Exclusive: How Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender Expansion Brings Back Two Popular Tribal Mechanics
Magic: The Gathering fans consistently enjoy tribal strategies — who hasn't assembled a zombie deck before? — and this new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond release brings back 2 beloved examples that align seamlessly with its setting.
Returning Tribe-Supporting Mechanics
The first ability, known as "Ally," was introduced in the Zendikar set and grants boosts whenever more creatures with the Ally subtype come onto the field.
On the other hand, "Shrine" represents another enchantment subtype that originated in Kamigawa. Although not creature-based tribe, Shrines likewise gain power when you owns additional Shrines in play.
The Return for the Ally Mechanic
While Shrines have been shown up occasionally across newer sets, the Ally subtype was far less common — until this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the mechanic gets central.
Aang must recruit a lot of companions during his quest to restore peace across the world, and there's no more fitting method to represent that in a Magic: The Gathering expansion.
Exclusive Cards Showcase
After its first set announcement, here is previews at one Ally plus a Shrine card from the upcoming ATLA release.
Teo: A Fan-Favorite Character
Teo stands as a cherished minor figure from ATLA, a young man from the Earth Tribe who resided in an Air Temple after his home was ruined in a flood, which rendered him paraplegic.
Thanks to his dad's expertise in mechanics, Teo is able to fly through the skies using his glider, even challenges Aang in an aerial race.
The card Teo showcases his fondness of flying along with the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines by allowing the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks using an airborne unit, while also strengthening your team via counters in the process.
The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine
Regarding his home, this is represented in the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life when entering the battlefield, depending on the number Shrine cards you have.
It furthermore drains an additional point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.
This looks like a powerful card, given the card's cheap cost and valuable ETB ability.
A major drawback for Shrine-based strategies in formats besides Commander are the fact that these cards are always legendary permanents, but Northern Air Temple is great in combination with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains every opponent during the start of your turn.
A Timely Crossover
Currently when Universes Beyond sets are garnering a lot of backlash from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely what MTG requires.
Spoiler season is already here, and the full set will be released on Nov. 21.