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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release until later this week, yet due to pre-releases recently, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub drew significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs one green and one colorless mana, the card has level 1 earthbending (arguably the strongest among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon in its design is an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, this card could be purchased for $26.98. Post-prerelease, however, the going rate jumped to nearly $50 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing for this little creature? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

When it arrives play, Badgermole Cub transforms a terrain card to a creature land with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, while it is not removed, those lands generates double mana — plus any creatures on your side that generate mana.

A clear choice for synergy includes this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. Yet numerous other mana generation creatures out there. This particular druid costs a bit more with stats 1/3 costing two mana instead.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big pricey monster on the battlefield early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly if you keep the pressure on after that.

By incorporating an additional hue using this method, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play another terrain each turn AND turns your entire land base into every basic land type. You can also consider such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides every card you own the ability to be tapped for a mana of any type — which covers any creature in play.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of boosting mana production, however what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? An often-seen solution is Ashaya. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, and it changes each creature you own into Forests as well as other subtypes. This means, all your creatures you control can generate two green mana when tapped.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from many terrain cards (like Ashaya, its power and toughness are based on your land total).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a staple. Her static effect causes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands produce triple green.) Her plus ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but does not overlap with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, renders each land you control unbreakable enabling you to draw out every Forest left in your deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it’s pretty much the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential for all decks using green and Avatar focusing on earthbend. When branching into red-green, consider this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to an opponent, each animated land untap for another attack. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, this small creature will surely stay one of the most, maybe the popular pick from this expansion.