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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release in the coming days, however due to early access events recently, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature drew widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub includes level 1 earthbending (possibly the best of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon here comes from its second ability: If you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, this card was available at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, yet, its value escalated above $45 with at least one listed as high as $60. Why are we seeing such high costs for this little creature? Mainly because of the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

Upon entering the board, Badgermole Cub transforms one land to a creature land granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it remains on the board, each affected land produces twice the mana — plus mana-producing creatures you have which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for a green resource. However numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive creature into play early in the game. The situation escalates exponentially if you keep the pressure on from there.

By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land each turn plus makes all of your lands providing all land types. You can also consider for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives all of your permanents the power to be tapped for any color mana — which covers any creature in play.

Badgermole Cub may be OP regarding ramping up your mana generation, but what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are both equal to your land count, plus it turns each creature you own into Forests along with other subtypes. In other words, all your creatures in play may generate two green mana by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to your land total).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows Forest lands produce extra green. (If you have the cub, so all earthbend forests yield three G.) Her plus ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, renders your entire land base indestructible enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, it’s pretty much the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential for all green Avatar deck built around earthbend. If you dip into Gruul colors, consider Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, and when he deals combat damage in combat, land creatures are ready again and can attack again. While that version has become a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be among the top, possibly the sought-after card in the collaboration.