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MTG’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to become widely available before the end of the week, but due to prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub attracted widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness requiring one green and one colorless mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the most effective within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage with this card comes from its second ability: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, the card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, however, the market price has shot up above $45 including listings priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing such high costs on this adorable card? Primarily due to the rapid resource generation it provides.

Upon entering play, Badgermole Cub transforms a land so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it stays in play, those lands generates double mana — plus other creatures you have that generate mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces one green mana. Yet many other mana generation creatures out there. Another option is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you can easily get a massive and very expensive creature on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds out of control with continued aggression after that.

If you dip into another color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that generate all five colors. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land each turn as well as turns every land you control into every basic land type. You can also consider such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana grants each permanent you control the capacity to produce any color mana — even each creature under your control.

The cub might seem overpowered in terms of accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya. Its stats are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it makes your non-token creatures into Forests along with other subtypes. This means, each creature in play may tap for two G if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are equal to your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well in this deck. Her passive ability causes Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands produce triple green.) Her plus ability acts as a form of land animation, placing counters on a land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, grants your entire land base indestructible and lets you put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in your deck. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it almost certainly you win.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have for all green-based Avatar strategies focusing on earthbend. By including red-green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. He has level 4 earthbending, and if he deals combat damage to a player, all land creatures untap and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has emerged as a beloved leader, this small creature is set to be one of the most, maybe the sought-after card from this expansion.