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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts consistently embrace tribe-based strategies — what player has not assembled a goblin strategy at some point? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release brings back two popular examples which align seamlessly with its setting.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

The first ability, known as "Ally," first introduced with a Zendikar set which provides boosts whenever more permanents bearing this subtype enter play.

Alternatively, "Shrine" is an enchantment type which first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments also gain strength when a player owns more of them in play.

The Comeback of Allies Mechanic

Although Shrines have shown up sporadically across newer sets, the Ally mechanic has been far less common — but that changes with ATLA, in which the mechanic gets central.

Aang must gather many allies on the journey to bring back peace to the four nations, so there's no better method to represent this in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Exclusive Cards Showcase

After its initial set reveal, here is a look of one Ally and one Shrine cards from the new ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character is one cherished minor figure in ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom who resided at the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a disaster, which left him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's skill in mechanics, he can glide in the air with a flying device, and dares the Avatar in an aerial race.

This card Teo reproduces his fondness for flying and the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines by allowing you loot each time a player attacks using a flying unit, and additionally pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine

Speaking of his home, it appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life upon coming into play, based on the number of Shrines you control.

The card also removes one more life anytime another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It appears to be a strong card, given its low cost plus good ETB ability.

One major drawback for Shrine decks in formats besides EDH are the fact that these cards are always Legendary, however this card is effective in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

The Timely Crossover

Currently while crossover products are receiving significant hate from fans, a beloved franchise like Avatar could be exactly just what MTG needs.

Spoiler season has begun, with the full set will be released November 21st.