Scoop: How Magic's Avatar Expansion Revives Two Popular Tribal Gameplay Features
Magic: The Gathering players often enjoy tribe-based decks — who has not built a goblin deck before? — and this upcoming ATLA crossover release brings back two beloved examples which align perfectly to the flavor.
Reappearing Tribal Abilities
One initial mechanic, known as "Allies," was debuted with a Zendikar and provides boosts each time additional permanents with this type enter the battlefield.
On the other hand, "Shrines" represents another enchantment-based type that originated with Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise gain abilities as a player has more of them in play.
The Return for Allies Mechanic
Although Shrines have shown up here and there across newer releases, Allies subtype was far less common — until this changes with ATLA, where the feature gets prominently used.
The protagonist Aang must assemble numerous friends during his journey to restore balance to the world, and there's no more fitting way to show this in a Magic set.
Exclusive Card Preview
After the first set reveal, here is a look at an Allies plus one Shrines card in the new ATLA set.
Teo: A Beloved Figure
Teo stands as a popular supporting figure in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a boy from Earth Kingdom who resided in the Northern Air Temple following his village was ruined by a flood, an event that left him unable to walk.
Because of his father's expertise with mechanics, he is able to fly through the skies using a flying device, and dares Aang in a flying contest.
This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases Teo's fondness for the skies and the Earth Tribe's use on flying machines by allowing you draw and discard whenever a player attacks using an airborne unit, and also pumping your team with +1/+1 counters at the same time.
The Temple Card: The Strong Shrine
Regarding his home, this is represented in the card Northern Air Temple, that reduces an opponent's life total when entering play, depending on how many of Shrines you control.
It also removes an additional point whenever another Shrine comes onto the field.
This appears to be a strong card, considering its low cost and good enter the battlefield effect.
One major weakness of Shrine-based decks outside of EDH are the fact that these cards are always Legendary, however this card is effective when paired alongside Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to every opponent at the beginning of your turn.
A Timely Crossover
At a time when Universes Beyond products have been receiving a lot of backlash from the community, a beloved series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender could be precisely just what MTG requires.
Preview period is already here, with all cards will be released November 21st.