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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion won’t hit the general market before the end of the week, however following early access events recently, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub drew significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness priced at G and 1 mana, it includes Earthbending 1 (arguably the strongest among the elemental mechanics available). The major perk here lies in an additional effect: Each time you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub sold at around $27. Post-prerelease, however, the market price escalated to nearly $50 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. What explains premium pricing for this little creature? Mainly due to the rapid resource generation it provides.

Upon entering play, Badgermole Cub converts one land to a creature land with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — along with any creatures you have that generate mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with is Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that produces one green mana. However numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value as an alternative.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive creature on the board by round three or four. Momentum builds rapidly with continued aggression from that point.

When adding another color in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that can make all five colors. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play an additional land every round plus turns all of your lands so they count as all basics. You can also consider something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides each permanent you control the ability to tap and generate one mana of any color — including all creatures you have on the board.

The cub may be OP in terms of boosting mana production, however what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes your non-token creatures Forests as well as other subtypes. In other words, every single creature in play can tap for two G when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its stats are based on the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. One of her abilities makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands yield three G.) Her main ability functions like a proto-earthbend, placing counters on a land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, renders each land you control indestructible enabling you to draw out every Forest left in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it’s pretty much game over.

This card is nearly mandatory for all decks using green and Avatar that use Earthbending. By including red and green, you can use Bumi. This card features earthbend 4, and if he deals combat damage to a player, all land creatures become untapped and can attack again. Although this card has become a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the popular pick from this expansion.