One of the Avatar-themed cutest MTG cards turns out to be a formidable compact powerhouse.

MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, this small creature attracted significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, Badgermole Cub features level 1 earthbending (possibly the most effective within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage with this card lies in another power: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

At its cheapest, the card was available below $30. After the pre-release weekend, yet, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this little creature? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

Upon entering the battlefield, this creature converts one land so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it remains on the board, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — plus any creatures in your control which tap for mana.

An ideal partner to combine with is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate one green mana. However there are plenty of creatures that make mana available. Another option is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, it's simple to summon an enormous pricey threat into play by round three or four. Momentum builds out of control by maintaining dominance after that.

If you dip into another color in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play another terrain each turn plus makes every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives every card you own the capacity to produce a mana of any type — which covers each creature you have on the board.

The cub could be too strong in terms of accelerating your resources, but what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? A common and powerful choice already is this legendary creature. Power and toughness are set by your land count, plus it turns your non-token creatures to be Forests in addition to their original types. In other words, all your creatures you control can generate two green mana when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, P/T are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities allows all Forests tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability functions like an early earthbend, placing counters on a land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. The minus ability, however, renders your entire land base indestructible and allows you to search for all the remaining forests from your library. Once you trigger the ultimate, this typically means game over.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential in any green-based Avatar strategies that use earthbend. By including Gruul colors, consider this legendary card. He has earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt to a player, each animated land become untapped and can attack again. Even though Bumi has become a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay one of, if not the most popular pick from this expansion.