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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to get a wider release before the end of the week, however following prerelease weekends this past weekend, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in value.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness that costs one green and one colorless mana, the card includes the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the most effective of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk in its design lies in an additional effect: Each time you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, this card could be purchased below $30. After the pre-release weekend, though, the market price jumped to nearly $50 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing Vivi prices on this adorable card? Mostly due to the rapid resource generation it enables.

When it arrives play, this creature converts a terrain card to a creature land with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it stays in play, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — plus other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for maximum effect would be Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces G mana. Yet many other mana generation creatures in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive monster into play within a few turns. The situation escalates exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.

By incorporating a secondary color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce any color of mana. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put one extra land every round AND turns every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants every card you own the capacity to tap and generate one mana of any color — which covers each creature you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of ramping up your mana generation, however what closes out the game with this archetype? One obvious and popular answer is Ashaya. Power and toughness match your land count, and it makes your non-token creatures Forests as well as their other types. In other words, every single creature in play can generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from a high land count (as with the previous card, its power and toughness match the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit as a staple. One of her abilities causes Forest lands tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, this results in each one generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a proto-earthbend, placing counters on terrain, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbending. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders each land you control indestructible enabling you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in your deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it almost certainly game over.

The cub is pretty much essential in any green Avatar deck focusing on earthbend. When branching into red-green, consider Bumi. It possesses level 4 earthbending, plus if damage is dealt to an opponent, land creatures are ready again for another attack. While that version has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be one of, if not the most sought-after card in the Avatar set.