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the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar will not hit the general market before the end of the week, yet following early access events recently, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature attracted a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, the card has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the best within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk with this card is another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

Initially, this card could be purchased for $26.98. Post-prerelease, though, the going rate escalated to $49.66 and one seller offering as high as $60. The reason for premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

Upon entering the board, the cub converts a land into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, while it stays in play, each affected land generates double mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures you have that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. But numerous creatures that make mana out there. This particular druid costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, it's simple to summon an enormous high-cost threat into play by round three or four. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression from that point.

When adding an additional hue using this method, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options which produce any mana color. Another card, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put an additional land per turn plus turns all of your lands providing all land types. You can also consider something like a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives all of your permanents the capacity to produce any color mana — which covers any creature you have on the board.

The cub might seem overpowered in terms of accelerating your resources, but how do you win 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 each creature you own into Forests along with other subtypes. In other words, every single creature on your board is able to tap for two G when tapped.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness match how many lands you have).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands yield three G.) Her main ability is essentially a form of land animation, placing counters to a noncreature land, which is great but does not overlap with earthbend. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders all of your lands immune to destruction and allows you to search for your remaining Forests in your deck. Once you trigger that ability, it almost certainly you win.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential in any green Avatar deck that use earthbend. By including red and green, you can use this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage to an opponent, each animated land untap for another attack. Even though Bumi is a fan favorite Commander, the cub is set to be one of the most, maybe the popular pick in the Avatar set.