Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

After the initial set announcement, here are a look of one Allies plus a Shrines cards from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Fan-Favorite Character

Teo stands as a popular supporting character from ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom that resided at an Air Temple after his village was destroyed in a disaster, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's skill in mechanics, he can soar in the air with his glider, and challenges Aang in an aerial race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his passion of flying along with the Earth Tribe's use of gliders through letting the player loot whenever a player attacks using an airborne creature, and additionally strengthening your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his dwelling, this appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total when entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card also removes one more point anytime another Shrine enters the battlefield.

It appears to be a strong addition, considering the card's cheap mana cost and good enter the battlefield effect.

A major drawback for Shrine-based decks outside of Commander are that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but this card can be effective when paired alongside another Shrine, that deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time while Universes Beyond sets are garnering significant hate by fans, an iconic series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Preview period has begun, with all cards will be launched November 21st.