Reveal: The Way Magic: The Gathering's Avatar Set Reintroduces Two Fan-Favorite Tribal Mechanics
MTG enthusiasts consistently enjoy tribal strategies — what player has not built a goblin deck once or twice? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back two well-known examples which align perfectly with its setting.
Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics
One initial ability, named "Allies," was debuted with the Zendikar which grants boosts whenever more creatures with this subtype enter the battlefield.
Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also become strength when you owns additional of them in play.
A Comeback for the Ally Ability
Although Shrine cards have appeared occasionally across newer sets, the Ally subtype was much rarer — but that ends in ATLA, where this feature is heavily featured.
The protagonist Aang must assemble numerous allies on the journey to bring back peace across the world, and there's no more fitting way to represent that in a Magic: The Gathering expansion.
Revealed Card Preview
After its initial set reveal, below is previews at an Allies and one Shrine card in the upcoming ATLA release.
Teo: The Beloved Character
Teo stands as a cherished supporting figure from ATLA, a young man from the Earth Tribe that lived in an Air Temple following his home was destroyed in a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.
Because of his dad's prowess in engineering, he can soar in the air with a flying device, even dares the Avatar to a flying contest.
The card Teo showcases his fondness of flying and his tribe's reliance on flying machines by letting the player loot whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, and also pumping your creatures with counters at the same time.
Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine
Regarding Teo's home, this is represented in the card Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total when entering play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.
The card also removes an additional point anytime another Shrine enters the field.
This appears to be an impactful card, considering the card's cheap mana cost plus valuable ETB effect.
One big weakness of Shrine-based strategies outside of Commander is that Shrines are typically Legendary, however this card can be effective in combination with another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your turn.
The Timely Crossover
At a time while crossover sets are receiving significant backlash from the community, a beloved series like Avatar can be exactly what MTG requires.
Spoiler season has begun, with all cards set to be released on Nov. 21.