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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release until later this week, however after pre-releases this past weekend, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub drew a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs one green and one colorless mana, the card includes level 1 earthbending (possibly the best among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon in its design comes from another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, yet, the market price escalated to $49.66 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. The reason for Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Mainly because of the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

As it hits play, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card into a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it stays in play, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — along with mana-producing creatures you have that produce resources.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect would be Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate G mana. However numerous other mana generation creatures available. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value instead.

Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a very big high-cost monster on the board by round three or four. Momentum builds out of control with continued aggression from that point.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce any mana color. Another card, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land per turn AND turns all of your lands into every basic land type. Another possibility is something like this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana gives every card you own the capacity to be tapped for any color mana — even each creature under your control.

This card may be OP when it comes to accelerating your resources, yet what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? A common and powerful choice has been Ashaya. Power and toughness match the number of lands you control, plus it turns your non-token creatures Forests along with their other types. Essentially, every single creature in play can generate two green mana when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, P/T are based on how many lands you have).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability makes all Forests generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, so each one yield three G.) Her plus ability acts as a proto-earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, which is great but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. The minus ability, though, grants each land you control immune to destruction enabling you to search for your remaining Forests in your deck. Once you trigger that ability, it almost certainly game over.

This card is pretty much essential in any green Avatar deck that use Earthbending. When branching into red and green, there’s this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to a player, land creatures are ready again for another attack. Although this card has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cub is set to be among the top, possibly the popular pick in the collaboration.