Exclusive: The Way Magic's Avatar Set Brings Back 2 Popular Tribal Mechanics

Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts consistently embrace tribe-based tactics — what player has not built an elf deck at some point? — and the upcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set revives 2 well-known examples that align perfectly to its flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

The initial ability, known as "Allies," first debuted in the Zendikar and grants bonuses each time additional permanents bearing this subtype come onto the field.

Alternatively, "Shrines" is another enchantment subtype that first appeared with Kamigawa. While not creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also gain abilities when a player owns more of them on the battlefield.

A Comeback of the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have been shown up sporadically in recent releases, the Ally subtype has been seldom seen — until that ends in ATLA, in which the mechanic is prominently used.

Aang has to assemble numerous friends during his quest to restore balance across the four nations, so there's no better method to show this in a Magic set.

Exclusive Cards Preview

After its initial card announcement, here is previews of one Allies plus a Shrine card in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character stands as a beloved supporting character from ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom that lived at an Air Temple following his home was destroyed by a disaster, an event that rendered him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in engineering, Teo is able to soar through the skies using his glider, even challenges the Avatar to a flying race.

The card Teo reproduces his fondness for the skies and his tribe's use on flying machines by allowing the player loot whenever a player attacks with a flying unit, and also strengthening your team via counters in the process.

The Temple Card: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his dwelling, this is represented as the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life when entering play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.

It also drains an additional life whenever another Shrine enters the field.

It looks like an impactful addition, considering its low cost and valuable ETB effect.

One big drawback of Shrine decks in formats besides EDH is the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple can be effective when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to every opponent during the start of your main phase.

A Welcome Crossover

At a time when Universes Beyond products have been receiving significant hate by the community, an iconic franchise such as Avatar can be precisely what MTG requires.

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

Robert Butler
Robert Butler

Cloud architect and tech writer with 10+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure and DevOps, passionate about simplifying complex cloud concepts.