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MTG’s Avatar crossover set won’t become widely available in the coming days, yet 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 creature with stats 2/2 requiring a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub features Earthbending 1 (possibly the strongest among the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage here comes from its second ability: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, this card could be purchased below $30. After the pre-release weekend, however, its value jumped above $45 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. What explains such high costs for this little creature? Mostly because of the rapid resource generation it can produce.

As it hits the battlefield, this creature converts a terrain card into a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it is not removed, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures in your control that generate mana.

An ideal partner for maximum effect would be the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. However numerous alternative mana dorks in the game. This particular druid costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a very big high-cost creature on the board early in the game. Momentum builds exponentially by maintaining dominance from there.

By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, options such as these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make any mana color. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put another terrain each turn as well as makes your entire land base so they count as all basics. Another possibility is something like a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives all of your permanents the capacity to produce any color mana — including any creature in play.

The cub may be OP in terms of accelerating your resources, however how do you win for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are set by the number of lands you control, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests along with other subtypes. In other words, every single creature in play is able to generate two green mana if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness match how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit in this deck. Her static effect causes every Forest tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, that means all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. The minus ability, on the other hand, grants each land you control indestructible and lets you put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in the deck. Once you trigger that ability, this typically means game over.

The cub is pretty much essential for all green Avatar deck built around Earthbending. By including Gruul colors, you can use Bumi. He has earthbend 4, plus if it hits a player to a player, all land creatures untap for another attack. Although this card has emerged as a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card from this expansion.