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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, however after early access events over the last few days, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature drew significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub has the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon here lies in another power: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub sold for $26.98. Following the early events, yet, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing on this adorable card? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

As it hits the battlefield, this creature turns a land into a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures you have which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with would be this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. However numerous creatures that make mana out there. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value instead.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big pricey threat on the board within a few turns. The situation escalates rapidly if you keep the pressure on from that point.

When adding another color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that can make any color of mana. And something like a useful enchantment creature lets you play an additional land each turn as well as turns your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is for example this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides every card you own the ability to be tapped for any color mana — including any creature under your control.

The cub may be OP when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, yet how do you win for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its power and toughness are set by your land count, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests as well as their other types. In other words, all your creatures you control may produce double green by tapping.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that benefits from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa fits really well as a go-to Planeswalker. One of her abilities allows Forest lands produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, that means each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like a proto-earthbend, placing counters on terrain, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbend. The minus ability, though, grants each land you control unbreakable and allows you to put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in your deck. Once you trigger this power, it almost certainly game over.

This card is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar built around Earthbending. When branching into Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and when he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures untap for another attack. Even though Bumi has become a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.