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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not get a wider release before the end of the week, yet due to prerelease weekends over the last few days, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub drew widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, it includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the most effective among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage here lies in another power: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, this card was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, though, the market price jumped above $45 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits the board, Badgermole Cub transforms a land into a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, as long as it stays in play, every earthbent land generates double mana — plus mana-producing creatures on your side which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with would be this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate G mana. Yet there are plenty of creatures that make mana in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 for two mana instead.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a massive pricey creature into play early in the game. Momentum builds rapidly with continued aggression after that.

If you dip into an additional hue with this approach, options such as versatile mana producers work perfectly that generate any mana color. Another card, this powerful dryad enables playing another terrain each turn plus makes your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana grants each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for one mana of any color — which covers all creatures in play.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of boosting mana production, however how do you win in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Its stats match your land count, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests as well as their other types. Essentially, every single creature you control may produce double green when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker fits really well as a staple. Her static effect allows all Forests produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability is essentially a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her -8 ability, on the other hand, makes all of your lands unbreakable and lets you put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in your deck. Should you manage to use the ultimate, this typically means you win.

This card is pretty much essential for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use Earthbending. When branching into Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, all land creatures become untapped and can attack again. Although this card has become a popular Commander choice, this small creature is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the sought-after card from this expansion.