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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar will not get a wider release until later this week, but due to pre-releases this past weekend, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature drew significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness that costs one green and one colorless mana, it includes the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the strongest within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk with this card lies in another power: If you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub was available at around $27. Post-prerelease, yet, the going rate jumped above $45 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains such high costs for this cute lil guy? Mostly thanks to the rapid resource generation it provides.

When it arrives the board, Badgermole Cub transforms a terrain card so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures on your side that generate mana.

An ideal partner to combine with includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces a green resource. However there are plenty of creatures that make mana out there. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value in comparison.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you can easily get a very big high-cost monster on the battlefield by round three or four. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression after that.

When adding an additional hue using this method, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make all five colors. And something like this powerful dryad allows you to put one extra land each turn AND turns all of your lands into every basic land type. It's also worth trying for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides every card you own the capacity to be tapped for a mana of any type — even each creature in play.

The cub could be too strong regarding accelerating your resources, but what closes out the game with this archetype? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Power and toughness match your land count, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests as well as their other types. In other words, every single creature in play can tap for two G when tapped.

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

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability allows every Forest tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, this results in those lands generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability is essentially a form of land animation, placing counters on terrain, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. The minus ability, however, grants your entire land base indestructible enabling you to search for your remaining Forests in your deck. Should you manage to use this power, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is a must-have for any kind of decks using green and Avatar built around Earthbending. If you dip into red-green, consider Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, and when it hits a player to a player, each animated land are ready again for another attack. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, this small creature is set to be one of, if not the most popular pick in the Avatar set.