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Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar will not become widely available until later this week, yet due to pre-releases 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. A 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the most effective among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage with this card is its second ability: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub could be purchased below $30. After the pre-release weekend, however, its value escalated to $49.66 including listings as high as $60. What explains Vivi prices for this little creature? Mostly due to the rapid resource generation it enables.

Upon entering play, the cub transforms one land into a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — plus any creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with would be the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. However many creatures that make mana in the game. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get a very big high-cost creature on the board early in the game. Momentum builds exponentially with continued aggression after that.

When adding a secondary color in this strategy, cards like versatile mana producers are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. And something like this powerful dryad lets you play another terrain per turn AND turns your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is such as this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment grants each permanent you control the capacity to tap and generate a mana of any type — which covers each creature in play.

The cub may be OP when it comes to accelerating your resources, however what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? An often-seen solution is this legendary creature. Its stats are set by how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures Forests as well as their original types. In other words, each creature in play can produce double green if used for mana.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature that benefits from a high land count (like Ashaya, P/T are based on the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability causes every Forest produce extra green. (If you have the cub, this results in each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her ultimate, though, grants your entire land base indestructible enabling you to draw out every Forest left in the deck. If you can actually activate this power, this typically means you win.

The cub is pretty much essential for all decks using green and Avatar focusing on earthbend. When branching into Gruul colors, consider this legendary card. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and if he deals combat damage to an opponent, each animated land untap for another attack. While that version has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the popular pick from this expansion.