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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not get a wider release in the coming days, yet after early access events over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub attracted a lot of attention. A 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best within the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk with this card lies in an additional effect: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, this card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, yet, the going rate escalated to nearly $50 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. What explains Vivi prices for this little creature? Primarily thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

As it hits play, the cub turns one land into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, each affected land generates double mana — plus any creatures you have which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for maximum effect is this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for a green resource. But numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Another option is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get a very big and very expensive threat on the board by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression after that.

When adding an additional hue using this method, cards like versatile mana producers are all great options that generate any mana color. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land each turn plus transforms your entire land base into every basic land type. It's also worth trying something like a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants every card you own the ability to tap and generate a mana of any type — which covers any creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, and it changes your non-token creatures Forests as well as their original types. This means, every single creature in play is able to generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option is a costly, large threat that benefits from many terrain cards (like Ashaya, its power and toughness are based on your land total).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. One of her abilities causes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means all earthbend forests yield three G.) Her main ability functions like an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, a useful effect but does not overlap with the cub's ability. The minus ability, though, makes each land you control indestructible enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in your deck. Should you manage to use that ability, this typically means you win.

The cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar that use Earthbending. By including red and green, you can use Bumi. This card features earthbend 4, and if it hits a player to an opponent, each animated land untap for another attack. While that version is a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most popular pick in the Avatar set.