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Magic: The Gathering fans frequently enjoy tribal tactics — who has not constructed an elf deck once or twice? — and the forthcoming ATLA crossover release brings back two popular examples which match perfectly to its flavor.

Returning Tribal Abilities

The initial ability, called "Allies," was debuted with the Zendikar set and gives buffs whenever additional permanents with the Ally type come onto the battlefield.

On the other hand, "Shrine" is another enchantment subtype which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly a creature tribe, Shrines likewise become abilities as you has more Shrines in play.

A Return of Allies Mechanic

While Shrine cards have appeared here and there in recent sets, Allies mechanic has been far less common — until this ends in ATLA, in which the feature is heavily featured.

Aang has to recruit many allies during his quest to bring back balance to the world, so there's no more fitting way to represent this in a Magic expansion.

Revealed Cards Preview

After its first set reveal, here are previews of an Allies plus a Shrine card from the new ATLA set.

Teo: The Beloved Character

This character stands as a popular minor figure from ATLA, a young man of the Earth Tribe that resided in the Northern Air Temple after his village was ruined in a flood, an event that left him paraplegic.

Thanks to his dad's skill with engineering, Teo is able to fly in the air using a flying device, and dares Aang in an aerial contest.

This card Teo represents Teo's fondness for flying and the Earth Tribe's reliance of flying machines by letting you draw and discard each time you attack using a flying creature, and additionally strengthening your creatures via counters at the same time.

Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine Enchantment

Regarding Teo's home, this appears in the card The Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total when entering play, based on the number Shrine cards you control.

It also drains an additional life whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.

This looks like a powerful addition, considering the card's cheap cost and good ETB effect.

One major drawback for Shrine decks outside of EDH are the fact that these cards are typically Legendary, however this card is effective in combination with another Shrine, which deals damage to all opponents during the start of your turn.

A Timely Crossover

Currently when crossover sets are receiving a lot of criticism from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly just what Magic: The Gathering needs.

Preview period is already here, and all cards set to be launched on Nov. 21.