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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not hit the general market before the end of the week, however after pre-releases over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in price.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (possibly the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk here comes from its second ability: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub sold below $30. Following the early events, however, its value jumped above $45 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mostly due to the rapid resource generation it enables.

When it arrives play, Badgermole Cub transforms a terrain card to a creature land with earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it stays in play, every earthbent land generates double mana — plus any creatures on your side that produce resources.

A clear choice to combine with is the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. Yet many creatures that make mana in the game. This particular druid costs a bit more with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon an enormous high-cost monster on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.

If you dip into an additional hue in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that generate all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad allows you to put another terrain every round plus transforms your entire land base into every basic land type. You can also consider for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives all of your permanents the ability to produce one mana of any color — which covers all creatures under your control.

This card could be too strong when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, yet what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice has been Ashaya. Its stats are both equal to your land count, and it makes your non-token creatures Forests as well as their original types. Essentially, every single creature in play is able to generate two green mana when tapped.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness are equal to your land total).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit in this deck. One of her abilities causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands yield three G.) One loyalty ability functions like a proto-earthbend, adding counters on a land, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, renders your entire land base immune to destruction and lets you draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is nearly mandatory in any green Avatar deck focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including red-green, you can use Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt in combat, each animated land become untapped and can attack again. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, this small creature will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card in the collaboration.