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MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t hit the general market until later this week, but due to pre-releases over the last few days, one cheap green card experienced a surge in market worth.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub attracted a lot of attention. A 2/2 requiring a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the most effective within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon in its design is an additional effect: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, though, the going rate has shot up above $45 with at least one listed as high as $60. Why are we seeing such high costs for this little creature? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits the battlefield, the cub turns a land so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, if it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures on your side that produce resources.

The obvious go-to for synergy is this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. However many other mana generation creatures available. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you can easily get an enormous high-cost creature into play within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling out of control by maintaining dominance from that point.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, cards like versatile mana producers work perfectly that can make any color of mana. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land every round plus makes every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is for example a card called A Realm Reborn, costing six mana provides every card you own the power to tap and generate any color mana — even any creature under your control.

The cub could be too strong when it comes to accelerating your resources, but how do you win with this archetype? One obvious and popular answer is this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures to be Forests as well as their original types. Essentially, all your creatures in play is able to produce double green by tapping.

Another creature is a costly, large threat which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness match your land total).

This Planeswalker fits really well in this deck. One of her abilities causes every Forest tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, so all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. The minus ability, however, renders your entire land base immune to destruction and allows you to search for your remaining Forests in your deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, this typically means you win.

This card is nearly mandatory for all decks using green and Avatar built around Earthbending. By including Gruul colors, consider Bumi. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if it hits a player in combat, all land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Even though Bumi is a beloved leader, this small creature is set to be one of, if not the most popular pick in the collaboration.