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MTG fans often adopt tribal decks — what player hasn't assembled a zombie deck once or twice? — and the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release revives two beloved mechanics that align seamlessly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial mechanic, called "Allies," first debuted with the Zendikar and grants buffs whenever additional permanents bearing this subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based subtype which originated with Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribal theme, Shrines likewise become strength when a player owns more Shrines on the battlefield.

The Comeback of the Ally Ability

Although Shrine cards have shown up sporadically across recent releases, the Ally subtype has been far less common — until this changes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the feature is heavily featured.

Aang must assemble a lot of friends during the quest to bring back peace across the four nations, and there's no better method to represent that through an Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Card Preview

After its first set reveal, below are a look at an Ally and one Shrine cards from the new ATLA release.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure

Teo stands as one beloved minor character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe who resided at the Northern Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a flood, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's prowess with mechanics, Teo is able to glide in the air with a flying device, and challenges Aang in a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's fondness of the skies along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of gliders through allowing you loot each time a player attacks using an airborne unit, and additionally pumping your team with counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Regarding his dwelling, this is represented in the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life total upon entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

The card also drains one more life whenever a Shrine comes onto the field.

It appears to be an impactful addition, given the card's low cost and good ETB ability.

One major weakness of Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander is the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but this card can be great when paired with another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your turn.

The Welcome Collaboration

Currently while Universes Beyond products are receiving significant backlash by the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar could be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering needs.

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