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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, yet due to prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Even during previews, this small creature drew a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, it features Earthbending 1 (perhaps the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon here comes from an additional effect: If you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub could be purchased at around $27. Following the early events, though, the market price has shot up above $45 with at least one listed as high as $60. What explains Vivi prices on this adorable card? Mainly due to the rapid resource generation it can produce.

Upon entering the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, while it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — along with other creatures on your side which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy would be Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. Yet many creatures that make mana available. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a massive pricey creature on the battlefield within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression from there.

When adding a secondary color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make any mana color. And something like a useful enchantment creature enables playing one extra land every round AND transforms your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is such as a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides each permanent you control the capacity to tap and generate a mana of any type — which covers any creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered regarding boosting mana production, however how do you win in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, plus it turns each creature you own into Forests as well as their original types. In other words, all your creatures on your board is able to produce double green if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its stats match your land total).

This Planeswalker works perfectly in this deck. One of her abilities causes all Forests produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in those lands produce triple green.) Her plus ability acts as an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her ultimate, though, renders all of your lands unbreakable and lets you draw out your remaining Forests from your library. Should you manage to use this power, it’s pretty much the game ends.

This card is a must-have for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies built around the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt in combat, all land creatures untap for another attack. Even though Bumi is a beloved leader, this small creature will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card from this expansion.