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MTG’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release until later this week, but due to prerelease weekends this past weekend, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 priced at one green and one colorless mana, it features Earthbending 1 (possibly the best within the elemental mechanics available). The real boon with this card lies in another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub could be purchased for $26.98. Post-prerelease, however, the market price has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. What explains such high costs for this little creature? Mostly due to the explosive mana ramping it enables.

Upon entering the board, the cub converts a terrain card into a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, those lands generates double mana — plus mana-producing creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect would be this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature that taps to generate G mana. However many alternative mana dorks available. Another option is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, it's simple to summon an enormous high-cost creature on the board early in the game. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression after that.

When adding a secondary color in this strategy, cards like versatile mana producers are excellent picks that generate all five colors. And something like a useful enchantment creature lets you play one extra land each turn AND makes your entire land base providing all land types. It's also worth trying such as this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana gives all of your permanents the power to tap and generate any color mana — which covers all creatures under your control.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered when it comes to accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game with this archetype? An often-seen solution already is this legendary creature. Power and toughness are set by your land count, and it makes your non-token creatures to be Forests as well as their original types. In other words, every single creature you control is able to tap for two G if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. One of her abilities allows all Forests produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, so those lands produce triple green.) One loyalty ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders each land you control indestructible enabling you to put onto the battlefield every Forest left from your library. Should you manage to use this power, it almost certainly the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential in any green-based Avatar strategies focusing on the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if he deals combat damage in combat, each animated land become untapped for another attack. Even though Bumi is a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the desired card in the collaboration.