Scoop: The Way Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender Expansion Reintroduces Two Fan-Favorite Tribal Gameplay Features
Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts often adopt tribe-based decks — what player hasn't constructed a goblin deck once or twice? — and the new ATLA Universes Beyond release is reintroducing 2 popular examples which match perfectly to the flavor.
Returning Tribe-Supporting Abilities
The initial mechanic, known as "Ally," first introduced with the Zendikar set which grants boosts each time more creatures bearing the Ally subtype enter the field.
Meanwhile, "Shrines" is another enchantment subtype which originated with Champions of Kamigawa. While not a creature tribe, these enchantments likewise become power as a player owns additional Shrines in play.
The Comeback for the Ally Ability
While Shrine cards have been appeared here and there across newer releases, the Ally mechanic has been seldom seen — but this changes with Avatar: The Last Airbender, where this feature gets prominently used.
The protagonist Aang must recruit numerous friends on his journey to bring back balance to the four nations, so there's no better way to show this in an Magic: The Gathering set.
Revealed Cards Showcase
Following the initial set reveal, below are a look of an Ally plus a Shrine cards from the new ATLA release.
Teo: The Fan-Favorite Character
This character stands as a beloved supporting figure from ATLA, a young man from the Earth Tribe who lived in an Air Temple after his village was destroyed in a flood, an event that rendered him paraplegic.
Because of his dad's prowess in mechanics, Teo is able to glide in the air with a flying device, even challenges Aang to a flying contest.
This card Teo, Spirited Glider showcases his love for the skies and the Earth Tribe's reliance on flying machines by allowing the player loot whenever you attack with an airborne unit, while also pumping your creatures via +1/+1 counters in the process.
Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine Enchantment
Regarding his home, this is represented as the card The Northern Air Temple, which reduces an opponent's life total when entering play, depending on how many Shrine cards you control.
It furthermore drains one more life anytime another Shrine comes onto the battlefield.
It looks like a strong addition, considering the card's cheap mana cost plus valuable enter the battlefield ability.
One big weakness of Shrine-based decks outside of EDH is the fact that Shrines are typically legendary permanents, however this card can be effective when paired with Sanctum of Stone Fangs, which deals damage to every opponent during the start of your turn.
The Welcome Collaboration
Currently while Universes Beyond sets are receiving a lot of criticism by the community, an iconic series like Avatar could be precisely what MTG needs.
Spoiler season is already here, with the full set will be launched on Nov. 21.