🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts frequently embrace tribal tactics — who hasn't built a zombie strategy at some point? — while the new ATLA crossover release is reintroducing two well-known examples that match perfectly to the setting.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

One initial mechanic, named "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar which provides bonuses whenever additional creatures bearing this subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, Shrines also become strength as you owns additional of them in play.

A Comeback of the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrines have been appeared occasionally across recent sets, Allies subtype was seldom seen — until that changes with ATLA, where the mechanic is central.

The protagonist Aang has to assemble numerous friends on his quest to restore balance to the world, so there's no more fitting way to represent this through a Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Card Preview

After its first card reveal, below is a look at an Allies plus one Shrine cards in the new ATLA release.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character is a cherished minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of Earth Kingdom who lived in the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined in a disaster, an event that left him unable to walk.

Thanks to his father's skill with mechanics, Teo is able to fly through the skies with his glider, and dares Aang to an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his passion of flying and his tribe's use on flying machines by allowing you loot each time a player attacks with an airborne unit, and additionally strengthening your creatures via counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's dwelling, this appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life when coming into the battlefield, depending on how many Shrine cards you have.

It furthermore removes an additional life anytime a Shrine enters the field.

It appears to be an impactful addition, considering the card's cheap mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield effect.

A major weakness for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides EDH is the fact that these cards are always legendary permanents, but this card is great when paired with another Shrine, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.

A Welcome Collaboration

At a time when crossover products have been garnering a lot of hate from the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar could be precisely just what MTG needs.

Spoiler season is already here, with all cards will be launched November 21st.