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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to get a wider release until later this week, however following prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, this small creature drew widespread focus. A 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, it has Earthbending 1 (possibly the best within the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk with this card comes from an additional effect: If you tap a creature for mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, the card sold below $30. Following the early events, yet, the market price escalated to nearly $50 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing such high costs for this cute lil guy? Mostly due to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

When it arrives play, the cub converts a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, while it remains on the board, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to mana-producing creatures in your control that produce resources.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for one green mana. However numerous alternative mana dorks out there. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value instead.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive threat into play by round three or four. Momentum builds rapidly with continued aggression from that point.

By incorporating an additional hue using this method, examples including these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play another terrain every round as well as makes all of your lands so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants each permanent you control the capacity to produce a mana of any type — even any creature you have on the board.

This card may be OP when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer has been this legendary creature. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. This means, each creature in play may tap for two G when tapped.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to your land total).

Nissa fits really well in this deck. One of her abilities causes Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, grants all of your lands immune to destruction and allows you to search for your remaining Forests in your deck. If you can actually activate this power, this typically means you win.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on earthbend. By including red-green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to a player, all land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Even though Bumi is a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the popular pick from this expansion.