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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion will not become widely available in the coming days, but after early access events over the last few days, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub includes level 1 earthbending (possibly the strongest among the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon with this card is another power: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, the card could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, though, its value has shot up to nearly $50 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing on this adorable card? Primarily because of the rapid resource generation it enables.

When it arrives the battlefield, the cub transforms a land into a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, as long as it stays in play, each affected land produces twice the mana — along with mana-producing creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate G mana. However many other mana generation creatures available. Another option is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big pricey monster into play early in the game. The situation escalates rapidly with continued aggression after that.

When adding an additional hue using this method, options such as versatile mana producers work perfectly which produce any color of mana. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land every round AND makes your entire land base so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants every card you own the power to produce one mana of any color — including all creatures under your control.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong regarding boosting mana production, however what closes out the game with this archetype? An often-seen solution has been this legendary creature. Power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it makes each creature you own Forests as well as their other types. This means, all your creatures you control may generate two green mana by tapping.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that benefits from a high land count (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker fits really well in this deck. One of her abilities allows every Forest tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, so all earthbend forests generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with earthbending. The minus ability, however, makes all of your lands unbreakable and allows you to put onto the battlefield every Forest left in the deck. Should you manage to use this power, it’s pretty much you win.

The cub is a must-have in any green Avatar deck that use earthbend. If you dip into Gruul colors, there’s this legendary card. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and when damage is dealt to a player, all land creatures untap and can attack again. Even though Bumi is a fan favorite Commander, the cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.