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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to hit the general market until later this week, however following prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in market worth.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub drew widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub includes the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon in its design is its second ability: If you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, this card could be purchased at around $27. Following the early events, though, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

As it hits the board, Badgermole Cub transforms a land into a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures in your control which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for maximum effect is this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces G mana. However many creatures that make mana out there. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you can easily get a massive pricey monster on the battlefield by round three or four. The situation escalates rapidly by maintaining dominance from that point.

By incorporating another color with this approach, options such as versatile mana producers work perfectly that can make any color of mana. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature enables playing another terrain every round AND turns all of your lands into every basic land type. Another possibility is such as this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana gives all of your permanents the power to be tapped for one mana of any color — including any creature under your control.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong regarding accelerating your resources, yet what closes out the game with this archetype? An often-seen solution has been this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to the number of lands you control, plus it turns your non-token creatures to be Forests in addition to their other types. This means, each creature you control can produce double green when tapped.

Another creature is a costly, large threat which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, P/T are based on your land total).

Nissa works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect causes Forest lands tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, that means all earthbend forests produce triple green.) Her plus ability acts as a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her -8 ability, however, renders each land you control immune to destruction and lets you draw out your remaining Forests in your deck. If you can actually activate this power, it’s pretty much you win.

The cub is pretty much essential for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red and green, consider Bumi. He has earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt to an opponent, land creatures become untapped for another attack. Although this card has become a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most desired card in the Avatar set.