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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not hit the general market before the end of the week, yet due to prerelease weekends this past weekend, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in market worth.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub garnered significant interest. A 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (possibly the strongest among the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon with this card is another power: Each time you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub was available below $30. Post-prerelease, however, the market price jumped to $49.66 including listings as high as $60. Why are we seeing Vivi prices on this adorable card? Mostly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

When it arrives the battlefield, Badgermole Cub turns one land into a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — plus other creatures you have that produce resources.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces one green mana. Yet there are plenty of other mana generation creatures in the game. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you can easily get a very big and very expensive threat on the battlefield within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling exponentially with continued aggression from that point.

If you dip into another color with this approach, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that can make any mana color. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put another terrain per turn as well as turns every land you control providing all land types. You can also consider something like this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana gives each permanent you control the power to tap and generate any color mana — including all creatures under your control.

This card could be too strong in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution has been Ashaya. Its stats match how many lands you have, and it changes each creature you own to be Forests in addition to their other types. In other words, each creature you control may produce double green if used for mana.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that benefits from a high land count (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to your land total).

Nissa fits really well in this deck. Her static effect makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means those lands yield three G.) One loyalty ability functions like a proto-earthbend, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her -8 ability, though, grants each land you control unbreakable and allows you to put onto the battlefield every Forest left from your library. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it’s pretty much the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential for all green-based Avatar strategies built around Earthbending. By including Gruul colors, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt to a player, land creatures become untapped for another attack. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, the cub is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card from this expansion.