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Magic: The Gathering players often adopt tribe-based decks — who has not assembled an elf deck before? — and this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release brings back two beloved examples that match seamlessly to the theme.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Mechanics

One first ability, known as "Ally," was debuted with the Zendikar and gives buffs each time additional creatures bearing this subtype enter the battlefield.

Meanwhile, "Shrine" is another enchantment subtype that first appeared in Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain power as you owns additional of them in play.

A Comeback for the Ally Ability

While Shrines have been appeared sporadically in recent releases, Allies mechanic was seldom seen — until this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature gets heavily featured.

Aang has to recruit a lot of allies during the quest to bring back peace across the four nations, and it's no more fitting way to reflect that in a Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

Following its initial set reveal, below are previews at one Allies plus one Shrine card in the new ATLA release.

Teo: A Beloved Character

Teo stands as a popular minor figure in ATLA, a young man from Earth Kingdom who resided in the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a flood, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Because of his father's prowess in mechanics, he is able to soar through the skies with his glider, and challenges Aang to a flying race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces his passion for the skies along with his tribe's use of flying machines by letting you loot whenever a player attacks using a flying unit, and additionally pumping your creatures with counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine

Regarding his dwelling, this appears as a card named Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total when entering the battlefield, depending on the number of Shrines you control.

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

It appears to be a strong card, given its low cost and good ETB effect.

One big drawback for Shrine strategies in formats besides EDH are the fact that Shrines are typically Legendary, but Northern Air Temple is effective in combination with another Shrine, that drains every opponent during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

Currently while Universes Beyond products have been receiving a lot of criticism by the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar could be exactly what Magic: The Gathering requires.

Spoiler season is already here, with the full set will be launched on Nov. 21.