Scoop: The Way Magic's Avatar Expansion Revives Two Fan-Favorite Tribal Gameplay Features

Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts often enjoy tribal tactics — what player hasn't assembled a goblin strategy once or twice? — while this new Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set revives two popular mechanics which align seamlessly with the flavor.

Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities

One initial ability, called "Ally," was introduced in a Zendikar set and provides boosts whenever more permanents with this subtype come onto the field.

Meanwhile, "Shrines" is an enchantment-based type that first appeared in Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, these enchantments likewise gain abilities as you controls additional Shrines in play.

The Return of the Ally Ability

While Shrine cards have shown up sporadically in recent releases, the Ally mechanic has been far less common — until this changes in ATLA, where this feature is prominently used.

Aang must assemble many allies on the journey to restore peace across the four nations, so there's no better method to reflect this in a Magic: The Gathering expansion.

Revealed Cards Showcase

Following the initial card reveal, below are a look of one Ally plus one Shrines card in the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.

Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure

This character stands as one cherished minor character from ATLA, a boy of Earth Kingdom that resided at an Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a disaster, which rendered him unable to walk.

Due to his dad's prowess in mechanics, he can soar in the air using his glider, and dares the Avatar to an aerial contest.

This card Teo, Spirited Glider represents his fondness of the skies along with the Earth Tribe's use of flying machines through allowing the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks using a flying unit, while also strengthening your creatures with +1/+1 counters at the same time.

The Temple Card: A Powerful Shrine

Regarding Teo's home, it is represented in a card named Northern Air Temple, which drains your opponent's life when entering the battlefield, based on how many Shrine cards you have.

It also removes an additional life anytime a Shrine enters the battlefield.

It looks like an impactful card, considering its cheap cost and good ETB effect.

A major weakness of Shrine strategies in formats besides Commander is that these cards are always Legendary, however this card is effective when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, that deals damage to all opponents at the beginning of your main phase.

A Welcome Collaboration

At a time while Universes Beyond sets have been garnering significant hate by the community, a beloved franchise such as Avatar can be precisely just what MTG needs.

Spoiler season is already here, and all cards set to be released on Nov. 21.

Sean Rogers
Sean Rogers

A quantum physicist and tech writer passionate about making complex computational concepts accessible to a broader audience.

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