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the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar won’t become widely available before the end of the week, yet due to pre-releases recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature garnered significant interest. A 2/2 requiring a single green and one generic mana, it has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk with this card comes from its second ability: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, the card could be purchased below $30. After the pre-release weekend, however, its value jumped above $45 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this little creature? Primarily because of the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

Upon entering the battlefield, the cub turns one land into a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, while it is not removed, those lands produces twice the mana — along with other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect would be Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces one green mana. Yet there are plenty of alternative mana dorks in the game. Another option costs a bit more with stats 1/3 costing two mana instead.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a massive pricey threat on the battlefield within a few turns. The situation escalates rapidly with continued aggression from that point.

If you dip into another color in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play an additional land every round AND turns every land you control so they count as all basics. Another possibility is such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for one mana of any color — even any creature in play.

Badgermole Cub may be OP regarding accelerating your resources, yet how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution already is this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to how many lands you have, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests as well as their other types. In other words, all your creatures on your board can generate two green mana when tapped.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are based on your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities makes Forest lands produce extra green. (If you have the cub, that means all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a proto-earthbend, adding counters on a land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbend. The minus ability, on the other hand, grants each land you control indestructible and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests from your library. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is pretty much essential for all decks using green and Avatar focusing on the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into red-green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, and when he deals combat damage in combat, each animated land untap and can attack again. While that version has become a beloved leader, this small creature will surely stay one of the most, maybe the popular pick from this expansion.