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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set won’t hit the general market before the end of the week, however due to early access events this past weekend, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature garnered a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness priced at a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective of the elemental mechanics available). The real boon in its design lies in another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, this card could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, though, the going rate jumped to nearly $50 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing such high costs for this cute lil guy? Mainly due to the rapid resource generation it can produce.

Upon entering the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a land into a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to other creatures on your side that produce resources.

A clear choice to combine with includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces a green resource. However there are plenty of alternative mana dorks out there. Another option is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you may quickly play a massive pricey threat on the board early in the game. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression from there.

If you dip into a secondary color with this approach, options such as versatile mana producers work perfectly which produce all five colors. And something like a useful enchantment creature allows you to put another terrain per turn plus transforms every land you control so they count as all basics. You can also consider something like a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides each permanent you control the ability to produce any color mana — even all creatures in play.

This card might seem overpowered regarding boosting mana production, however what closes out the game for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests as well as their original types. In other words, each creature you control is able to tap for two G when tapped.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its power and toughness match your land total).

This Planeswalker fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities allows every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so those lands generate three green mana.) Her plus ability acts as a proto-earthbend, adding counters on a land, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her ultimate, though, makes each land you control indestructible and lets you search for all the remaining forests from your library. Once you trigger the ultimate, it’s pretty much the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar that use earthbend. When branching into red and green, you can use Bumi. He has level 4 earthbending, and if damage is dealt to a player, each animated land are ready again and can attack again. Although this card is a popular Commander choice, the cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card in the Avatar set.