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the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar will not become widely available before the end of the week, yet following prerelease weekends this past weekend, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in price.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub drew significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness priced at one green and one colorless mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the most effective among the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage in its design is an additional effect: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, however, its value jumped above $45 including listings as high as $60. The reason for Vivi prices for this little creature? Primarily due to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

As it hits the battlefield, the cub transforms a terrain card so it becomes a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — plus other creatures you have which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy is the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces a green resource. Yet numerous alternative mana dorks out there. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more with stats 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get a very big and very expensive threat on the board early in the game. The situation escalates rapidly if you keep the pressure on from there.

By incorporating another color using this method, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that can make all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad allows you to put an additional land per turn AND turns all of your lands into every basic land type. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides all of your permanents the capacity to produce one mana of any color — even any creature under your control.

The cub could be too strong in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution is this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests as well as their other types. Essentially, each creature in play can produce double green by tapping.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that benefits from lots of lands (as with the previous card, P/T are based on your land total).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability makes all Forests produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, this results in those lands generate three green mana.) Her main ability is essentially an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her ultimate, on the other hand, grants your entire land base immune to destruction and lets you search for all the remaining forests in your deck. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly game over.

The cub is pretty much essential for all green-based Avatar strategies built around Earthbending. When branching into red-green, you can use Bumi. He has earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt in combat, all land creatures are ready again and can attack again. While that version is a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.