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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion will not hit the general market until later this week, but following early access events over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in value.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted significant interest. A 2/2 requiring G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (possibly the best among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon with this card is another power: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, this card sold below $30. Following the early events, however, the going rate escalated above $45 including listings for sale at $60.00. The reason for Vivi prices for this little creature? Mainly due to the explosive mana ramping it enables.

When it arrives play, this creature transforms one land into a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, while it remains on the board, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures in your control which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for synergy is the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces G mana. However numerous other mana generation creatures out there. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more a 1/3 creature costing two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a massive and very expensive creature on the battlefield by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling out of control with continued aggression after that.

When adding another color using this method, options such as these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that can make any mana color. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play another terrain per turn plus turns all of your lands providing all land types. Another possibility is something like this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides every card you own the ability to produce any color mana — which covers each creature under your control.

The cub might seem overpowered in terms of boosting mana production, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are set by your land count, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests as well as their other types. In other words, all your creatures on your board is able to generate two green mana by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with many terrain cards (like Ashaya, P/T match how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability allows Forest lands produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, so those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, makes your entire land base indestructible and lets you search for every Forest left in your deck. Once you trigger this power, this typically means you win.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory for all decks using green and Avatar focusing on Earthbending. When branching into red-green, you can use this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, and when it hits a player to a player, all land creatures are ready again for another attack. Although this card has become a popular Commander choice, this small creature is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the desired card in the Avatar set.