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Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts often enjoy tribal decks — what player hasn't assembled a goblin deck at some point? — while the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover release is reintroducing two popular mechanics which match perfectly with its theme.

Reappearing Tribal Abilities

One initial ability, named "Allies," was debuted in the Zendikar set which grants buffs each time additional creatures with the Ally subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" represents an enchantment type that first appeared with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribal theme, Shrines likewise gain strength as you controls more Shrines on the battlefield.

A Return of Allies Mechanic

Although Shrine cards have appeared occasionally in newer sets, Allies mechanic was much rarer — but that ends with ATLA, where the feature gets prominently used.

Aang must gather a lot of companions on the quest to restore peace to the world, so there's no better method to reflect this through an Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Card Preview

Following the first card reveal, below are a look at one Ally and one Shrines cards in the upcoming ATLA set.

Teo: The Beloved Figure

This character is one beloved minor character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided in the Northern Air Temple after his village was destroyed by a disaster, an event that rendered him unable to walk.

Thanks to his dad's prowess in engineering, Teo is able to glide in the air using a flying device, even dares the Avatar in an aerial race.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's love of flying along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of flying machines by allowing the player loot whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, and additionally pumping your team with +1/+1 counters in the process.

Northern Air Temple: The Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of his dwelling, this is represented in a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life when coming into play, depending on how many of Shrines you control.

The card also drains one more life whenever another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.

It looks like an impactful card, considering its cheap cost plus good enter the battlefield effect.

One big drawback for Shrine-based decks in formats besides Commander is the fact that Shrines are typically Legendary, but this card is great when paired with another Shrine, which deals damage to every opponent during the start of your main phase.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time when crossover sets are garnering significant criticism by fans, an iconic franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely what MTG needs.

Preview period is already here, and the full set will be released November 21st.