Among Avatar's most adorable MTG cards is a formidable small powerhouse.

the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar will not hit the general market until later this week, however due to early access events recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in market worth.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub attracted significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness requiring a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub includes level 1 earthbending (perhaps the most effective of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon here is an additional effect: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, the card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, however, the market price jumped to nearly $50 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits play, the cub converts a land to a creature land that has earthbending. And with that second ability, while it stays in play, those lands yields two mana instead of one — plus mana-producing creatures on your side which tap for mana.

A clear choice for synergy would be this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. However many other mana generation creatures in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, it's simple to summon a very big pricey monster on the board within a few turns. The situation escalates exponentially by maintaining dominance from that point.

If you dip into another color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that can make any color of mana. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land per turn as well as makes every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying something like a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives each permanent you control the power to be tapped for any color mana — which covers any creature in play.

This card might seem overpowered when it comes to boosting mana production, however what closes out the game in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. This means, all your creatures on your board can tap for two G if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with a high land count (like Ashaya, P/T are equal to your land total).

Nissa fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities makes every Forest tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in those lands produce triple green.) One loyalty ability functions like an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her ultimate, though, renders all of your lands indestructible and allows you to put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in your deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it’s pretty much the game ends.

The cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red and green, consider this legendary card. He has earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt in combat, land creatures are ready again for another attack. Even though Bumi has become a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be one of, if not the most desired card from this expansion.