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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, however after early access events recently, one cheap green card has already exploded in market worth.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub attracted significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring a single green and one generic mana, the card includes level 1 earthbending (possibly the most effective of the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk here comes from an additional effect: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold for $26.98. Following the early events, yet, its value has shot up above $45 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

As it hits the board, the cub transforms a terrain card so it becomes a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures on your side that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect would be this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. Yet many other mana generation creatures in the game. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value in comparison.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, it's simple to summon a massive high-cost monster into play early in the game. And things just keep spiraling out of control by maintaining dominance from there.

By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, cards like versatile mana producers work perfectly that generate any mana color. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land every round as well as transforms every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives all of your permanents the power to be tapped for a mana of any type — including all creatures in play.

The cub could be too strong regarding ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Its power and toughness match your land count, plus it turns each creature you own Forests in addition to their original types. This means, every single creature on your board may generate two green mana when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect makes Forest lands tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbending. The minus ability, on the other hand, makes all of your lands indestructible and lets you search for every Forest left in your deck. If you can actually activate that ability, it’s pretty much you win.

This card is a must-have for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use Earthbending. When branching into red and green, consider Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, and when he deals combat damage in combat, each animated land are ready again and can attack again. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be one of, if not the most popular pick from this expansion.