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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not become widely available until later this week, but following early access events recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in value.

Even during previews, this small creature attracted widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features level 1 earthbending (perhaps the most effective within the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage here comes from an additional effect: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, yet, its value has shot up to nearly $50 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this little creature? Primarily thanks to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

As it hits the board, this creature converts a land to a creature land with earthbend. And with that second ability, if it is not removed, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — along with other creatures you have that generate mana.

An ideal partner for maximum effect includes this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature that produces a green resource. However numerous other mana generation creatures available. This particular druid costs a bit more with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play an enormous and very expensive threat on the board by round three or four. Momentum builds rapidly by maintaining dominance from there.

By incorporating an additional hue with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make all five colors. And something like this powerful dryad enables playing another terrain each turn as well as makes all of your lands providing all land types. Another possibility is for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants every card you own the ability to be tapped for any color mana — which covers all creatures in play.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered in terms of accelerating your resources, but what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Its power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it makes your non-token creatures Forests along with their original types. In other words, every single creature in play may produce double green when tapped.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that benefits from lots of lands (like Ashaya, its power and toughness are based on your land total).

This Planeswalker works perfectly as a staple. One of her abilities makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means those lands produce triple green.) One loyalty ability functions like a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, renders all of your lands immune to destruction and allows you to put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in your deck. Once you trigger that ability, it’s pretty much game over.

The cub is a must-have for any kind of decks using green and Avatar focusing on earthbend. If you dip into red-green, there’s this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt to an opponent, all land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has emerged as a popular Commander choice, this small creature will surely stay among the top, possibly the sought-after card from this expansion.