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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to hit the general market in the coming days, however after prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature drew widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, it has level 1 earthbending (possibly the strongest among the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk here comes from an additional effect: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

Initially, this card was available for $26.98. Post-prerelease, however, its value jumped to nearly $50 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. The reason for such high costs for this little creature? Primarily because of the rapid resource generation it can produce.

When it arrives the board, Badgermole Cub converts a land to a creature land granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — along with any creatures in your control that generate mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with is this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. But many other mana generation creatures available. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a massive pricey threat on the battlefield by round three or four. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression after that.

When adding a secondary color with this approach, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce any mana color. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play an additional land every round plus turns every land you control so they count as all basics. You can also consider such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants all of your permanents the power to be tapped for one mana of any color — which covers any creature under your control.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong when it comes to boosting mana production, but how do you win in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya. Its power and toughness are set by your land count, and it changes each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. In other words, each creature on your board is able to tap for two G if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control).

Nissa is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability makes all Forests produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, so each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like a proto-earthbend, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her -8 ability, however, makes all of your lands unbreakable and allows you to search for all the remaining forests in the deck. Once you trigger that ability, this typically means you win.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use Earthbending. By including red and green, there’s Bumi. This card features level 4 earthbending, and if he deals combat damage to an opponent, land creatures untap and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has emerged as a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card in the Avatar set.