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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar won’t become widely available before the end of the week, yet following pre-releases this past weekend, an affordable green creature has already exploded in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, it features Earthbending 1 (possibly the best of the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage here comes from its second ability: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

Initially, this card sold for $26.98. Post-prerelease, yet, the going rate has shot up to nearly $50 with at least one listed as high as $60. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this little creature? Primarily because of the rapid resource generation it enables.

When it arrives play, this creature converts one land into a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, as long as it stays in play, those lands produces twice the mana — in addition to any creatures you have which tap for mana.

An ideal partner to combine with is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for a green resource. However numerous alternative mana dorks in the game. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, alongside this card, you can easily get an enormous and very expensive monster on the board within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling rapidly by maintaining dominance after that.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, examples including versatile mana producers work perfectly that generate any mana color. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land every round plus turns your entire land base so they count as all basics. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants every card you own the power to tap and generate any color mana — including any creature you have on the board.

The cub might seem overpowered when it comes to accelerating your resources, but what closes out the game in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. Essentially, all your creatures you control can produce double green by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, P/T are based on the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially an early earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, renders all of your lands immune to destruction enabling you to draw out all the remaining forests in your deck. If you can actually activate the ultimate, this typically means game over.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar that use earthbend. If you dip into Gruul colors, you can use Bumi. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, each animated land untap for another attack. While that version has become a popular Commander choice, this small creature is set to be one of the most, maybe the desired card in the collaboration.