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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to hit the general market in the coming days, however due to pre-releases recently, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub attracted widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, it includes level 1 earthbending (possibly the most effective within the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage with this card lies in an additional effect: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub sold at around $27. Following the early events, yet, its value jumped to $49.66 and one seller offering as high as $60. Why are we seeing premium pricing on this adorable card? Mostly due to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

When it arrives play, the cub turns one land into a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — plus other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with is the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that produces a green resource. However numerous other mana generation creatures available. Another option is a more expensive alternative with stats 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive creature on the battlefield early in the game. And things just keep spiraling exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that generate any color of mana. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play another terrain every round AND makes every land you control into every basic land type. You can also consider something like this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana grants all of your permanents the power to produce a mana of any type — even all creatures in play.

The cub might seem overpowered regarding ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to your land count, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. This means, all your creatures in play may tap for two G if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with lots of lands (like Ashaya, P/T are equal to the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a staple. Her passive ability allows all Forests generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) Her main ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders each land you control unbreakable and allows you to draw out your remaining Forests from your library. Should you manage to use that ability, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is a must-have for all decks using green and Avatar built around earthbend. If you dip into red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. He has level 4 earthbending, and when it hits a player to an opponent, land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Even though Bumi is a beloved leader, this small creature is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most popular pick from this expansion.