Reveal: How Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender Set Reintroduces Two Fan-Favorite Tribe-Focused Mechanics
MTG enthusiasts consistently enjoy tribal tactics — what player hasn't assembled a zombie deck at some point? — and the forthcoming ATLA Universes Beyond release is reintroducing two popular examples that fit perfectly to the theme.
Returning Tribal Abilities
The first mechanic, called "Allies," was debuted in a Zendikar and provides buffs each time more creatures with the Ally type enter the battlefield.
Meanwhile, "Shrine" is an enchantment type that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain abilities as a player owns more Shrines on the battlefield.
A Return for Allies Mechanic
While Shrines have shown up here and there across newer releases, the Ally mechanic was far less common — but this ends in ATLA, where the mechanic is heavily featured.
Aang has to gather numerous friends on his quest to restore balance to the four nations, so it's no better method to reflect that through a Magic set.
Exclusive Card Preview
After the first set reveal, below is a look of an Ally plus one Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.
Teo: A Beloved Character
This character stands as one beloved minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of the Earth Tribe who resided at an Air Temple following his village was destroyed by a flood, which left him unable to walk.
Due to his dad's prowess with mechanics, Teo is able to soar through the skies with a flying device, even dares Aang in a flying race.
The card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's love for flying along with the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines through allowing the player draw and discard each time a player attacks using a flying unit, and additionally strengthening your team via counters at the same time.
The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine Enchantment
Regarding his home, it appears in the card Northern Air Temple, which reduces your opponent's life total when entering play, depending on how many of Shrines you control.
The card furthermore drains an additional life whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.
It looks like a strong card, considering its cheap mana cost plus good enter the battlefield effect.
A big drawback of Shrine-based decks outside of EDH are that Shrines are always Legendary, but this card is effective in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn.
A Timely Crossover
Currently when Universes Beyond products are receiving a lot of backlash by the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar could be precisely just what Magic: The Gathering requires.
Spoiler season has begun, with the full set set to be launched November 21st.