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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to get a wider release until later this week, yet due to prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub garnered a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness requiring one green and one colorless mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the strongest within the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage in its design is another power: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub could be purchased for $26.98. Following the early events, however, its value escalated to $49.66 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing on this adorable card? Primarily due to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

When it arrives the battlefield, the cub converts a land to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it is not removed, each affected land produces twice the mana — along with any creatures on your side which tap for mana.

An ideal partner to combine with includes this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. Yet many creatures that make mana available. Another option is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

Deploying terrain, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play an enormous high-cost monster on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds exponentially if you keep the pressure on from there.

When adding a secondary color in this strategy, examples including versatile mana producers are excellent picks that can make all five colors. And something like this powerful dryad allows you to put another terrain each turn AND makes all of your lands providing all land types. Another possibility is for example this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana provides all of your permanents the ability to be tapped for any color mana — including any creature in play.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of boosting mana production, however what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it makes your non-token creatures into Forests along with their other types. This means, each creature in play may generate two green mana by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that benefits from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, P/T match the number of lands you control).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a staple. Her static effect allows every Forest produce extra green. (If you have the cub, this results in all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her ultimate, though, grants all of your lands indestructible and allows you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests from your library. Once you trigger the ultimate, it’s pretty much the game ends.

This card is nearly mandatory in any decks using green and Avatar built around Earthbending. By including red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt in combat, each animated land are ready again 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 in the Avatar set.