Reveal: How Magic's Avatar Set Revives 2 Fan-Favorite Tribe-Focused Gameplay Features
MTG fans frequently adopt tribal decks — who hasn't built a zombie strategy at some point? — while the forthcoming ATLA crossover set brings back 2 beloved mechanics that match perfectly with its flavor.
Reappearing Tribe-Supporting Mechanics
One initial ability, known as "Allies," was introduced with the Zendikar set which grants bonuses each time additional permanents with this subtype come onto the battlefield.
Alternatively, "Shrines" represents an enchantment-based type that originated with Kamigawa. Although not exactly a creature tribe, these enchantments also gain strength as you has more Shrines in play.
The Return for Allies Mechanic
Although Shrine cards have been shown up here and there across newer releases, Allies mechanic has been seldom seen — until this ends with Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which this feature gets heavily featured.
The protagonist Aang has to assemble a lot of friends on the journey to restore balance across the world, so there's no more fitting method to reflect that through an Magic set.
Exclusive Card Showcase
After the first card announcement, here is a look of an Ally and one Shrines card from the new Avatar: The Last Airbender release.
Teo: The Beloved Character
This character stands as one popular supporting character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, a young man of Earth Kingdom who lived at an Air Temple following his village was ruined by a disaster, an event that left him unable to walk.
Thanks to his father's prowess with engineering, Teo can soar through the skies with a flying device, and dares the Avatar in an aerial race.
This card Teo, Spirited Glider reproduces Teo's fondness for flying along with his tribe's reliance of gliders by allowing you draw and discard whenever a player attacks with an airborne creature, and additionally pumping your creatures with counters in the process.
Northern Air Temple: A Strong Shrine Enchantment
Regarding his dwelling, it appears as the card Northern Air Temple, that drains an opponent's life when entering play, depending on how many of Shrines you have.
The card furthermore drains one more life whenever a Shrine comes onto the field.
This looks like a powerful card, considering the card's low mana cost and valuable enter the battlefield ability.
A big drawback of Shrine-based strategies in formats besides EDH is the fact that these cards 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 main phase.
A Timely Crossover
Currently when crossover sets have been receiving significant hate by fans, an iconic series such as Avatar can be precisely what MTG requires.
Preview period is already here, and the full set will be released November 21st.