Exclusive: How Magic's Avatar Expansion Revives Two Popular Tribal Gameplay Features

MTG fans frequently enjoy tribe-based decks — who hasn't built a zombie deck before? — and this forthcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release revives two beloved mechanics that match perfectly with its flavor.

Reappearing Tribal Mechanics

The first ability, known as "Ally," was introduced in a Zendikar set which gives boosts whenever more permanents bearing this subtype enter play.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" is another enchantment-based type that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not a creature tribal theme, these enchantments likewise become power as a player controls additional Shrines on the battlefield.

A Comeback for Allies Ability

Although Shrines have been appeared occasionally across newer releases, the Ally subtype was far less common — until that ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which the feature gets heavily featured.

The protagonist Aang must assemble numerous companions on the journey to bring back peace across the four nations, and it's no better method to show this in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Revealed Card Showcase

After the first card announcement, here are a look of an Allies and a Shrines cards in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character

This character is one cherished minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy of the Earth Tribe that lived at an Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a flood, which left him paraplegic.

Due to his dad's skill with engineering, he can glide in the air using a flying device, even dares Aang to a flying contest.

The card Teo reproduces his passion for flying along with his tribe's reliance on flying machines through letting you loot whenever a player attacks using an airborne unit, and additionally strengthening your team with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Powerful Shrine Enchantment

Speaking of Teo's home, this is represented in a card named Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, based on how many of Shrines you control.

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

This looks like a powerful addition, given its cheap cost and valuable enter the battlefield ability.

One big weakness of Shrine strategies in formats besides EDH are that these cards are typically legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is great when paired alongside another Shrine, that deals damage to every opponent during the start of your turn.

The Welcome Crossover

At a time when crossover products have been receiving a lot of criticism by the community, a beloved series like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly just what MTG requires.

Preview period has begun, with the full set will be launched November 21st.

Angela Ruiz
Angela Ruiz

A tech enthusiast and gaming expert with over a decade of experience in streaming and content creation.