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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to hit the general market before the end of the week, however due to prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature garnered widespread focus. A 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub has the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the best of the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design is another power: If you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, this card could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, though, its value jumped to $49.66 including listings priced at sixty dollars. The reason for premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Primarily due to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

Upon entering the board, Badgermole Cub transforms one land into a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it remains on the board, each affected land produces twice the mana — along with other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with includes Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for one green mana. But there are plenty of creatures that make mana in the game. This particular druid costs a bit more a 1/3 creature for two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get a massive and very expensive creature on the battlefield early in the game. The situation escalates out of control if you keep the pressure on from that point.

If you dip into an additional hue in this strategy, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are all great options which produce all five colors. Another card, a useful enchantment creature enables playing an additional land each turn as well as turns every land you control so they count as all basics. Another possibility is for example a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants all of your permanents the ability to tap and generate one mana of any color — including each creature in play.

The cub may be OP in terms of accelerating your resources, yet what closes out the game in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya. Power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests in addition to their other types. This means, each creature on your board may produce double green by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that benefits from lots of lands (like Ashaya, its stats are based on how many lands you have).

Nissa works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability allows every Forest generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, that means all earthbend forests yield three G.) One loyalty ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. The minus ability, however, makes all of your lands immune to destruction enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. If you can actually activate the ultimate, this typically means the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have in any green-based Avatar strategies built around earthbend. By including Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage in combat, each animated land become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.