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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not hit the general market before the end of the week, however after early access events recently, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature attracted widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub includes the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest of the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design is another power: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

At its cheapest, this card was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, though, its value has shot up to $49.66 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. The reason for premium pricing on this adorable card? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits play, Badgermole Cub turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, if it is not removed, each affected land generates double mana — along with any creatures on your side which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate one green mana. However numerous alternative mana dorks in the game. Another option is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a very big and very expensive monster into play within a few turns. The situation escalates rapidly with continued aggression from there.

By incorporating an additional hue in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make all five colors. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing another terrain per turn AND transforms every land you control so they count as all basics. You can also consider such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the ability to tap and generate a mana of any type — including each creature under your control.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong in terms of boosting mana production, but what closes out the game in such a strategy? An often-seen solution has been Ashaya. Power and toughness match your land count, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests in addition to their original types. Essentially, all your creatures in play is able to produce double green when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control).

Nissa works perfectly as a staple. Her static effect makes every Forest tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, so those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability acts as a form of land animation, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her -8 ability, however, makes all of your lands immune to destruction and lets you search for your remaining Forests in your deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, this typically means game over.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have for any kind of decks using green and Avatar built around earthbend. When branching into red-green, you can use this legendary card. He has earthbend 4, and when it hits a player to an opponent, each animated land untap and can attack again. Even though Bumi has emerged as a beloved leader, this small creature is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most desired card from this expansion.