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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not hit the general market in the coming days, but due to prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature attracted a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (arguably the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk with this card comes from an additional effect: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, this card was available for $26.98. Following the early events, though, the market price escalated to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Primarily due to the rapid resource generation it provides.

When it arrives the battlefield, this creature transforms a terrain card to a creature land that has earthbending. And with that second ability, while it is not removed, each affected land produces twice the mana — along with other creatures in your control that produce resources.

A clear choice for maximum effect would be the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for one green mana. However numerous alternative mana dorks out there. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a massive high-cost monster into play by round three or four. Momentum builds exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.

If you dip into a secondary color using this method, cards like versatile mana producers are all great options that generate all five colors. And something like this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land every round AND makes every land you control so they count as all basics. Another possibility is such as a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives every card you own the ability to produce a mana of any type — even all creatures under your control.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of accelerating your resources, but what closes out the game in such a strategy? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness match the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures Forests in addition to their other types. Essentially, all your creatures you control may generate two green mana by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness match your land total).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability causes all Forests generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so all earthbend forests produce triple green.) Her main ability functions like an early earthbend, adding counters on terrain, handy though it doesn't stack with the cub's ability. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders all of your lands unbreakable and allows you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests from your library. If you can actually activate that ability, this typically means you win.

This card is pretty much essential for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies built around Earthbending. If you dip into Gruul colors, you can use this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt in combat, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card from this expansion.