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MTG’s Avatar crossover set will not hit the general market before the end of the week, but due to early access events recently, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub attracted significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness priced at G and 1 mana, it includes Earthbending 1 (possibly the best within the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage in its design is an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, you gain one extra green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub sold below $30. Following the early events, yet, the market price escalated above $45 including listings priced at sixty dollars. What explains such high costs for this cute lil guy? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

When it arrives the board, the cub transforms a land into a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it stays in play, those lands produces twice the mana — in addition to any creatures in your control that produce resources.

An ideal partner for synergy is Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces G mana. However many alternative mana dorks in the game. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a very big high-cost threat on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds out of control if you keep the pressure on from that point.

If you dip into a secondary color with this approach, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that generate all five colors. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature enables playing another terrain every round plus transforms your entire land base into every basic land type. Another possibility is something like a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for any color mana — including any creature you have on the board.

This card could be too strong in terms of accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game with this archetype? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests along with other subtypes. Essentially, all your creatures you control may generate two green mana by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that thrives with a high land count (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are based on how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly as a staple. One of her abilities causes all Forests produce extra green. (If you have the cub, that means all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders each land you control unbreakable and allows you to search for your remaining Forests from your library. Once you trigger that ability, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is pretty much essential for all green Avatar deck that use earthbend. If you dip into Gruul colors, there’s this legendary card. This card features level 4 earthbending, and when he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures untap for another attack. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, this small creature is set to be among the top, possibly the popular pick in the collaboration.