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Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar won’t hit the general market in the coming days, but following early access events over the last few days, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, the card includes Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective among the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon with this card is its second ability: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, yet, the market price has shot up to nearly $50 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. What explains such high costs on this adorable card? Primarily because of the rapid resource generation it provides.

As it hits the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a land so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — in addition to any creatures you have that generate mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with would be the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. But there are plenty of alternative mana dorks in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, it's simple to summon a very big pricey monster into play early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly by maintaining dominance after that.

By incorporating another color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that generate all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing an additional land per turn AND transforms all of your lands so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana grants all of your permanents the capacity to produce one mana of any color — which covers each creature you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya. Power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures Forests along with their other types. In other words, all your creatures in play may generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from lots of lands (like Ashaya, its power and toughness match your land total).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows every Forest tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability is essentially a form of land animation, placing counters on terrain, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her ultimate, however, grants each land you control unbreakable enabling you to search for your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger that ability, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential in any green-based Avatar strategies focusing on earthbend. When branching into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, plus if it hits a player to a player, each animated land are ready again for another attack. While that version has become a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay among the top, possibly the popular pick in the collaboration.