Reveal: The Way Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender Set Brings Back 2 Fan-Favorite Tribal Gameplay Features
Magic: The Gathering players consistently embrace tribe-based tactics — who hasn't constructed a zombie deck before? — while this new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set is reintroducing two well-known examples which match perfectly with the theme.
Reappearing Tribal Mechanics
The initial mechanic, named "Ally," first introduced in the Zendikar set and grants boosts each time additional creatures with the Ally subtype come onto play.
Meanwhile, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based subtype which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain power when a player controls more of them in play.
A Return of the Ally Mechanic
While Shrine cards have been shown up occasionally in newer sets, the Ally subtype has been much rarer — but this ends in ATLA, in which the mechanic is prominently used.
Aang must gather many friends during his journey to bring back peace across the world, so there's no more fitting way to represent this through a Magic: The Gathering set.
Revealed Cards Showcase
Following its initial card announcement, below is previews of an Allies plus a Shrine card from the upcoming ATLA release.
Teo, Spirited Glider: The Fan-Favorite Figure
Teo stands as a beloved minor figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided at the Northern Air Temple following his village was ruined in a disaster, an event that rendered him unable to walk.
Thanks to his dad's skill with engineering, he is able to fly through the skies using a flying device, and dares Aang in a flying race.
This card Teo reproduces his love for the skies along with the Earth Tribe's reliance of flying machines by allowing the player loot each time a player attacks with a flying unit, while also pumping your team with counters at the same time.
Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine
Regarding his home, this is represented in a card named Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life when coming into play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.
It also removes an additional point anytime another Shrine enters the field.
It appears to be a strong addition, considering the card's low mana cost and valuable enter the battlefield ability.
A major drawback of Shrine decks in formats besides Commander is the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is great when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which drains all opponents at the beginning of your turn.
The Timely Collaboration
At a time while crossover products are garnering significant criticism from fans, a beloved series like Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely what Magic: The Gathering requires.
Spoiler season has begun, and the full set will be launched on Nov. 21.