Exclusive: The Way Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender Expansion Reintroduces Two Fan-Favorite Tribe-Focused Mechanics
MTG fans frequently enjoy tribe-based decks — who hasn't assembled a goblin deck once or twice? — and the new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release revives two well-known examples which fit perfectly with the flavor.
Reappearing Tribal Mechanics
One initial ability, called "Allies," first introduced with a Zendikar which grants bonuses each time additional creatures bearing the Ally subtype enter play.
Alternatively, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based type that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain power when you owns more of them on the battlefield.
A Return of the Ally Mechanic
While Shrine cards have shown up sporadically in recent releases, the Ally subtype was seldom seen — until that ends with ATLA, in which this mechanic gets central.
The protagonist Aang must recruit many allies on the journey to restore peace to the world, and there's no more fitting way to represent that in a Magic: The Gathering expansion.
Exclusive Cards Preview
After the initial set reveal, here are previews of an Allies plus a Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender set.
Teo, Spirited Glider: A Beloved Figure
Teo is one cherished supporting figure in ATLA, a boy of the Earth Tribe that lived in an Air Temple after his home was destroyed in a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.
Thanks to his dad's prowess in engineering, Teo can glide through the skies with a flying device, even dares the Avatar to a flying contest.
The card Teo showcases Teo's passion of flying along with the Earth Tribe's reliance on flying machines by allowing you draw and discard each time you attack using a flying creature, and also pumping your team via +1/+1 counters at the same time.
The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine Enchantment
Regarding his dwelling, it appears in the card Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life upon entering the battlefield, depending on the number of Shrines you have.
The card also drains one more point whenever a Shrine comes onto the field.
It looks like an impactful card, considering its low cost plus good ETB ability.
A major weakness for Shrine strategies outside of EDH are that these cards are typically Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is effective in combination alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your turn.
The Timely Collaboration
Currently while crossover sets are garnering a lot of hate from fans, a beloved franchise such as Avatar can be precisely what MTG requires.
Preview period has begun, with the full set will be released on Nov. 21.