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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set won’t become widely available until later this week, yet after early access events recently, an affordable green creature has already exploded in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness priced at one green and one colorless mana, the card features Earthbending 1 (possibly the strongest within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk here comes from its second ability: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, the card could be purchased for $26.98. Post-prerelease, however, its value jumped to nearly $50 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. What explains Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Primarily thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits the battlefield, Badgermole Cub transforms a land so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, while it stays in play, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — plus other creatures you have that produce resources.

A clear choice to combine with includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. However there are plenty of creatures that make mana available. Another option is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, it's simple to summon an enormous high-cost creature into play within a few turns. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression from that point.

When adding an additional hue in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that can make all five colors. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing an additional land per turn AND makes your entire land base providing all land types. You can also consider such as this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the capacity to tap and generate a mana of any type — even any creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered regarding boosting mana production, yet how do you win for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice is this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures to be Forests as well as other subtypes. Essentially, all your creatures on your board can produce double green by tapping.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly in this deck. Her static effect allows every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so each one produce triple green.) Her plus ability acts as a form of land animation, placing counters on a land, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, makes each land you control unbreakable enabling you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in your deck. Should you manage to use this power, it almost certainly game over.

This card is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including red and green, consider Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, and if it hits a player to a player, each animated land become untapped and may attack once more. Even though Bumi is a beloved leader, this small creature will surely stay one of the most, maybe the desired card in the Avatar set.