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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to get a wider release before the end of the week, yet after prerelease weekends recently, an affordable green creature has already exploded in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub attracted widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness priced at G and 1 mana, the card includes the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the strongest within the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage here lies in another power: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, the card sold for $26.98. Following the early events, though, the market price escalated to $49.66 including listings priced at sixty dollars. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Primarily because of the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

Upon entering the battlefield, Badgermole Cub turns a land to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, while it is not removed, those lands yields two mana instead of one — plus other creatures you have that produce resources.

An ideal partner for synergy includes Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces a green resource. However numerous other mana generation creatures available. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value instead.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a massive and very expensive threat into play early in the game. The situation escalates exponentially with continued aggression from there.

When adding a secondary color using this method, examples including versatile mana producers are all great options which produce any mana color. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land each turn AND makes your entire land base so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, costing six mana grants each permanent you control the power to tap and generate a mana of any type — even any creature you have on the board.

The cub could be too strong when it comes to accelerating your resources, but how do you win with this archetype? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests in addition to their original types. In other words, all your creatures in play may generate two green mana when tapped.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that benefits from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to your land total).

This Planeswalker fits really well in this deck. Her static effect causes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially an early earthbend, adding counters on terrain, which is great but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. The minus ability, on the other hand, makes all of your lands indestructible and allows you to put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in the deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, it almost certainly game over.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory in any green-based Avatar strategies built around Earthbending. By including red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage in combat, land creatures untap and may attack once more. While that version is a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be one of the most, maybe the popular pick from this expansion.