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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar won’t get a wider release in the coming days, yet following pre-releases over the last few days, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub drew significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features level 1 earthbending (possibly the most effective of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk here is another power: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold below $30. After the pre-release weekend, yet, the market price jumped above $45 including listings priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Primarily thanks to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

Upon entering play, this creature turns one land into a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that produces a green resource. However numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, creatures that tap for mana, alongside this card, you may quickly play a very big pricey monster on the board by round three or four. Momentum builds exponentially if you keep the pressure on from there.

When adding another color in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce any mana color. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put another terrain every round AND makes every land you control into every basic land type. It's also worth trying such as a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides every card you own the ability to tap and generate one mana of any color — including all creatures under your control.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered regarding boosting mana production, yet what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution is Ashaya. Its power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, plus it turns all of your nontoken creatures Forests in addition to other subtypes. This means, each creature on your board may produce double green by tapping.

This additional option is a costly, large threat that thrives with lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats match your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows all Forests generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, so each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, which is great though it doesn't stack with the cub's ability. The minus ability, though, renders your entire land base unbreakable enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is pretty much essential for any kind of decks using green and Avatar built around earthbend. If you dip into red-green, consider Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, and when damage is dealt in combat, land creatures untap for another attack. Even though Bumi has emerged as a beloved leader, the cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the sought-after card from this expansion.