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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release in the coming days, however following pre-releases over the last few days, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in value.

From the initial reveals, this small creature garnered a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the most effective among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon with this card comes from another power: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, this card sold at around $27. Following the early events, though, its value escalated to $49.66 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing on this adorable card? Mostly because of the rapid resource generation it enables.

As it hits the board, this creature converts one land to a creature land with earthbend. And with that second ability, while it stays in play, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to mana-producing creatures on your side that produce resources.

An ideal partner for maximum effect is Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces a green resource. However numerous other mana generation creatures out there. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big pricey monster into play by round three or four. Momentum builds rapidly with continued aggression after that.

If you dip into another color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that generate any mana color. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play another terrain every round plus makes your entire land base into every basic land type. You can also consider for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana gives every card you own the capacity to be tapped for one mana of any color — which covers each creature under your control.

This card could be too strong in terms of boosting mana production, yet what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests in addition to other subtypes. This means, all your creatures on your board is able to generate two green mana when tapped.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that thrives with a high land count (like Ashaya, its stats match the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker works perfectly as a staple. One of her abilities allows Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means all earthbend forests produce triple green.) One loyalty ability functions like an early earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy though it doesn't stack with the cub's ability. The minus ability, though, grants your entire land base unbreakable and lets you draw out your remaining Forests from your library. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly game over.

This card is nearly mandatory for all decks using green and Avatar that use Earthbending. If you dip into red and green, there’s Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt to a player, each animated land untap for another attack. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most sought-after card in the Avatar set.