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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set will not become widely available until later this week, but following prerelease weekends over the last few days, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub attracted a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness priced at G and 1 mana, it has level 1 earthbending (possibly the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon here lies in another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold at around $27. Following the early events, yet, the market price jumped to nearly $50 including listings as high as $60. What explains such high costs for this cute lil guy? Primarily thanks to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

As it hits the board, Badgermole Cub turns one land to a creature land with earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — plus any creatures you have that generate mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for G mana. But numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you can easily get an enormous pricey creature on the board within a few turns. The situation escalates out of control if you keep the pressure on from that point.

When adding an additional hue with this approach, options such as versatile mana producers are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. Another card, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land per turn plus turns every land you control into every basic land type. You can also consider such as this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the power to produce a mana of any type — which covers all creatures under your control.

The cub might seem overpowered regarding boosting mana production, but what closes out the game with this archetype? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are set by your land count, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests in addition to other subtypes. In other words, every single creature in play is able to generate two green mana by tapping.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with many terrain cards (like Ashaya, P/T match the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so those lands generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like a form of land animation, adding counters on terrain, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbend. The minus ability, however, renders each land you control indestructible and lets you search for all the remaining forests in the deck. If you can actually activate that ability, it almost certainly game over.

The cub is a must-have for all green-based Avatar strategies focusing on Earthbending. When branching into red-green, consider Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures untap for another attack. While that version has become a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay among the top, possibly the sought-after card from this expansion.