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MTG enthusiasts often adopt tribe-based tactics — what player hasn't assembled a goblin deck before? — and the forthcoming ATLA Universes Beyond release brings back 2 popular examples that match seamlessly to its flavor.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One initial mechanic, called "Allies," first introduced with the Zendikar set which gives buffs whenever more permanents with the Ally subtype enter play.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment type that first appeared in Champions of Kamigawa. While not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines likewise gain strength when a player owns additional Shrines on the battlefield.

A Return of the Ally Mechanic

Although Shrines have been shown up here and there in recent sets, the Ally mechanic was far less common — until this changes in ATLA, where the feature is central.

Aang has to recruit a lot of companions on the quest to restore peace to the four nations, so there's no better method to reflect this through a Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Card Preview

Following its first set announcement, here are previews at an Ally and one Shrine card from the new ATLA set.

Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Character

This character stands as one beloved minor character from ATLA, a boy of Earth Kingdom that resided at an Air Temple following his village was ruined in a flood, which rendered him unable to walk.

Because of his father's prowess in mechanics, he can glide through the skies using his glider, and challenges Aang to an aerial contest.

This card Teo reproduces Teo's fondness of the skies along with his tribe's use on flying machines through allowing the player draw and discard each time a player attacks using an airborne unit, while also pumping your creatures with counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his home, it appears as the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces your opponent's life total when coming into play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.

It also removes an additional life anytime another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

This looks like a strong card, given the card's low cost and good enter the battlefield ability.

One big weakness for Shrine-based decks in formats besides EDH are the fact that these cards are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great when paired with another Shrine, that deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

Currently when crossover sets are garnering significant hate by the community, a beloved franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely just what MTG requires.

Spoiler season has begun, with the full set set to be released on Nov. 21.