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MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t become widely available in the coming days, yet following early access events over the last few days, one cheap green card experienced a surge in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub drew widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness priced at one green and one colorless mana, it features Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design comes from another power: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub sold below $30. Post-prerelease, however, its value jumped to $49.66 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. What explains Vivi prices for this little creature? Mainly due to the explosive mana ramping it enables.

When it arrives the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a land so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, while it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — along with other creatures you have that produce resources.

An ideal partner to combine with would be Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. Yet many creatures that make mana in the game. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you can easily get an enormous high-cost threat on the battlefield by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling out of control with continued aggression from that point.

By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce any color of mana. And something like a useful enchantment creature allows you to put another terrain per turn AND transforms your entire land base providing all land types. You can also consider for example a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the power to tap and generate one mana of any color — which covers all creatures in play.

This card could be too strong when it comes to accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya. Its power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, plus it turns each creature you own into Forests as well as their other types. In other words, all your creatures in play is able to generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature that benefits from lots of lands (like Ashaya, its power and toughness match the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. Her static effect causes Forest lands tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in those lands generate three green mana.) Her main ability functions like a form of land animation, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy though it doesn't stack with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, however, makes all of your lands immune to destruction and allows you to draw out every Forest left from your library. Should you manage to use the ultimate, this typically means you win.

This card is a must-have in any green-based Avatar strategies that use the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, all land creatures become untapped for another attack. While that version has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be one of the most, maybe the popular pick in the Avatar set.