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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not get a wider release in the coming days, yet following prerelease weekends recently, one cheap green card experienced a surge in price.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the most effective within the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage with this card is another power: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, this card sold for $26.98. Following the early events, however, the market price has shot up to $49.66 including listings for sale at $60.00. The reason for premium pricing for this little creature? Mainly thanks to the rapid resource generation it provides.

As it hits play, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to other creatures in your control that produce resources.

A clear choice to combine with includes this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces G mana. However many alternative mana dorks out there. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you can easily get a massive pricey creature on the board early in the game. And things just keep spiraling exponentially if you keep the pressure on after that.

When adding an additional hue in this strategy, options such as versatile mana producers are excellent picks which produce any mana color. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land every round AND transforms every land you control so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying something like this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides each permanent you control the ability to produce any color mana — which covers any creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of accelerating your resources, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya. Its power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. Essentially, all your creatures you control can generate two green mana when tapped.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control).

Nissa fits really well as a staple. Her static effect allows every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means those lands yield three G.) Her main ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, adding counters on terrain, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her ultimate, though, grants your entire land base indestructible and lets you search for your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger that ability, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is a must-have for all decks using green and Avatar that use earthbend. When branching into Gruul colors, you can use Bumi. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and when it hits a player in combat, each animated land untap and can attack again. While that version is a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card in the collaboration.