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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not hit the general market in the coming days, however after early access events over the last few days, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in market worth.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub garnered widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, the card has the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the strongest of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage in its design is an additional effect: If you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, the card could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, though, the market price jumped to nearly $50 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Primarily due to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

When it arrives the board, the cub converts one land into a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, if it remains on the board, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to other creatures on your side which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for maximum effect is Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. Yet numerous creatures that make mana in the game. Another option costs a bit more with stats 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, it's simple to summon a massive and very expensive creature into play within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.

When adding a secondary color in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that can make any mana color. And something like this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land every round plus transforms every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is something like this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides all of your permanents the ability to produce any color mana — even each creature you have on the board.

The cub might seem overpowered regarding accelerating your resources, yet what closes out the game for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice has been Ashaya. Its power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it makes each creature you own Forests along with their original types. Essentially, each creature you control is able to produce double green by tapping.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities makes all Forests generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so each one produce triple green.) One loyalty ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, however, makes your entire land base immune to destruction enabling you to draw out every Forest left in your deck. Once you trigger this power, it’s pretty much you win.

The cub is pretty much essential in any green-based Avatar strategies focusing on the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, and when he deals combat damage in combat, land creatures untap for another attack. While that version is a popular Commander choice, the cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card from this expansion.