Reveal: The Way Magic's Avatar Expansion Revives Two Popular Tribal Mechanics
Magic: The Gathering players often embrace tribal tactics β what player hasn't built a goblin deck at some point? β while this new Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set is reintroducing two beloved examples which fit seamlessly to the flavor.
Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics
One first ability, named "Ally," first debuted in the Zendikar which gives buffs whenever additional permanents bearing this type enter the battlefield.
On the other hand, "Shrines" represents an enchantment-based subtype which originated in Champions of Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribal theme, these enchantments also gain power when you owns more of them in play.
The Return for the Ally Ability
While Shrines have been shown up sporadically across newer sets, Allies subtype has been far less common β until that changes in ATLA, where the mechanic is heavily featured.
Aang must assemble numerous allies during the journey to bring back peace to the world, and there's no more fitting method to show that through a Magic set.
Revealed Card Preview
Following its first set reveal, below are a look at an Ally and one Shrines card from the new ATLA release.
Teo, Spirited Glider: The Beloved Character
Teo stands as a popular minor character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man from the Earth Tribe who lived at the Northern Air Temple after his home was destroyed by a disaster, which left him paraplegic.
Thanks to his dad's prowess in mechanics, Teo can glide through the skies using a flying device, and challenges Aang in an aerial contest.
The card Teo represents Teo's love for flying and his tribe's use on gliders through letting the player loot each time a player attacks with an airborne creature, while also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.
The Temple Card: A Strong Shrine
Regarding his home, it is represented as a card named The Northern Air Temple, that drains your opponent's life total when coming into the battlefield, depending on the number of Shrines you control.
It furthermore removes an additional point whenever a Shrine comes onto the field.
This appears to be a powerful addition, given its low mana cost and valuable ETB ability.
A big drawback for Shrine-based strategies outside of EDH are that Shrines are typically Legendary, however Northern Air Temple is effective when paired with another Shrine, which deals damage to every opponent during the start of your turn.
The Welcome Crossover
Currently while crossover sets are garnering a lot of criticism by the community, an iconic franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender can be exactly just what MTG needs.
Preview period is already here, and all cards will be launched on Nov. 21.