Exclusive: The Way Magic: The Gathering's Avatar Set Brings Back 2 Fan-Favorite Tribe-Focused Gameplay Features
Magic: The Gathering players consistently adopt tribe-based strategies — who hasn't constructed a goblin deck once or twice? — and this forthcoming ATLA Universes Beyond set revives 2 popular examples that fit seamlessly to the setting.
Reappearing Tribal Abilities
The initial ability, known as "Ally," was introduced with the Zendikar set and provides boosts whenever additional permanents bearing this subtype come onto the field.
Alternatively, "Shrine" represents another enchantment subtype that originated in Champions of Kamigawa. While not exactly creature-based tribal theme, Shrines also become abilities as a player has additional Shrines on the battlefield.
A Return of the Ally Ability
While Shrines have been shown up sporadically across newer releases, the Ally subtype was seldom seen — but that ends in ATLA, in which this mechanic gets prominently used.
The protagonist Aang has to gather many companions on his quest to bring back peace to the four nations, and there's no better way to show that in an Magic: The Gathering expansion.
Exclusive Cards Preview
After its initial card reveal, here are previews of one Ally and one Shrines card in the upcoming ATLA set.
Teo: The Fan-Favorite Figure
This character stands as one beloved minor figure from ATLA, a young man of Earth Kingdom who resided at the Northern Air Temple following his village was destroyed by a flood, which left him unable to walk.
Due to his dad's prowess in engineering, he is able to soar in the air using his glider, and challenges Aang to a flying contest.
The card Teo represents Teo's passion for the skies and his tribe's use of gliders through allowing the player draw and discard whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, while additionally pumping your creatures with counters in the process.
Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine
Speaking of his dwelling, it appears as the card The Northern Air Temple, which drains an opponent's life total upon entering the battlefield, depending on the number Shrine cards you have.
It furthermore removes one more life whenever another Shrine enters the battlefield.
This looks like a powerful card, considering its cheap mana cost plus good ETB ability.
A major drawback of Shrine-based decks outside of Commander are that these cards are typically legendary permanents, however Northern Air Temple is effective when paired with another Shrine, that deals damage to all opponents during the start of your turn.
The Welcome Crossover
At a time while Universes Beyond sets are receiving a lot of criticism by fans, an iconic series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender can be precisely just what MTG requires.
Preview period is already here, with all cards will be released on Nov. 21.